Giovanni Carnevali insists José Mourinho ‘can’t teach Sassuolo politeness and respect’ and reveals Domenico Berardi won’t leave the Mapei Stadium in the January transfer window.
Sassuolo and Italy star Berardi was linked with a move to Juventus last summer and the Bianconeri are reportedly still interested in the Neroverdi winger. However, Sassuolo CEO Carnevali said to La Gazzetta dello Sport that the 29-year-old will remain at his current club until the end of the season.
“We are not going to sell him [in January], I say it straight. We will sell nobody in January, and if opportunities arise, we’ll see how to intervene,” Carnevali revealed.
Berardi was in the spotlight at the start of December when Roma coach José Mourinho criticised him on the eve of a Serie A meeting at the Mapei Stadium.
“I was upset to hear certain things from a great coach,” Carnevali replied.
“To us, politeness and respect are the core of everything and nobody is entitled to teach us these things.”
Berardi has nine goals and three assists in 13 Serie A games this term, but Sassuolo’s results have been somehow disappointing, with just 16 points collected in the league so far, only four more than 18th-placed Empoli. It’s no surprise Carnevali doesn’t rate Sassuolo’s season highly.
“It’s been barely sufficient, we knew it was a difficult season also due to some transfer decisions,” he admitted.
“We signed young players who need to mature and foreign players who need time to adapt. It’s year zero for us. We already bounced back in the past after a difficult season. However, Sassuolo must do more in the second part of the campaign and return to where we belong. I want to earn survival quickly so we can have fun afterwards.”
Nevertheless, Carnevali still trusts coach Alessio Dionisi.
“The coach is the most important person for our project,” he claimed.
“I think he is doing a good job and I like how he faces the challenge. If he is offered an important opportunity, as happened to [Roberto] De Zerbi, we’ll discuss it.”