Calò's agent to Mancini: 'Merit must not die'

Giacomo Calò's agent Vincenzo Pisacane harshly criticized Roberto Mancini for not including the Frosinone player in the national team squad. Pisacane said that Calò's absence from the squad announced for the France match at San Siro on 12 November, and for the Belgium match in Brussels three days later, could be a problem in terms of merit.

Speaking to TuttoMercatoWeb, Pisacane argued that Calò's statistics this season make him currently the best midfielder in Italy. Calò has five goals in Serie A and has scored in four consecutive matches. He is also the player who has created the most chances in the league overall. Last season he played a major role in Frosinone's promotion, with 10 goals and 15 assists. Frosinone, meanwhile, sit sixth in the league, ahead of Juventus and Napoli.

Mancini selected ten midfielders in the 31-player squad he announced on Thursday. Como's Riccardo Cassano and Parma's Simone Lontani were called up for the first time. Pisacane said the chosen players were very strong, but none of them currently has Calò's statistics. The agent added that he hopes Calò can be called up again in the future if he maintains his form.

Pisacane also said Sampdoria had shown interest in Calò during the summer, but both the player and the club wanted him to stay, and the club had tied him down. He said many Serie A clubs had called him to say, 'I made a big mistake by not listening to you.' Praising head coach Massimiliano Alvini, Pisacane said Alvini had worked with Calò at Cosenza and wanted the transfer, and that he did not think Alvini had achieved very little on the matter. Pisacane said Calò is now fully focused on Frosinone and even more motivated for the match against Cagliari.