It’s a new era at Sampdoria under the ownership of Andrea Radrizzani and Matteo Manfredi. The club is hopefully entering into a period of stability after flirting with bankruptcy.
The Genoa-based club currently find themselves 10th in Serie B after being relegated from Italy’s top-flight last season for the first time since 2010/11.
Sampdoria famously won Serie A in 1991 and reached the European Cup Final in 1992 with a team featuring the likes of Roberto Mancini and Gianluca Vialli. The pair combined for 10 goals in the tournament with Sampdoria eventually losing 1-0 to Barcelona at Wembley.
Mancini’s youngest son, Andrea, is now the sporting director at Sampdoria having joined in July. And the 31-year-old is playing a crucial role in trying to turn I Blucerchiati’s fortunes around.
“Joining Sampdoria was a big opportunity,” said Andrea, who started his senior career at Manchester City. “This is a big job, and even more so for me because my father spent 15 years here.
“For me, Sampdoria is a family. It’s like a ‘second skin’ for me. I feel a big responsibility. [Owner] Matteo Manfredi is building a good project, but it will take time.
“It’s very special here. Every time I go inside the stadium, it’s like being a kid again. I can’t explain the emotion I feel, but what I can say is that if I could sign a contract for a life at Sampdoria, I’d do it without hesitation.”
Sampdoria’s primary goal is stability, both on and off the field. Prior to Radrizzani and Manfredi assuming control over the summer, the club’s financial problems were clear for all to see.
Massimo Ferrero was forced to step down as Sampdoria president in December 2021 after being arrested as part of an investigation into corporate crimes and bankruptcy, but the 72-year-old still remained on as Sampdoria’s owner.
And for several years, even long before he was under investigation, Ferrero turned down suitors, including a 2019 consortium led by the late Vialli.
All the off-field turmoil contributed to poor results with Sampdoria comfortably finishing bottom of Serie A last season, winning just three times and scoring only 24 goals.
“It’s been difficult for the new owners,” admitted Andrea. “They worked day and night to save Sampdoria, and they’re still working day and night to bring stability to the club. Things are more positive now.”
Former Juventus manager and 2006 World Cup winner Andrea Pirlo is now in charge of Sampdoria and is tasked with getting them back up to Serie A having joined in June following a brief spell in Turkey. Promotion isn’t a given, and Pirlo’s job certainly doesn’t depend on getting it this season, but the aim is to try and get into the playoffs.
The challenge for Sampdoria is they lost over 30 players last summer, including several influential names. Algerian international Mehdi Leris was sold to Stoke, veteran top scorer from 2022/23 Manolo Gabbiadini left for UAE-side Al-Nasr, and Harry Winks’ loan spell from Tottenham ended and he subsequently moved to Leicester.
But Andrea was able to pull off some shrewd incomings. Former Liverpool and Milan forward Fabio Borini has joined from Turkish side Fatih Karagümrük (Pirlo’s old club) and has scored five goals so far this season. Matteo Ricci also arrived from Frosinone on a three-year deal.
And Sampdoria were able to secure some promising young talents on loan, including Uruguayan centre-back Facundo Gonzalez (Juventus) and French midfielder Noah Lemina (PSG).
Gonzalez is tall, technical and fast and has been scouted before by Liverpool and Chelsea, whilst Noha – the brother of Wolves midfielder Mario Lemina – impressed on PSG’s pre-season tour of Asia having signed his first professional contract with the French champions in 2022.
“I’m doing my best to find players,” said Andrea. “I try to stay as close as I can to the manager and owner. We have daily contact. My job requires working a seven-day week and it’s not easy, but I like it very much.
“I have a good relationship with Pirlo. It’s a direct relationship. If he needs something he tells me. I think he has the potential to become a top manager. He only started coaching three years ago and he works very well on and off the pitch. The players respect him, and I think we can build a big project around him at Sampdoria.”
If Andrea needs a managerial perspective to help deal with Pirlo he obviously doesn’t have to look too far. And he does often seek advice from his dad, who is now the head coach of the Saudi Arabia National Team having previously won Euro 2020 with Italy. Mancini Sr. also led Inter to three Serie A titles and won the 2011/12 Premier League and FA Cup with Manchester City.
“I speak every day with my father,” said Andrea, who recently visited Jeddah. “Sometimes I ask him for some advice. It helps to have a father who is also a manager. I think managers think in a very particular way and his experience and perspective is valuable. I am lucky because my relationship with Pirlo is very direct and fair, but it’s always useful to speak to my father as well.”
Roberto Mancini was only appointed Saudi Arabia’s head coach in August shortly after quitting Italy – a surprise to many, especially with Euro 2024 on the horizon. Saudi Arabia are currently gearing up for January’s Asian Cup in Qatar, which they are looking to win for the first time since 1996.
“My father is very happy in Saudi,” said Andrea. “He’s part of a new project and I think Saudi Arabia is the future of football because they are growing every day and quickly. And it’s exciting for my father knowing that there’s a World Cup in Saudi Arabia in 2034 to build up to. And Saudi are hosting the Asian Cup in 2027 – so that’s two big events coming up and both are very important.
“I have already seen some talented players from Saudi. Maybe my father will even help find Sampdoria a young Saudi player! There’s no reason why we won’t see Saudi players coming to Europe in the next few years.”
Andrea has forged his own path away from his father’s shadow, having decided in 2018 to qualify as a sporting director before going on to work at Fiorentina under Daniele Prade before joining Sampdoria.
Yet he has nonetheless followed his dad around the world, which is what makes running Sampdoria’s recruitment team all the more special given Roberto made 566 appearances and scored 168 goals for the club between 1982-1997.
Andrea also joined Mancini Sr at Manchester City as part of the Under-21 squad between 2010-12 after being released by Bologna, and he still keeps a close eye on City’s results.
“I hope they win the Premier League,” said Andrea, who also had a one-month spell with Oldham Athletic during his time in England. “The English team I support is Manchester City because my father was there and he won the title. City are still favourites to win the Premier League this season in my opinion. It’s normal in any season for some bad results, but I am sure Pep Guardiola can find a way to win the league.
“It was a good experience being in Manchester. I always dreamed of playing in England. I even remember the spell at Oldham fondly. I learned a lot as well. There were some really good players around me like David Silva and Carlos Tevez. Back then City had players like Gareth Barry, Vincent Kompany and Pablo Zabaleta. You could see they were building a really great team. And in the Under-21s we had Kieran Trippier, who is now at Newcastle, and Denis Suárez. He was at a different level.”
Andrea stopped playing in 2017 following spells in the United States with DC United and New York Cosmos and has worked hard since to get what he considers his dream job with Sampdoria.
Those in the game believe he has huge potential as a sporting director due to his eye for talent, intelligence and genial persona. His owners are also willing to give him time, even though it’s clear Sampdoria belong back in Serie A and that adds pressure to the job.
The January window now presents a chance to further strengthen with Sampdoria still firmly in the mix for promotion. The top two sides go up automatically in Serie B with six remaining teams entering the playoffs.
“January is always busy. Busy and cold,” laughed Andrea. “But jokes aside, we are looking around a bit. Our approach is to be very careful and keep our eyes open. We’ll probably try something…
“Serie B is a very tough league. There are some good teams so we don’t want to look too far ahead. Promotion won’t be easy, so we have to take things game by game and then see where we are in the league.
“I’m sure we are on the right path now and can achieve something important, but with every new project, like this one, patience is required because, as is often said, ‘Rome wasn’t built in a day…’ It could take one year, or two years, or only six months. We don’t know. But we are working hard every day.”
There is no doubt Sampdoria are in safe and ambitious hands with Andrea, who is intent on continuing his father’s legacy at Sampdoria and restoring the club to their former glory as quickly as possible.