Patrick Vieira refused to answer when asked if Genoa still have faith in him after fans staged an angry protest in the wake of a 2-0 home defeat to Cremonese.

The Grifone are still without a single Serie A victory so far this season and remain rooted to the foot of the table with just three draws from nine rounds.

They lost five of the last six, and this evening’s 2-0 defeat to newly-promoted Cremonese was the final straw for the supporters.

The ultras at Marassi threw fireworks and smoke bombs onto the pitch while they chanted ‘show some balls’ and ‘go to work.’

At the final whistle, Vieira and his players stood under the Curva as they received insults and abuse from the angry supporters.

Vieira stands up for troubled Genoa

“It was a very difficult match on a psychological level,” said Vieira in his press conference.

“We started with an aggressive approach and desire to win, but conceding a goal after three minutes made everything tougher. We were unable to react.

“We lost our organisation and our discipline on the pitch. We felt the tension of being without a win and were unable to turn it around.”

The coach was asked if he had spoken to the Genoa directors and if they still had faith in him.

“You ask me a question like this after a match? I understand it is your job, but this question makes no sense to me,” replied Vieira.

“My worry is to try to find a way to win games. This is a difficult moment for all of us, and we must accept the criticism that comes our way. For the rest, we’ll see. Replying to this question now is not my style.”

Considering the lack of reaction and a strong mentality, could Genoa focus more on players with greater experience and mental strength for the next games?

“It’s true that experience is very important right now. We do have players with experience and it will be important for them to take a step forward and talk with the rest of the team,” acknowledged Vieira.

However, he does not believe the squad needs an entire overhaul in the January transfer window.

“I have always said that I was happy with this group of players, and I have not changed my mind on that. These changes brought a little more quality, but lost in terms of intensity. We continue to work.”

Cremonese achieved a real coup with this win at Marassi to leave Genoa at the foot of the table, with two spectacular Federico Bonazzoli goals.

The Grifone were without a single victory all season, fresh off fumbling an early lead to lose 2-1 at Torino, but Nicolae Stanciu was the only remaining absentee. The Grigiorossi had five draws in the last six rounds, and Jamie Vardy got his first Serie A goal in a 1-1 draw with Atalanta at the weekend. Alberto Grassi, Giuseppe Pezzella, Faris Moumbagna and Michele Collocolo were still on the treatment table.

See how it all unfolded on the Liveblog.

Cremonese took under four minutes to break through with an absolutely spectacular goal. A corner was flicked on, the wayward scuffed Bianchetti finish turned into an accidental assist for Federico Bonazzoli’s acrobatic bicycle kick from six yards.

Jeff Ekhator’s angled drive flashed wide, then he was offside when forcing an Emil Audero save from point-blank range.

A free kick ricocheted into the path of Aaron Martin, whose finish was deflected for a Genoa corner by brave Federico Baschirotto defending.

Cremonese doubled their lead after the restart when a deep corner found Bonazzoli at the back post for a volley, and while Nicola Leali made a reaction save, he could not stop it crossing the line completely.

Vitinha had the ball in the net for Genoa on 56 minutes, but he was offside when meeting the Aaron Martin assist at the far stick.

Filippo Terracciano couldn’t keep his header down on a promising Vandeputte free kick, while Emil Audero needed a big save when Brooke Norton-Cuffy sent Morten Frendrup one-on-one with the goalkeeper.

Jeff Ekhator’s header was over from a Ruslan Malinovskyi cross and Patrizio Masini couldn’t find the net either, as Genoa were booed off the field by their home fans, who began to throw fireworks onto the pitch in protest.

Genoa 0-2 Cremonese

Bonazzoli 4, 49 (C)

29-10-2025 19:45

MatchDay 9

Stadio Luigi Ferraris

Genoa

Cremonese

0 - 2

Player statistic

1st half

		4'		Federico Bonazzoli (Assist: Matteo Bianchetti)
Valentín Carboni		38'

2nd half

		49'		Federico Bonazzoli (Assist: Jari Vandeputte)
Vitinha		62'
Nicola Leali		72'
		78'		Tommaso Barbieri

Match statistic

54

Possession %

46

16

Total shots

11

1

Shots on target

4

8

Shots off target

7

7

Blocked shots

0

7

Corners

3

3

Offsides

0

16

Fouls

13

Genoa

Cremonese

Starting lineups

1

Nicola Leali

Goalkeeper

3

Aarón Martín

Defender

63'

15

Brooke Norton-Cuffy

Defender

22

Johan Vásquez

Defender

5

Leo Östigard

Defender

73

Patrizio Masini

Midfielder

17

Ruslan Malinovskyi

Midfielder

23

Valentín Carboni

Midfielder

63'

21

Jeff Ekhator

Attacker

53'

Maxwel Cornet

Attacker

53'

77

Mikael Egill Ellertsson

Attacker

1

Emil Audero

Goalkeeper

6

Federico Baschirotto

Defender

15

Matteo Bianchetti

Defender

22

Romano Floriani Mussolini

Defender

77'

4

Tommaso Barbieri

Defender

24

Filippo Terracciano

Midfielder

27

Jari Vandeputte

Midfielder

32

Martín Payero

Midfielder

88'

38

Warren Bondo

Midfielder

88'

90

Federico Bonazzoli

Attacker

73'

10

Jamie Vardy

Attacker

Substitutes

20

Stefano Sabelli

Defender

10

Junior Messias

Attacker

2

Morten Thorsby

Midfielder

39

Daniele Sommariva

Goalkeeper

Jean Onana

Midfielder

31

Benjamin Siegrist

Goalkeeper

11

Albert Grønbaek

Midfielder

40

Seydou Fini

Attacker

27

Alessandro Marcandalli

Defender

30

Hugo Cuenca

Midfielder

76

Lorenzo Venturino

Attacker

18

Caleb Ekuban

Attacker

53'

9

Vitinha

Attacker

53'

32

Morten Frendrup

Midfielder

63'

29

Lorenzo Colombo

Attacker

63'

69

Lapo Nava

Goalkeeper

16

Marco Silvestri

Goalkeeper

23

Federico Ceccherini

Defender

11

Dennis Johnsen

Attacker

48

Dachi Lordkipanidze

Midfielder

84

Adrian Lickunas

Attacker

20

Franco Vázquez

Midfielder

73'

30

Mika Faye

Defender

77'

19

Jeremy Sarmiento

Midfielder

88'

55

Francesco Folino

Defender

88'

Aaron Martin has lost some of the visibility he previously had in recent matches, despite an undeniably high level of performance.

Many have linked this situation to his contract expiring in June.

Genoa push for Aaron Martin renewal

Genoa want to resolve the matter as soon as possible, in order to avoid the risk of losing the 1997-born left-back on a free transfer.

As we reported back on June 10, Martin’s profile is greatly appreciated by Lazio, and there have already been inquiries to understand the position of the Spanish specialist.

At the moment Lazio cannot make moves in the market, but in the future several issues will need to be defined (starting with Tavares), and the club will continue to monitor Martin. In the meantime, Genoa will continue to push for a renewal, as we have now entered an increasingly delicate phase.

The 28-year-old signed for Genoa in 2023 from Bundesliga outfit Mainz and has since made close to 70 appearances for the club in all competitions.

Torino left it late to find the winner after coming from behind in a 2-1 victory over struggling Genoa in Serie A on Sunday afternoon, with goals from Morten Thorsby, an own goal from Stefano Sabelli and a late winner from Guillermo Maripan. 

Both Marco Baroni and Patrick Vieira made one change each ahead of kick-off. Torino, who were coming in off an encouraging 1-0 win over league leaders Napoli last time out, brought Cristiano Biraghi in for Niels Nkounkou, while Genoa handed a start to Morten Thorsby instead of Vitinha.

Click here to read more about how the teams lined up. 

A calamitous piece of Torino defending handed Genoa the 1-0 lead early on in the first half. 

Jeff Ekhator played an optimistic ball into the area, Kristjan Asllani made a complete hash of his clearance, which meant that Thorsby was free on the edge of the six yard box to stab home the opener. 

Torino had to wait until midway through the second half to begin their turnaround. 

Again, it was a cross in from the same flank at the same end of the pitch, and another piece of disastrous defending that led to the goal. Marcus Holmgren Pedersen’s cross was aimed at Che Adams, but Stefano Sabelli ended up steering into his own net in an attempt to clear. 

Torino claimed the three points right at the last: In the 90th minute. A routine corner from Valentino Lazaro came in from the right flank, and Maripan was on hand to slam home a first-time volley in the middle of the area for 2-1. 

With two consecutive league victories to their name, Torino are temporarily up to 11th place in the Serie A standings, while Genoa, still without a win in the league this season, remain rooted to the bottom of the table on three points after eight games.

Torino 2-1 Genoa

Thorsby 2 (G) Sabelli og 63 (T), Maripan 90 (T)

26-10-2025 11:30

MatchDay 8

Olympic Grande Torino Stadium

Torino

Genoa

2 - 1

Player statistic

1st half

		5'		Morten Frendrup
		7'		Morten Thorsby
Cesare Casadei		29'

2nd half

		53'		Jeff Ekhator
Nikola Vlasic		59'
Stefano Sabelli		63'
Guillermo Maripán (Assist: Valentino Lazaro)		90'

Match statistic

59

Possession %

41

13

Total shots

11

6

Shots on target

3

3

Shots off target

5

4

Blocked shots

3

9

Corners

1

1

Offsides

14

Fouls

9

Torino

Genoa

Starting lineups

1

Alberto Paleari

Goalkeeper

34

Cristiano Biraghi

Defender

60'

13

Guillermo Maripán

Defender

16

Marcus Pedersen

Defender

23

Saúl Coco

Defender

61

Adrien Tameze

Midfielder

22

Cesare Casadei

Midfielder

32

Kristjan Asllani

Midfielder

60'

10

Nikola Vlasic

Midfielder

60'

19

Ché Adams

Attacker

73'

18

Giovanni Simeone

Attacker

83'

1

Nicola Leali

Goalkeeper

15

Brooke Norton-Cuffy

Defender

22

Johan Vásquez

Defender

5

Leo Östigard

Defender

20

Stefano Sabelli

Defender

78'

32

Morten Frendrup

Midfielder

78'

2

Morten Thorsby

Midfielder

87'

73

Patrizio Masini

Midfielder

17

Ruslan Malinovskyi

Midfielder

87'

21

Jeff Ekhator

Attacker

61'

77

Mikael Egill Ellertsson

Attacker

Substitutes

8

Ivan Ilić

Midfielder

7

Zakaria Aboukhlal

Midfielder

5

Adam Masina

Defender

6

Emirhan Ilkhan

Midfielder

21

Ali Dembélé

Defender

71

Mihai Popa

Goalkeeper

92

Alieu Njie

Attacker

99

Lapo Siviero

Goalkeeper

44

Ardian Ismajli

Defender

60'

20

Valentino Lazaro

Defender

60'

26

Cyril Ngonge

Attacker

60'

66

Gvidas Gineitis

Midfielder

73'

91

Duván Zapata

Attacker

83'

10

Junior Messias

Attacker

39

Daniele Sommariva

Goalkeeper

31

Benjamin Siegrist

Goalkeeper

23

Valentín Carboni

Midfielder

11

Albert Grønbaek

Midfielder

40

Seydou Fini

Attacker

3

Aarón Martín

Defender

30

Hugo Cuenca

Midfielder

34

Sebastian Otoa

Defender

76

Lorenzo Venturino

Attacker

18

Caleb Ekuban

Attacker

61'

Maxwel Cornet

Attacker

78'

Jean Onana

Midfielder

78'

29

Lorenzo Colombo

Attacker

87'

9

Vitinha

Attacker

87'

Marco Baroni and Patrick Vieira have made just one change each ahead of the meeting of Torino and Genoa in Serie A on Sunday afternoon. 

Today’s game begins in the early kick-off slot at 11.30 GMT. 

Torino are looking to capitalise on their momentum following an encouraging 1-0 victory against league leaders Napoli last time out in Serie A. The Granata will be backed by a sell-out crowd in Turin on Sunday. 

Marco Baroni has made just one change to his side following the Napoli victory, bringing in Cristiano Biraghi to replace Niels Nkounkou at left wing-back. Last week’s goalscorer Giovanni Simeone leads the line again, alongside Scotland international Che Adams. 

Genoa, who drew 0-0 with Parma last time out, have replaced Vitinha with Morten Thorsby, but are otherwise unchanged. 

Torino vs. Genoa: Confirmed line-ups

Torino (3-4-1-2): Paleari; Tameze, Maripan, Coco; Pedersen, Casadei, Asllani, Biraghi; Vlasic; Simeone, Adams. 

Genoa (4-2-3-1): Leali; Norton-Cuffy, Ostigaard, Vasquez, Sabelli; Masini, Frendrup; Ellertson, Malinkovskyi, Thorsby; Ekhator.

26-10-2025 11:30

MatchDay 8

Olympic Grande Torino Stadium

Torino

Genoa

2 - 1

Player statistic

1st half

		5'		Morten Frendrup
		7'		Morten Thorsby
Cesare Casadei		29'

2nd half

		53'		Jeff Ekhator
Nikola Vlasic		59'
Stefano Sabelli		63'
Guillermo Maripán (Assist: Valentino Lazaro)		90'

Match statistic

59

Possession %

41

13

Total shots

11

6

Shots on target

3

3

Shots off target

5

4

Blocked shots

3

9

Corners

1

1

Offsides

14

Fouls

9

Torino

Genoa

Starting lineups

1

Alberto Paleari

Goalkeeper

34

Cristiano Biraghi

Defender

60'

13

Guillermo Maripán

Defender

16

Marcus Pedersen

Defender

23

Saúl Coco

Defender

61

Adrien Tameze

Midfielder

22

Cesare Casadei

Midfielder

32

Kristjan Asllani

Midfielder

60'

10

Nikola Vlasic

Midfielder

60'

19

Ché Adams

Attacker

73'

18

Giovanni Simeone

Attacker

83'

1

Nicola Leali

Goalkeeper

15

Brooke Norton-Cuffy

Defender

22

Johan Vásquez

Defender

5

Leo Östigard

Defender

20

Stefano Sabelli

Defender

78'

32

Morten Frendrup

Midfielder

78'

2

Morten Thorsby

Midfielder

87'

73

Patrizio Masini

Midfielder

17

Ruslan Malinovskyi

Midfielder

87'

21

Jeff Ekhator

Attacker

61'

77

Mikael Egill Ellertsson

Attacker

Substitutes

8

Ivan Ilić

Midfielder

7

Zakaria Aboukhlal

Midfielder

5

Adam Masina

Defender

6

Emirhan Ilkhan

Midfielder

21

Ali Dembélé

Defender

71

Mihai Popa

Goalkeeper

92

Alieu Njie

Attacker

99

Lapo Siviero

Goalkeeper

44

Ardian Ismajli

Defender

60'

20

Valentino Lazaro

Defender

60'

26

Cyril Ngonge

Attacker

60'

66

Gvidas Gineitis

Midfielder

73'

91

Duván Zapata

Attacker

83'

10

Junior Messias

Attacker

39

Daniele Sommariva

Goalkeeper

31

Benjamin Siegrist

Goalkeeper

23

Valentín Carboni

Midfielder

11

Albert Grønbaek

Midfielder

40

Seydou Fini

Attacker

3

Aarón Martín

Defender

30

Hugo Cuenca

Midfielder

34

Sebastian Otoa

Defender

76

Lorenzo Venturino

Attacker

18

Caleb Ekuban

Attacker

61'

Maxwel Cornet

Attacker

78'

Jean Onana

Midfielder

78'

29

Lorenzo Colombo

Attacker

87'

9

Vitinha

Attacker

87'

Zion Suzuki was the hero for 10-man Parma, saving the last-gasp Maxwel Cornet penalty to deny Genoa their first win of the season.

It had been a rough start to the campaign for Patrick Vieira’s side, amassing only two points from six rounds. Alessandro Marcandalli and Nicolae Stanciu joined Junior Messias on the treatment table, all with muscular problems, but Leo Ostigard returned after a cracked rib. The Ducali missed Lautaro Valenti, Emanuele Valeri, Gaetano Oristanio, Matija Frigan and Jacob Ondrejka, with Lautaro Valenti only fit for the bench.

See how it all unfolded on the Liveblog.

Patrick Cutrone’s angled drive flashed wide, while Vitinha’s header tested Zion Suzuki on a Ruslan Malinovskyi set play.

Abdoulaye Ndiaye received avoidable two yellow cards in the space of five minutes, leaving Parma down to 10 men before half-time.

Malinovskyi’s trademark free kick stung Suzuki’s gloves, as did a Patrizio Masini strike from distance, while Mikael Ellertsson volleyed over from the edge of the box.

Jeff Ekhator thought he had scored for Genoa on 83 minutes, but did not count on the extraordinary reflexes of goalkeeper Suzuki to parry the header from six yards on Venturino’s cross.

The hosts were given the ideal opportunity to win the match in stoppages when Troilo wrestled Ekhator to the ground and the referee pointed to the spot.

However, Suzuki came to the rescue yet again, this time parrying the Maxwel Cornet penalty, as Genoa were jeered off the field at the final whistle.

Genoa 0-0 Parma

Sent off: Ndiaye 42 (P)

Saved penalty: Cornet 97 (G)

19-10-2025 14:00

MatchDay 7

Stadio Luigi Ferraris

Genoa

Parma

0 - 0

Player statistic

1st half

Ruslan Malinovskyi		28'
		37'		Abdoulaye Ndiaye
		42'		Abdoulaye Ndiaye
		45'		Sascha Britschgi

2nd half

		60'		Nahuel Estévez
Lorenzo Colombo		70'
Maxwel Cornet		90+7'
		90+5'		Mariano Troilo

Match statistic

69

Possession %

31

23

Total shots

1

7

Shots on target

9

Shots off target

1

7

Blocked shots

3

Corners

2

Offsides

1

15

Fouls

13

Genoa

Parma

Starting lineups

1

Nicola Leali

Goalkeeper

15

Brooke Norton-Cuffy

Defender

22

Johan Vásquez

Defender

5

Leo Östigard

Defender

20

Stefano Sabelli

Defender

46'

32

Morten Frendrup

Midfielder

66'

73

Patrizio Masini

Midfielder

17

Ruslan Malinovskyi

Midfielder

81'

18

Caleb Ekuban

Attacker

66'

77

Mikael Egill Ellertsson

Attacker

9

Vitinha

Attacker

58'

31

Zion Suzuki

Goalkeeper

3

Abdoulaye Ndiaye

Defender

39

Alessandro Circati

Defender

15

Enrico Delprato

Defender

27

Sascha Britschgi

Defender

10

Adrián Bernabé

Midfielder

43'

16

Mandela Keita

Midfielder

8

Nahuel Estévez

Midfielder

87'

9

Mateo Pellegrino

Attacker

87'

32

Patrick Cutrone

Attacker

79'

11

Pontus Almqvist

Attacker

46'

Substitutes

2

Morten Thorsby

Midfielder

39

Daniele Sommariva

Goalkeeper

31

Benjamin Siegrist

Goalkeeper

11

Albert Grønbaek

Midfielder

40

Seydou Fini

Attacker

3

Aarón Martín

Defender

30

Hugo Cuenca

Midfielder

34

Sebastian Otoa

Defender

23

Valentín Carboni

Midfielder

46'

76

Lorenzo Venturino

Attacker

58'

29

Lorenzo Colombo

Attacker

66'

21

Jeff Ekhator

Attacker

66'

Maxwel Cornet

Attacker

81'

23

Hernani

Midfielder

66

Filippo Rinaldi

Goalkeeper

7

Adrian Benedyczak

Attacker

40

Edoardo Corvi

Goalkeeper

18

Mathias Løvik

Midfielder

19

Tjas Begic

Attacker

25

Benja Cremaschi

Midfielder

5

Lautaro Valenti

Defender

43'

24

Christian Ordoñez

Midfielder

46'

22

Oliver Sörensen

Midfielder

79'

30

Milan Djuric

Attacker

87'

37

Mariano Troilo

Defender

87'

Patrick Vieira has expressed his frustration after Genoa’s defeat to Napoli, insisting his side deserved more from their recent matches and suggesting Napoli winger David Neres should have been sent off.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of the trip to Parma, the French coach admitted that performances have been encouraging, but the results have not reflected the team’s efforts.

“All games are important,” Vieira said, with quotes via IlNapolista.

“It may sound like a cliché, but now we think about Parma, then the next one. Our goal remains survival, and to achieve it we have to start winning.”

Vieira frustrated after defeat to Napoli

Genoa produced a strong display in Naples following their disappointment against Lazio, yet came away empty-handed again. Vieira acknowledged the growing frustration within the camp but urged his players to maintain belief.

“We’re frustrated because we’ve deserved more points,” he admitted. “But we’re determined to keep doing things well and earn the three points. The defeat to Lazio taught us a lot, and we changed something tactically in Naples, but it’s still not enough. We need to demand more from ourselves and play well for the full 95 minutes.”

Genoa boss calls out Neres incident

The former Arsenal and Inter midfielder also delivered a pointed message regarding refereeing decisions.

“When you’re missing points, criticism is normal,” he continued.

“But looking at our performances, we deserved more. I think about the penalty against Bologna or in Naples, where Neres should’ve been shown a second yellow. There’s frustration, yes – but I see a team that’s alive. Sooner or later, things will turn our way.”

Serie A players proved to be in good shape during the international break, especially Rasmus Hojlund, Kenan Yildiz and Ruslan Malinovskyi, who netted three goals in two games.

The Serie A campaign is about to resume after the international break in October, which saw several stars from Italy’s top-flight make headlines.

Serie A: international goalscorers in October

This is particularly the case for Hojlund (Napoli), Yildiz (Juventus) and Malinovskyi (Genoa), scorers of three goals in two matches.

Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium, Napoli), Albert Gudmundsson (Iceland, Fiorentina), Stefan Posch (Austria, Como), Lautaro Martinez (Argentina, Inter) and Francesco Camarda (Lecce, Italy U21) scored two goals in two games.

Atalanta winger Kamaldeen Sulemana netted once in Ghana’s 5-0 win over the Central African Republic.

Scotland international Ché Adams (Torino), McTominay (Napoli), and Lewis Ferguson (Bologna) scored a goal each in the last two games, and the same is true of Moise Kean (Italy, Fiorentina), Mikael Egill Ellertsson (Iceland, Genoa), Grigoris  Kastanos (Cyprus, Verona), Dusan Vlahovic (Serbia, Juventus), Christopher Nkunku and Adrien Rabiot (France, Milan), Konstantinos Tsimikas (Greece, Roma) and Zeki Celik (Turkey, Roma).

Italy’s Gianluca Mancini (Roma) and Francesco Pio Esposito (Inter) scored for the first time on the international stage, like Slovakia and Cagliari defender Adam Obert.

Source: Gazzetta dello Sport, October 17, 2025, page nine.

Serie A returns this weekend after the break for international duty, with Davide Massa assigned to referee Roma-Inter, Luca Marinelli officiating Milan-Fiorentina and Giovanni Ayroldi for Como-Juventus.

The squads are coming back together for training after travelling all over the world and will be back in action for their clubs for the Week 7 fixtures.

The biggest match without doubt is the battle between Roma and Inter at the Stadio Olimpico on Saturday evening.

This has been assigned to veteran referee Massa, with Francesco Meraviglia as the VAR.

Massa’s record with Roma is very balanced with 10 victories, 12 draws and nine defeats.

In comparison, Inter have a much stronger run under this referee, as he oversaw 20 wins, five stalemates and five losses.

There have been some editions of this fixture before with Massa, who was officiating Inter’s 1-0 win away to Roma in October 2024, but also the time the Giallorossi snatched a 2-1 victory at San Siro in October 2022.

Serie A Week 7 referees

Lecce-Sassuolo (Crezzini, VAR Mazzoleni)

Pisa-Verona (Guida, VAR Di Paolo)

Torino-Napoli (Marcenaro, VAR Doveri)

Roma-Inter (Massa, VAR Meraviglia)

Como-Juventus (Ayroldi, VAR Maresca)

Cagliari-Bologna (Marchetti, VAR Ghersini)

Genoa-Parma (Sozza, VAR Marini)

Atalanta-Lazio (Collu, VAR Gariglio)

Milan-Fiorentina (Marinelli, VAR Abisso)

Cremonese-Udinese (Fabbri, VAR La Penna)

Napoli boss Antonio Conte is the highest-paid coach in Serie A in 2025-26, followed by Massimiliano Allegri and Gian Piero Gasperini.

• Read more – Two Italians, but not Gattuso, in top 10 of highest-paid national team coaches

TMW has listed the salaries of all 20 Serie A coaches in 2025-26 and Conte emerges as the highest-paid with an €8m net wage.

Conte the highest-paid coach in 2025-26 Serie A

The Partenopei boss signed a new contract in May after leading the Partenopei to their second Scudetto in three years.

Conte is followed by Allegri and Gasperini, who were appointed by Milan and Roma, respectively, last summer. Both Italian coaches earn €5m per season.

Below them, there’s a group of three coaches, Vincenzo Italiano, Stefano Pioli and Igor Tudor, earning €3m each, while Cristian Chivu and Maurizio Sarri get €2.5m per season.

There are just five coaches in Serie A earning less than €1m per season. Carlos Cuesta, Kosta Runjaic, Paolo Zanetti, Davide Nicola, Eusebio Di Francesco and Fabio Grosso.

Serie A will resume after the international break next week with Roma-Inter and Milan-Fiorentina among the big games in Round 7.

Serie A coaches’ salaries in 2025-26

Antonio Conte (Napoli) €8m net

Massimiliano Allegri (Milan) €5m

Gian Piero Gasperini (Roma) 5m

Vincenzo Italiano (Bologna) 3m

Stefano Pioli (Fiorentina) 3m

Igor Tudor (Juventus) 3m

Cristian Chivu (Inter) 2.5m

Maurizio Sarri (Lazio) 2.5m

Ivan Juric (Atalanta) 2m

Patrick Vieira (Genoa) 1.4m

Marco Baroni (Torino) 1.2m

Fabio Pisacane (Cagliari) 1m

Cesc Fabregas (Como) 1m

Alberto Gilardino (Pisa) 1m

Carlos Cuesta (Parma) 0.9m

Kosta Runjaic (Udinese) 0.8m

Paolo Zanetti (Verona) 0.6m

Davide Nicola (Cremonese) 0.5m

Eusebio Di Francesco (Lecce) 0.5m

Fabio Grosso (Sassuolo) 0.5m

Koni De Winter reveals why he will not ‘bang on the table’ to demand an opportunity at AC Milan, thinks he was a bargain from Genoa, and what stands Luka Modric apart in the football world.

The defender made the move from Genoa to San Siro over the summer at a cost of €20m plus up to a further €5m in performance-related bonuses.

So far this season, he has made only four appearances for his new club, but is well aware that there is strong competition under coach Max Allegri.

“I’m very critical of myself, and I have the ambition to become a regular player, but I know that I’ll have to make that situation happen,” De Winter told Nieuwsblad in Belgium.

“I don’t have the status to bang on the table and make demands. If I felt that I deserved a chance, I wouldn’t hesitate to talk to the coach, but right now I need to be humble. If I perform well in the minutes I do get, then I’ll be rewarded. At least that’s what I hope.”

Milan still waiting to see best of De Winter

There were also a few other alternatives for De Winter over the summer before he chose Milan, as Inter, Napoli, Tottenham Hotspur and more were all linked with his services.

“We’re talking about AC Milan here, one of the biggest clubs in Europe. Ronaldinho played here when I was a kid. I didn’t have pay per view channels growing up, but I saw Milan play in the Champions League with Ronaldinho, Alexandre Pato and David Beckham. That appeal remains.

“If AC Milan comes calling, you don’t hesitate. It’s true, other top Italian clubs did enquire after me, as did English sides, and clubs from the Middle East who were offering a lot of money.

“Look, I understand the guys who do go there, but it wasn’t an option for me right now. I wanted to take the next step in my sporting career and this transfer was perfect.”

De Winter assures that Milan should also be happy to have won the race to sign him at fairly affordable figures.

“If you look at how transfer fees have evolved in recent years, I think Milan negotiated a good price. I certainly don’t think Genoa squeezed everything out of them, but I also appreciate their attitude, as it made the talks go smoothly and it was all settled in a few days.”

In fact, an agreement was reached so quickly that the fans found out about it before he did.

“Fabrizio Romano knew about it before I did! I saw it on Instagram, Koni De Winter on the verge of joining Milan, and then my phone blew up. Shortly after that, my agents called, said we were nearing a deal.”

De Winter is only 23, but new teammate Luka Modric is still pulling the strings at 40 in Serie A.

Having also been teammates with Cristiano Ronaldo at Juventus, who would he say is the better player?

“It’s difficult to make comparisons, they are very different types, both exceptional. I’ve been seriously impressed by Modric. His brain, Luka just sees football differently, faster than anyone else. Combine that with those brilliant feet, well.

“Luka is also a star off the pitch, as he’s modest and doesn’t put himself above the team, even with his incredible record. He never complains. If he doesn’t, then why should anyone else?

“If Luka were sitting here, he’d be genuinely interested in your life. That attitude isn’t common in football.”

If Juventus do make a January proposal for Genoa full-back Brooke Norton-Cuffy, then it could end up benefiting Arsenal as well.

There were already reports in Tuttosport today suggesting that the England Under-21 international is one of the names at the top of the wish list for Juve this season.

He has impressed in Serie A since the €2m plus add-ons transfer from Arsenal in the summer of 2024.

Between last season and the start of the current campaign, he made 21 competitive appearances for the Grifone at right-back.

Norton-Cuffy on the radar for Juventus

If he was to make the move to Juventus in the January transfer window, then Arsenal would also make a profit, seeing as part of the add-ons in their deal with Genoa is represented by a cut of the future sale fee.

Tuttosport argue that Genoa would only sell Norton-Cuffy for a figure of €10-12m, so that means a decent chunk going to the Gunners.

Juventus aren’t the only club interested, as Napoli also see him as a potential understudy to Giovanni Di Lorenzo.

Juventus will be looking for a new right wing-back in the January transfer window, and reports in Italy suggest the Bianconeri are interested in Nahuel Molina and Brooke Norton-Cuffy.

Juventus will need to add a new right wing-back to their squad in the January transfer window, as Pierre Kalulu has been playing out of position on the flank in the opening games of the campaign.

Juventus set to make new attempt for Molina

Gazzetta says that Molina remains a target for the Old Lady even if the Argentine snubbed a move to Turin over the summer.

The ex-Udinese defender opted to stay in the Spanish capital not to lose a spot in the Argentina national team for the World Cup, but, ironically, he’s been struggling for playing time this season, collecting just 108 minutes on the pitch so far, so he might reconsider a move to Juventus in a few months.

Ottolini brings Norton-Cuffy to Juventus?

Tuttosport reports that Norton-Cuffy is a Juventus target for the winter transfer window, as the versatile English defender has been brought to Genoa by Marco Ottolini, who could become the new Juventus sporting director in the coming weeks.

Italy Under-21 international Jeff Ekhator is grateful for the Hernan Crespo comparisons after his back-heel goal for Genoa against Napoli, but insists ‘I am more like Moise Kean.’

The striker hit the headlines with a sensational goal to give Genoa the lead against Napoli at the weekend, only for the reigning Champions of Italy to turn it around for a 2-1 victory.

Now he is in the Italy Under-21 camp and inevitably was asked about that remarkable strike.

Ekhator impressed with wonder strike

“I received a lot of compliments, everyone was very kind. I’d love to be able to replicate that goal, but the important thing for a striker is to get the ball in the net, it doesn’t matter how he does it,” said Ekhator in his press conference.

The back-heel flick earned comparisons with former Lazio, Parma, Milan and Inter striker Crespo, but he sees it differently.

“I tend to lean on defenders, try to use them to turn, and I am trying to improve my game as much as possible. I think I’m more like Moise Kean, he has a more similar style of play to mine.”

A product of the Genoa youth academy, Ekhator has two goals in seven appearances this season between Serie A and the Coppa Italia.

“I am trying to improve so many elements of my game, from the first touch, to headers, while I can always do better in combining with teammates. I’m still a kid and playing with people who have much more experience than me, but I try to learn as much as I can from all of them.”

Ekhator will celebrate his 19^th birthday next month and is on track to start Italy’s Under-21 European Championship qualifier against Sweden.

“It is going to be a very difficult match, but we want to take the result home at all costs. We’re a really united group of players, so I urge everyone to come to the stadium, as we want to put on a show for the fans.”

Wednesday’s reports claim that Genoa’s Marco Ottolini is currently the leading candidate to take over as the new sporting director at Juventus, but who is the Grifone executive, where has he worked previously, and who have been his biggest signings to date? 

Who is Juventus-linked Ottolini? 

Ottolini is a 45-year-old scout turned sporting director, originally from Brescia. He had a brief career as a player, joining Brescia as a youth player in 1993, and had a couple of years in the first team until 2002. 

From there, Ottolini began studying at the Universita degli Studi di Verona, earning a Bachelor’s Degree in foreign languages and literature. During that period, he interned with the Belgian FA, his first experience in the management side of the game. 

He went on to work as an agent, intermediary and consultant for over a decade, before joining RSC Anderlecht of the Jupiler Pro League as an international scout. He worked with the Belgian outfit for just shy of three years between 2015 and 2018. 

From 2018, Ottolini began his first stint with Juventus. He held several roles with the Bianconeri the first time around, initially as a scout, before being promoted to the role of loans manager in 2021. 

After a year managing the on-loan Juventus players, Ottolini earned his first job as a sporting director, joining Genoa at the start of the 2022-23 season. 

Genoa had suffered relegation to Serie B the season prior, but earned immediate promotion back to the top flight in Ottolini’s first year with the club. The Grifone have achieved stable mid-table finishes in both seasons since then, ending in 11th in 2023-24 and 13th in 2024-25. 

Ottolini has already turned a profit on a number of his Genoa signings, including the likes of Mateo Retegui, Radu Dragusin, Koni De Winter, Albert Gudmundsson and Josep Martinez. 

Ottolini’s top Genoa signings 

Mateo Retegui – €15m from Tigre

Albert Gudmundsson €1.5m from AZ Alkmaar

Koni De Winter – Loan with €10m option to buy from Juventus

Radu Dragusin – Loan with €10m option to buy from Juventus

Josep Martinez – Loan with €3.5m option to buy from RB Leipzig

Brooke Norton-Cuffy – €2m from Arsenal

Djed Spence – Loan from Tottenham 

Ottolini’s top Genoa sales 

Radu Dragusin → Tottenham €31m

Mateo Retegui → Atalanta – €28m 

Honest Ahanor → Atalanta – €20m

Koni De Winter → Milan €20m

Josep Martinez → Inter – €15.5m

Albert Gudmundsson → Fiorentina – €13m

Genoa’s Marco Ottolini has emerged as the leading candidate to become the new Juventus sporting director, according to Fabrizio Romano.

Juventus have been looking for a new sporting director since last summer, and according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Ottolini, who is covering the same role at Genoa, is currently the leading candidate at the Allianz Stadium.

Juventus due to appoint new sporting director

Juventus’ General Manager Damien Comolli said in his unveiling press conference in June that he’d be looking for a sporting director and a technical director.

François Modesto was appointed as Juventus’ technical director a few months ago, so the new sporting director is the last missing piece to complete the Bianconeri’s control room.

Romano says that Ottolini is not the only option for the Bianconeri, but he’s currently the favourite one.

According to the report, Juventus never really entered talks with Benfica’s Rui Pedro Bratz, who has rejected an offer from the Premier League to sign for Al Ahli.

Milan have the most players called up to their national teams this month, 15, two more than Inter and Juventus, while Napoli have 11.

The October international break has just started at Milan are the Serie A club with the most players called up to their national teams this month.

As reported by Gazzetta and TMW, 15 Rossoneri will play international matches in the coming weeks, including Matteo Gabbia, called up to the Italy squad for the second time in his career, and Davide Bartesaghi, who will play for Italy U21.

Juventus and Inter have 13 international players each this month. Five Nerazzurri players will play for the Italy national team, while the Bianconeri have sent two to Coverciano.

Genoa and Roma have 11 players leaving for international games in October, 12 for Bologna. Overall, 179 Serie A players have been called up for international matches this month.

Below is the full list of how many players will leave their clubs for national team games in the next two weeks.

Atalanta: 10
Bologna: 12
Cagliari: 5
Como: 10
Cremonese: 2
Fiorentina: 10
Genoa: 8
Inter: 13
Juventus: 13
Lazio: 5
Lecce: 10
Milan: 15
Napoli: 11
Parma: 6
Pisa: 3
Roma: 11
Sassuolo: 8
Torino: 10
Udinese: 10
Verona: 7

The dates and times have been confirmed for the Coppa Italia Round of 16, including Lazio vs. Milan, Juventus vs. Udinese, Napoli vs. Cagliari and Inter vs. Venezia.

This is the point in the tournament at which the top eight seeds enter the competition.

It remains a series of one-off matches, so a winner is decided after 90 minutes, or they go directly to a penalty shoot-out without the need for extra time.

The Round of 16 will stretch from December 2 2025 to January 27 2026.

This tournament remains in a tennis style bracket, so check who the teams could face next.

All kick-off times listed below are in the UK, so add one hour for local Italian time.

Coppa Italia Round of 16

Juventus vs. Udinese (Tuesday December 2, 20.00)

Atalanta vs. Genoa (Wednesday December 3, 14.00)

Napoli vs. Cagliari (Wednesday December 3, 17.00)

Inter vs. Venezia (Wednesday December 3, 20.00)

Bologna vs. Parma (Thursday December 4, 17.00)

Lazio vs. Milan (Thursday December 4, 20.00)

Roma vs. Torino (Tuesday January 13, 20.00)

Fiorentina vs. Como (Tuesday January 27, 20.00)