Salernitana ‘will not forget what Wolverhampton Wanderers did’ after a failed bid for Boulaye Dia that represented ‘a diplomatic incident,’ but have left the striker out of the Lecce game because of his ‘attitude.’
There were reports on deadline day that Wolves had made a proposal for the centre-forward, but it was rejected out of hand.
It seems this upset Dia, who reacted furiously and was therefore excluded from the group by coach Paulo Sousa and the club ahead of Sunday’s Serie A showdown with Lecce.
“This was a complex but ultimately satisfying transfer window,” director Morgan De Sanctis explained in today’s press conference.
“We were above all concerned with resisting the numerous requests for information and some concrete approaches for our best players. No satisfactory offers were received that would justify the departure of our most talented stars.”
De Sanctis opened up about the reports that Wolves had made a late swoop for Dia.
“The last few days of the transfer market were the most complicated. It was not our intention, as we had already closed our business.
“They were chaotic hours because someone wanted to do things right at the end. As for Dia, I wish to send a message, which is that we demand respect for Salernitana, for myself, for the history of the club and its fans.
“We received a phone call late on Thursday night with talk of a loan with option to buy for figures that, if I were to make public, would cause a diplomatic incident.
“None of their directors contacted me personally. This affected Dia. I expect the player to realise how much we have given him, because we want a rapport of reciprocal respect and hope we can continue like the previous 12 months together.
“I will say that I, the President and all of Salernitana will not forget what Wolverhampton did. Dia was not called up because in his attitude he showed that he is not ready to play against Lecce. You can interpret that however you wish.
“That game will be a battle and we need people prepared to battle with us. His attitude seemed to be going in the opposite direction.”
The 26-year-old Senegal international was purchased from Villarreal for €12m after an initial loan experience.
There was also tension between the club hierarchy and coach Sousa, as the Portuguese tactician hinted last week he did not know any of the new signings.
“We discuss the characteristics of players. Of course, the coach cannot know every player, especially if they are young and come from smaller leagues, but Sousa is the ideal coach to develop their talent.”
Salernitana spent much of the summer asking Juventus for youth players on loan, but did not get Fabio Miretti or Hans Nicolussi Caviglia.
“We waited a long time and tried to take more from the Italian market, but it was not possible, so we had to look abroad. For example, we could not afford what Juve were asking to take Facundo Gonzalez on loan.”