Spezia have collapsed since Jakub Kiwior’s move to Arsenal in January and risk going to Serie B with Hellas Verona just two points below them in the relegation zone.
The Poland international completed a €25m transfer to the Emirates Stadium on January 23, leaving Spezia in a problematic situation.
The Aquilotti lost four games from five since Kiwior’s exit conceding 11 goals (2.2 per game) and scoring one. They had conceded 28 goals in the previous 18 matches, 1.5 per game on average.
Spezia sacked Luca Gotti last week, keeping his assistant Fabrizio Lorieri as their interim coach while negotiating with Leonardo Semplici, a former coach for SPAL and Cagliari.
The Serie A strugglers have undoubtedly lost solidity without Kiwior, but the injury to M’Bala Nzola has also strongly affected the Liguria-based club.
The Angola international is their leading scorer with nine goals in 19 Serie A matches and missed four games between January and February due to a calf injury, making his return as a substitute in Sunday’s 2-0 loss against Juventus at the Stadio Picco.