Thanks to the agent of one of Serie A’s most exciting forwards, we know for a fact that the rumours linking him with Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United had a kernel of truth.
Speaking last September, a few weeks after the close of the summer transfer window, Roberto Meloni admitted that, in addition to the Premier League duo, there was also interest from then-Scudetto holders Napoli and a Bayer Leverkusen side who had just lost star winger Moussa Diaby to Aston Villa.
“Bayer Leverkusen liked him as a replacement for Diaby,” Meloni told Tuttomercatoweb of the highly-rated Armand Lauriente.
“Then there was an interest from Tottenham and it’s no mystery that (former director Cristiano) Giuntoli would have liked him if he had stayed at Napoli.
“In the Premier League, there was an attempt from West Ham. But he wants to reach an important level, preferring a second season at Sassuolo.”
Eight months on, that may be a decision Lauriente finds himself regretting.
Armand Lauriente may wish he’d joined Tottenham or West Ham
Sassuolo, perennial overachievers in Italian football, have collapsed in 2023/24, stuck in the relegation zone and five points adrift of safety following their most recent hammering at the hands of Fiorentina last time out.
Lauriente, their twinkle-toed left-winger, remains a bright spark in a dark season; a somewhat talismanic presence at times, Sassuolo looking to him to create something out of nothing. But not even Lauriente’s individual brilliance can save the Neroverdi from what looks like an inevitable demotion, his silky talents in the final third undone by a dreadful defensive record from a side who have conceded 70 in 34 Serie A matches.
“In the summer he was at the centre of the market,” Sassuolo CEO Giovanni Carnevali says of his £22 million-rated wideman (TMW). “We believed in him a lot and it wasn’t easy to sign him from Lorient.
“I believe he will have an important future. He has quality and there are few like him in our league.”
Relegation looming for Serie A star
That ‘future’ looks destined to be away from Sassuolo, regardless of whether or not the greatest of great escapes can be achieved. To think, Lauriente could have been part of Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham revolution, an exciting West Ham frontline, or Bayer Leverkusen’s historic Bundesliga-winning season.
Whether those opportunities are still there for him remains to be seen. Spurs may still be in for a left winger with Timo Werner’s loan deal expiring and the Leipzig-owned forward out for the reason. HITC understands Tottenham would rather extend his loan than trigger the £15 million purchase clause.
West Ham, meanwhile, are a little short of wide forwards after losing Pablo Fornals and Said Benrahma in January.
But can Lauriente’s reputation survive a Serie A relegation with Sassuolo? The summer should provide those answers.
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