Cagliari v Napoli: all eyes on Adopo – where might he go in the summer?

Among the likely starters in Pisacane’s side, keep an eye on Michel Adopo, a midfielder born in 2000 whom the manager never leaves out: he’s always on the pitch and has almost always started in what has been one of the French player’s best seasons. The stats speak for themselves: the former Atalanta player has won back 135 balls this season, more than any other Cagliari player, and only four players in Serie A have won back more (Modric, Ramadani, Matic and Cristante). Not only that, Adopo is also the Rossoblù player with the most shots on target, 10, the same as Sebastiano Esposito (forward). And Esposito is the only player in the squad to have made more passes in the opposition’s half than Adopo (435), whilst only Obert has made more interceptions than the Frenchman.

Cagliari have always believed in the youngster’s qualities; he arrived in the summer of 2024 on loan from Atalanta with an option to buy: at the end of the season, the Rossoblù decided to sign Adopo on a permanent basis for €4 million, providing Pisacane with a physical and versatile midfielder who, if needed, can also play as a centre-back – a position he had previously occupied during his time at Torino, on the advice of Ivan Juric. Adopo has a contract with Cagliari until 2029; in recent months he has been monitored by several foreign clubs and it cannot be ruled out that he might leave in the summer should any significant offers come in.