As recently reported, there was tensions mounting between the S.S. Arezzo Manager and the Board. After finishing in the playoff places, Copper was deeply frustrated that funds weren’t made available to strengthen the squad.

We can now confirm that Copper will now be leaving the Tuscan hills and heading to Genoa to take over the vacant manager role at Sampdoria.

But how did it all happen, and how did Sampdoria president, Matteo Manfredi, strike so quickly?

Why Sampdoria Turned to Throwing Copper

There was a moment late last season when conviction replaced curiosity.

Sampdoria arrived just five weeks ago at the Stadio Comunale in Arezzo with their play-off hopes already flickering. Ninety minutes later, they left dismantled — beaten 4–1 by an Arezzo side operating on a fraction of their budget, but with clarity overwhelming pedigree.

For Matteo Manfredi, it was more than a bad night. It was confirmation.

“That match stayed with me,” Manfredi later admitted. “Not just because of the scoreline, but the control… the organisation. You could see a team coached with purpose.”

From that moment, Throwing Copper was no longer one name on a shortlist. He was the only name.

A Calculated Risk – On Both Sides

Copper arrives knowing the context. Sampdoria’s struggles – on and off the field – are well documented. He is the third Sampdoria manager in two years, following the brief tenure of Massimo Donati (118 days) and the quieter, ultimately terminal spell of Aurelio Andreazzoli, who stepped away after 18 months with the sense that time was running out.

Sampdoria are undefined and in need of direction and focus.

Manfredi (pictured below) echoed that sentiment.

“We wanted a coach who builds, not reacts. Someone comfortable working within a structure but who is brave enough to impose his blueprint upon it.”

That belief explains why Sampdoria moved decisively, even as Copper wrestled with the decision. Leaving Arezzo was not about dissatisfaction with results – quite the opposite.

From Overachievement to Stalemate

Copper’s Arezzo side defied expectations. A cup run that included victory over Serie A’s Como and a lucrative tie against Inter generated well over £1 million in prize money. An eighth-place Serie B finish followed, capped by a narrow play-off defeat to Reggiana — all achieved with one of the league’s smallest budgets and poor facilities.

Yet when the season ended, ambition stalled.

A £12k weekly wage increase. A £344k transfer budget — £300k of it spent securing loanee sensation Michele Besaggio permanently. Copper pushed for more. The board declined, content with survival.

At Sampdoria, the numbers – £1.1m in transfer funds, £185k per week in wages  – are not extravagant by historical standards. But they represent intent.

Officially, the brief is a top-half finish. Unofficially, nobody at Bogliasco – the clubs base, just outside Genoa – believes this is a long-term rebuild.

The Bigger Issue: Time, Not Talent

Copper inherits a squad rich in experience but drifting toward the wrong side of the age curve. There are way more players pushing 30 and heading into their “golden years” than heading into their prime. The task is not demolition – it is renewal.

The sense amongst fans is that youth must be injected without destabilising the dressing room.

With the squad Wage Budget already £36k per week over-spent, there will be casualties when the summer transfer window opens.

Five to Watch

Naturally, fans, reporters and analysts are all trying to figure out who’ll leave and who’ll be key members of the Sampdoria first team this coming season.

Here’s five players we expect to play key roles:

Gennaro Tutino
A natural fit for the free attacking midfield role, which was utilised in the 4-2-3-1 which led Arezzo to a 11 game unbeaten run. Tutino’s 16 goals last season hint at a player still capable of being decisive. At 30, he brings experience – but under Copper, freedom may unlock something sharper. There’s rumours he could be on the way out, but the new management will surely try to tempt him to stay.

Victor Narro
Stuck on five league goals for the last two seasons, many feel the 27-year-old winger has plateaued. The talent of Narro is obvious and with the right mentality, he could be pushing double figures.

Liam Henderson
The emotional and physical engine. Henderson’s familiarity with Italian football, combined with his work ethic, makes him tailor-made for the box-to-box role Copper values.

Brooklyn Ezeh
At 6’2″, naturally a left-back but built for reinvention. Ezeh has the profile to become the inverted full-back Copper used so effectively at Arezzo, stepping into a back three during build-up.

Samuel Giovane
This is a more interesting one. Versatile, intelligent, and available. On loan from Atalanta last season, and on an expiring contract, it’s well known that Giovane impressed the Copper, who wanted him at Arezzo. Giovane wanted a bigger stage. Sampdoria may be where those ambitions finally align, if a deal can be done.

The Unspoken Expectation

Manfredi insists patience will be shown.

“We understand this is not instant,” he said. “But we believe in the path.”

Italian football, history suggests, is rarely that forgiving. The owners and fans will demand progress, identity, coherence – and soon.

For Copper, the risk is obvious. But so is the opportunity. He was not hired to steady a season. He was hired because, on one night in Arezzo, Sampdoria saw exactly what they were missing.