Empoli Team News Page 6 - Soccer

Szymon Zurkowski - Recovering from offseason surgery Zurkowski was unavailable for Saturday's cup fixture versus Catanzaro because he had ankle surgery at the beginning of the summer and isn't ready yet, Quotidiano Sportivo reported.

Impact Zurkowski has been training on the side in recent days and will miss time at the beginning of the season after skipping the preparation. He could be a full-go in a month, but he might be called up beforehand to ramp up, the outlet adds. Jacopo Fazzini, Sebastiano Esposito and Emmanuel Ekong have been handling his role so far.

AUGUST 11 • ROTOWIRE

Sebastian Walukiewicz - Absent for cup game Walukiewicz wasn't an option for Saturday's Coppa Italia match versus Catanzaro.

Impact Walukiewicz has been dealing with an unspecified muscular injury but logged a pair of full sessions in the lead-up to the match, even though he ended up missing it, Quotidiano Sportivo reports. He has a shot to recover for the opener versus Monza next Saturday. Luca Marianucci was picked over Saba Goglichidze and Petar Stojanovic in relief.

AUGUST 11 • ROTOWIRE

Tyronne Ebuehi - Will miss first few games Ebuehi is on track in his recovery but won't be ready for the start of the season, La Nazione reported.

Impact Ebuehi ruptured his ACL in March, so a return in August was always a stretch. He has a shot to be back following the September break, but it'll depend on how the final stages of the rehab go, the outlet relayed.

AUGUST 8 • ROTOWIRE

Federico Brancolini - Moves to Empoli Brancolini has signed a three-year contact upon moving from Lecce to Empoli, the team announced.

Impact Brancolini will stay in a backup role behind Devis Vasquez since Samuele Perisan (ankle) will miss a few months. Instead, Lecce brought in Christian Fruchtl earlier in the summer.

AUGUST 7 • ROTOWIRE

Samuele Perisan - Undergoes surgery Perisan went under the knife to repair a torn ligament in his right ankle, Empoli announced.

Impact Perisan got hurt earlier in the summer, and ensuing tests led to choosing the surgical route for him to make a full recovery, although it'll take him a few months. Empoli might seek a new deputy goalie on the market since they only have some youngsters behind Devis Vasquez.

AUGUST 3 • ROTOWIRE

Lorenzo Colombo - Heads to Empoli Colombo is moving to Empoli on loan with an option to buy from Milan, the two clubs announced.

Impact Colombo will transfer temporarily for the third season in a row. He tallied nine goals, three assists, 82 shots (24 on target) and 25 key passes in 58 appearances (34 stats) in the past two campaigns combined at Lecce and Monza. He'll fight for minutes especially with Francesco Caputo.

JULY 31 • ROTOWIRE

Szymon Zurkowski - Back at Empoli Zurkowski is re-joining Empoli on loan with an option to buy, Spezia announced.

Impact Zurkowski is set for his third spell at Empoli after the previous one started with a bang, a hat-trick, but ended in a whimper, as he couldn't stay healthy and lost the starting job. He tallied 16 shots (six on target), four key passes and 15 tackles in 13 matches (10 starts). Empoli are pretty depleted in the midfield at this stage.

JULY 31 • ROTOWIRE

Samuele Perisan - Picks up ankle injury Perisan suffered a significant right ankle sprain in training, Empoli announced.

Impact Perisan avoided a fracture according to the initial tests and has less than a month to recover to avoid missing time at the start of the season. He's currently the top deputy behind the new no.1 Devis Vasquez.

JULY 23 • ROTOWIRE

Mattia Viti - Returns to Empoli Viti is headed back to Empoli on a season-long loan with an option to buy from Nice, the two clubs announced.

Impact Viti broke out in Tuscany two years ago but failed to live up to expectations at Nice and at Sassuolo in the most recent campaign. He appeared 15 times (12 starts) in 2023/2024, posting 24 tackles, ten interceptions and 37 clearances, with no clean sheets. He'll contribute to replacing previous stalwart Sebastiano Luperto, who joined Cagliari.

JULY 22 • ROTOWIRE

Devis Vasquez - Heads to Empoli Vasquez has moved to Empoli on loan with an option to buy from Milan, the club relayed.

Impact Vasquez lost the starting job during his time at Sheffield Wednesday but bounced back at Ascoli, keeping five clean sheets and allowing eight goals in ten appearances in Serie A. He'll compete for the starting job as Empoli will likely add another goalie to replace Elia Caprile and Etrit Berisha.

JULY 18 • ROTOWIRE

Sebastiano Esposito - Heads to Empoli Esposito has officially transferred to Empoli on loan with an option to buy from Inter.

Impact Esposito will get the chance to prove himself in Serie A after playing at Sampdoria and Bari in the second division in the last two seasons and previously abroad at Anderlecht and Basel. He tallied six goals and six assists in 22 matches in 2023/2024. Empoli are rebuilding their frontline after losing Alberto Cerri, Nicolo Cambiaghi, Mattia Cancellieri and Mattia Destro and retaining just Francesco Caputo among their regulars.

JULY 17 • ROTOWIRE

Petar Stojanovic - Decent versus Portugal Stojanovic won two of three tackles and had one cross (one accurate), one interception and one chance created in Monday's 3-0 loss versus Portugal.

Impact Stojanovic was okay on both ends in a difficult match-up. He was a regular throughout the competition and finished up with three key passes, six tackles and four clearances in four games.

JULY 2 • ROTOWIRE

Razvan Marin - Scores in win over Ukraine Marin scored one goal to go with one shot (one on goal), one cross (zero accurate) and one chance created in Monday's 3-0 victory versus Ukraine. In addition, he was given a yellow...

Impact Marin scored an excellent goal Monday, an unassisted strike from outside the box in the 53rd minute to take the 2-0 lead. It was the only shot he took in the match and he added one chance created and one inaccurate cross on the attack. He helped his side keep a clean sheet as well as he contributed one tackle, three clearances and one blocked shot in his full 90 minutes. He also picked up a yellow card in the 79th minute, so he will have to be cautious throughout the rest of the group stage to avoid a one-match suspension.

JUNE 17 • ROTOWIRE

Etrit Berisha - Likely to serve as starter in net Berisha started and appeared in five of Albania's Euro 2024 qualifying matches, allowing three goals while securing two clean sheets during that span.

Impact Berisha seems to be the likely starter in net for Albania heading into Euro 2024, as he did start in their past five qualifiers, serving well in that role after not losing a single match he started. However, he will have an uphill battle heading into Euro 2024, as he is set in one of the hardest groups in the tournament, with Albania likely being happy to walk away with even a point.

JUNE 10 • ROTOWIRE

Niang Gives Empoli Safety | Final Minutes | Empoli-Roma | Serie A 2023/24

MAY 28 • YOUTUBE

Razvan Marin - Leads match in crosses Marin generated two shots (zero on goal), eight crosses (one accurate) and two corners in Sunday's 2-1 win over Roma. In addition, he was given a yellow card in the 81st minute.

Impact Marin saw a great deal of activity on both sides of the ball but stuck out in one particular category, as he led the match in crosses with eight and only fell two short of his season-high of 10 in a game. He also added four tackles and a clearance in the defense. The midfielder concludes the 2024/25 campaign starting in 20 of his 30 appearances while notching three assists on 33 chances created to go along with 35 shots, 57 corners and 98 crosses. He also served as a decent two-way player, compiling 40 tackles, 29 clearances and six interceptions on the defensive side of the ball.

MAY 27 • ROTOWIRE

Emmanuel Gyasi - Bags assist Gyasi assisted once to go with zero corners and one chance created in Sunday's 2-1 victory against Roma. In addition, he was given a yellow card in the 2nd minute.

Impact Gyasi assisted on the opening goal Sunday, finding Matteo Cancellieri in the 13th minute. However, he was taken off at halftime despite the early success, leading to a slightly lackluster stat line outside of the assist. He ends the campaign appearing in 33 games (21 starts), notching one goal on 16 shots and two assists on 10 chances created to go along with 23 crosses, 24 clearances and 34 tackles, being decently effective on both sides of the ball in his right-midfielder role.

MAY 27 • ROTOWIRE

M'Baye Niang - Nets heroic goal Niang scored one goal to go with two shots (one on goal) in Sunday's 2-1 victory against Roma. In addition, he was given a yellow card in the 90th minute.

Impact Niang was the true hero of Sunday's match, as his late 93rd-minute goal would earn Empoli another season in the Serie A on the final kick of the campaign for the club. However, this came after he was only on the field for 45 minutes, appearing as a substitute at halftime. He played in much more of a rotational role since joining the club in January, only starting in five of his 14 appearances despite notching six goals on 24 shots and one assist on nine chances created in his 706 minutes of play. He will now hope his effectiveness this season earns him more of a prominent role heading into the 2024/25 campaign.

MAY 27 • ROTOWIRE

Matteo Cancellieri - Two goal contributions in win Cancellieri scored one goal and assisted once from six shots and three chances created in Sunday's 2-1 win over Roma.

Impact Cancellieri fueled Empoli's win Sunday, first scoring in the 13th minute before also earning an assist in the 93rd minute to secure the team another season of top-flight football in Italy. He served in more of a rotational role for much of the season, ending with 18 starts in 26 appearances. His final stat line for the campaign was four goals on 40 shots and two assists on 17 chances created to go along with 42 crosses and 35 tackles.

MAY 27 • ROTOWIRE

Elia Caprile - Allows one against Roma Caprile had three saves and allowed one goal in Sunday's 2-1 victory versus Roma.

Impact Caprile wasn't at his best Sunday but still did enough to earn his team all three points and another season in the Serie A, notching three saves while allowing a goal. He ends the season in the starting role for the second half of the campaign, notching 23 appearances (23 starts) and registering 80 saves, 27 goals allowed and five clean sheets during that span.

MAY 27 • ROTOWIRE

EMPOLI-ROMA 2-1 | HIGHLIGHTS | Niang seals safety with last kick of the season! | Serie A 2023/24

MAY 26 • YOUTUBE

Alberto Cerri - Diagnosed with thigh injury Cerri is dealing with a relapse of his previous thigh problem, La Nazione reported.

Impact Cerri left the last game early after rushing his return and won't be able to play versus Roma, but there's a chance he's on the bench as the coach has routinely called up the whole squad, including the players who were unavailable, in recent fixtures. M'Baye Niang or Francesco Caputo will lead the line from the start Sunday.

MAY 25 • ROTOWIRE

Alberto Grassi - Handed hefty disqualification Grassi has been suspended for three matches, one due to yellow-card accumulation, and the other two for a menacing attitude toward the referees and for reiterated insults, Serie A...

Impact Grassi was sent off after subbing off and will have to sit out multiple fixtures due to his infractions. It remains to be seen whether Empoli will stay in Serie A, which will go down to the season finale.

MAY 21 • ROTOWIRE

UDINESE-EMPOLI 1-1 | HIGHLIGHTS | Late drama in exhilarating relegation battle | Serie A 2023/24

MAY 19 • YOUTUBE

Alberto Grassi - Sees red versus Udinese Grassi won two of four tackles, had one off-target shot and two interceptions and was expelled after subbing off in Sunday's 1-1 draw with Udinese.

Impact Grassi had his usual gritty display but protested too much to a late call and won't be available against Roma for the season finale. He has been a staple when healthy, finishing up with one assist, 30 tackles, 41 interceptions and 35 clearances in 27 games (22 starts). Razvan Marin will likely substitute for him next week.

MAY 19 • ROTOWIRE

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