Pedro Reunites With Maurizio Sarri at Lazio Following Transfer From Roma

Pedro, the former Barcelona and Chelsea winger, recently completed the move from Roma to Lazio after it was revealed that he was no longer in the plans of his new manager, Jose Mourinho. This is the first time a cross-city transfer has happened in Rome in 40 years, as the bitter rivals aren’t usually in the habit of doing business.

Pedro’s Spell at Roma & Transfer to Lazio

Last summer, the 34-year-old signed a three-year contract with Roma after joining on a free transfer from Chelsea, but new manager Jose Mourinho judged him surplus to requirements and left him out of the team’s pre-season preparations this summer. This transfer may come as a surprise to bettors and fans of both sides. If you want to know how to get started at Betway sportsbook for the new season, you can find plenty of guides online.

Maurizio Sarri, the new manager of Lazio, was eager to work with Pedro again after coaching him at Chelsea in the 2018-19 season. Despite the fact that Pedro failed to impress for Roma, Sarri obviously believes he can get the winger back to his best once more. On his day, he was an incredibly talented player, and while he’s certainly ageing, he should still have enough gas in the tank for another season, at least.

Roma wanted to sell the forward to a foreign club, but due to Italian tax restrictions, they would have lost roughly €3.5 million. Instead, they worked out a deal with Lazio that was beneficial for both parties. Lazio will not have to pay a transfer fee to Roma but will take the Spaniard’s current salary of roughly €4 million per year before taxes, plus bonuses based on the team’s performance next season.

Pedro, who will take on the number 9 jersey for Lazio, had a difficult year with Roma, scoring six goals in 40 games. However, he did score in the team’s 2-0 derby triumph over his current team back in May. After joining Chelsea from Barcelona in 2015, he spent five years in west London, scoring 29 goals in 137 appearances.

Which Other Players Have Appeared for Both Roma & Lazio?

Many different players have worn both Lazio and Roma jerseys throughout the years, notably Aleksandar Kolarov, Sinisa Mihajlovic, Roberto Muzzi, Diego Fuser, and Angelo Peruzzi, although direct moves between the two Italian capital teams have been extremely unusual.

The last time this happened was in 1981 when Carlo Perrone made the switch between the two fierce rivals. The defender left Lazio in the summer of 1981 after making 42 appearances for the club. After joining Roma, he only played five times before returning to his home club for another season.

While transfers between Italian clubs aren’t that rare, even for rivals, most of the time, the two Roman clubs refuse to do business with one another. Is this is a sign that things are changing and the two teams are warming up to each other? Probably not. We fully expect the Lazio vs Roma derby (Derby della Capitale) to be more exciting than ever this season, especially if Pedro plays.

Lazio Hopeful for New Season Under Maurizio Sarri

This season Sarri will be taking the helm at Lazio for the first time. The former Juventus and Napoli manager will be looking to bring his brand of football (Sarriball or Sarrismo) to the Biancocelesti and will hopefully be able to help them improve on the results of previous seasons.

Although Sarri struggled to make an impact at Juventus, he was a huge part of Napoli’s success, getting them close to the Scudetto. Many Lazio fans are hopeful he can have a similar impact on their side, turning the club into a team that can regularly compete for titles in Serie A and Europe.