Cagliari director Pietro Accardi says the club have no intention of allowing Alessandro Romano to leave during the January transfer window, despite the Italy debutant beginning to attract interest from leading Serie A clubs.
Romano is expected to feature when Cagliari host Juventus at the Unipol Domus on Sunday in Serie A Round 6. The 20-year-old has made a strong start to the campaign and recently received his first Italy call-up, making his debut against Belgium during the international break. He now has three international appearances.
Cagliari signed Romano from Roma during the summer on an initial loan deal that includes an obligation to buy. Accardi believes the midfielder’s determination was evident during his time at Spezia last season.
“He impressed me last season with how quickly he adapted to a difficult situation at Spezia,” Accardi told Tuttosport.
“A young player who, in his first experience at senior level, managed to establish himself and play all 19 matches despite the difficulties shows what kind of mentality he has.
“He was certainly under high demand this summer. Other teams were interested, but I believe the Cagliari project, and above all the coach, made the difference.”
Romano returned to club training earlier this week, but Accardi says his attitude remains unchanged despite his rapid progress with Italy.
“He’s exactly the same as on his first day,” said the Cagliari director.
“He knows playing for the national team has undoubtedly given him something, but he also knows his journey is here at Cagliari.”
Inter and Juventus have both been linked with the player. Asked whether either club had made contact, Accardi said: “Not directly, but we know very well he is starting to attract a lot of interest, as you would expect for a player born in 2006 with his qualities and considerable room for improvement.”
He added: “Representing these supporters also means not seeing yourself as merely passing through. None of us is considering letting such a prized asset leave in January. We have the seventh-largest fan base in Italy, so we all understand our responsibility to our supporters.”
Cagliari have taken 12 points from their opening five matches, winning four of them, although Accardi remains focused on securing survival.
“I didn’t expect such a strong start. We’re enjoying the moment, but we’re staying level-headed and focused, knowing this is only the beginning; we still have a long way to go, and our objective is to avoid relegation,” he said.
Sunday’s match will also reunite Accardi with Juventus goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario. Accardi signed Vicario from Cagliari for Empoli in 2021 before completing his sale to Tottenham two years later, in what became Empoli’s biggest transfer sale.
“He was always focused, hardworking, and professional, so I’m not surprised to see him at Juventus,” Accardi said.
He also highlighted the satisfaction of signing players from Serie C, including Di Lorenzo from Matera and Parisi from Avellino.
“When you have the courage to invest in young players from the lower divisions and one of them goes on to win the European Championship and become Napoli’s captain, that’s immensely rewarding,” he said.
