Lazio president Lotito slams Immobile on emotional return: ‘He chose to leave’

Lazio president Claudio Lotito did not let the emotion of Ciro Immobile’s return to Lazio with Bologna this evening get the better of him, claiming the Italian forward ‘chose to leave’ and that ‘nobody asked him not to stay.’

Speaking to DAZN in the build-up to the clash, with quotes via TuttoMercatoWeb, the Biancocelesti president appeared betrayed by the striker’s decision to leave the club in 2024.

“I signed him, I bet on him and I treated him like family,” Lotito said, “but then he made the choice to leave the club – a choice he made by himself, nobody asked him not to stay.”

The president continued, philosophically even, “Everything in life has an end – a beginning and an end.”

Lotito was also pressed on whether or not Lazio will be strengthened in the January transfer window, cryptically responding that “the team will definitely not be weakened, there’s no doubt about that.”

The president stressed that there is a “calm” around the club in regards to transfer discussions, and hinted at the importance of making the most of the current squad, commenting on “some players who were previously part of the squad and overlooked for a long time”, such as Toma Basic, “who have now been taken into consideration and have demonstrated their full value.”

Lazio were unable to sign players during the summer due to a transfer embargo and currently find themselves still someway off the top of the Serie A table but having improved in recent weeks.