Mancini launches Italy’s bid to secure dual-nationality talent

Roberto Mancini has begun an early campaign to prevent rival national teams from claiming promising dual-nationality players before they become part of Italy’s long-term plans.

According to French website Foot Mercato, Italy has already made approaches to several young players who are eligible to represent other countries. The strategy is designed to identify them at an early stage and introduce them to the national-team project over the coming years.

Among those targeted are Samuel Inacio, who has attracted interest from Brazil, Issa Doumbia, who Ivory Coast want to recruit, and Alessandro Romano, who had been monitored by Switzerland.

Italy has also called up Mohamed Ali Zouma, who was eligible to play for either Ivory Coast or Burkina Faso. The move underlines Mancini’s desire to act before players make a final decision over their international future.

Foot Mercato reported that the steps are part of a deliberate plan rather than a series of isolated decisions. Mancini wants to establish which players can adapt quickly to the national team and ensure Italy does not lose potential talent to other countries.

‘We do not want to lose talent’

Mancini has defended his decision to call up a large group of young players, saying the priority is to assess them closely and determine who can remain involved with Italy during the next four years.

“If I had called up older players, there would have been criticism,” Mancini said. “I called up young players because it is important to get to know them closely in order to build a successful team in the future.”

He added: “We need to identify as quickly as possible the players who can stay with us over the next four years. I called up more players than usual because I want to see them on the pitch.”

The Italy manager has also made clear his concern about young players choosing to represent other national teams. He believes the answer is not to complain about the trend, but to find and select eligible players before their international allegiance changes.

“We cannot complain if young players move to foreign clubs; we have to find a solution,” he said. “The solution is to look for them and select them quickly, especially to avoid losing players who have dual nationality.”

Mancini also discussed Zouma, saying: “Zouma moved to the German second division, which is an excellent league. He is performing well, and we hope he continues.”

After making progress with several emerging players, Mancini’s next target appears to be Nicolo Tresoldi. The Italy manager is seeking to persuade the young forward to choose the Azzurri, although Tresoldi remains part of Germany Under-21s’ plans.

Mancini has therefore entered the international eligibility race at an early stage, placing dual-nationality players at the centre of his plans as he seeks to build a young core for Italy while preventing rivals from securing them first.