Roles reversed as Leeds United face Cagliari and Whites-linked star under former League One boss

Three years after Leeds faced the Italians in July 2019, Cagliari are now a recently-relegated side managed by a former Leyton Orient boss but have a squad still featuring a player with whom Whites fans will be very familiar with.

Italian media had a fascination with continually linking Leeds with Cagliari's Uruguayan international midfielder Nahitan Nandez last season and the 26-year-old remains at the club although how relegation affects his future remains to be seen.

Cagliari were consigned to the Serie A drop for only the second time in the last 18 seasons last term, ending a run of six consecutive years in the Italian top flight.

The Sardinia side played in the top tier for 11 years in a row following promotion as Serie B runners-up in 2003-04 and bounced straight back as Serie B champions upon being relegated in 2015.

But Cagliari were unable to finish in the top half since being promoted back to Serie A and dropped out of the division last season by finishing third bottom.

As part of a season featuring managerial changes, Cagliari were pipped to survival by fourth-bottom Salernitana who survived by a single point in 17th place at Cagliari's expense.

Leonardo Semplici began the season in charge of Cagliari but the Italian coach was axed after just three games in charge in September and replaced by ex-Watford and Torino boss Walter Mazzarri who was then relieved of his duties in May.

With the aim of bouncing back at the first attempt, the club then appointed Fabio Liverani as their new boss in June, the 46-year old Italian manager who was in charge of Leyton Orient for the second half of the 2014-15 campaign in League One. Liverani has been in charge of Ternana, Lecce and Parma since.

One of the key aims for Liverano will be improving Cagliari's productivity in the final third as goalscoring was a problem for the Sardinians last season, the side netting just 34 times across 38 games for the joint-third worst record in the division.

Brazilian forward Joao Pedro netted 13 of those goals but the 30-year-old ended eight years with the club this summer when joining Fenerbahce on a three-year deal as part of a summer that has featured plenty of departures, including the exit of Romanian international midfielder Razvan Marin to Empoli on a loan deal with a view to a permanent switch.

Marin topped Cagliari's assists charts last season on five and his exit is one of the more notable departures, along with the exit of Diego Simeone's son Giovanni Simeone to Hellas Verona after last season's loan spell there.

Similarly, goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario has made the permanent switch to former loan side Empoli whilst Greek international left back Charalampos Lykogiannis has joined Bologna.

The departing star Pedro played more minutes than any other player last season with 3325, followed by goalkeeper Alessio Cragno who was the only other player to surpass 3000.

Cragno, though, has also left the club to join top flight side Monza on loan.

Other players to feature heavily last season included Italian trio right back Raoul Bellanova, centre-back Andrea Carboni and Alberto Grassi as well as Brazilian and former Inter Milan loanee Dalbert.

Bellanova has now been loaned to Inter Milan, Carboni has joined Monza and Grassi has returned to Parma from where he was on loan last season.

More departures could follow as Valencia and Napoli are two of the sides now being linked with a move for Nandez who appears likely to move on before the end of the summer transfer window.

Pablo Bentancur, the player’s agent, told Sport890 in Uruguay this month: “We will soon know what his future holds, but in my view it’ll be more of a move at the end of the transfer market.

“There is an economic crisis in Europe affecting the prices. Napoli are the club to have shown the most interest, so they are leading the way.”

Elsewhere at the club, Senegal international midfielder forward Keita Balde's contract expires at the end of this month whilst Lecce, Monza and Olympiakos are also reportedly eyeing 26-year-old Italian midfielder Alessandro Deiola.

But as well as the host of departures there have been plenty of new arrivals, including 24-year-old Congo international centre midfielder Antoine Makoumbou from NK Maribor, experienced Peru international centre forward Gianluca Lapadula from Benevento and Italian centre midfielder Nicola Viola on a ree from Bologna.

Cagliari have also loaned young duo left back Franco Carboni and right midfielder Alessandro Di Pado from Inter and Juventus respectively. Carboni, 19, is an Argentina under-20s international whilst 23-year-old Di Prado was capped up to Italy under-19s level.

Under the care of boss Liverani, Cagliari have enjoyed good results in pre season so far with a 3-0 win at Olbia followed by Wednesday's 2-1 triumph against Strasbourg in France in which experience and youth combined to good effect as 33-year-old Leonardo Pavoletti and 19-year-old wqinger Jacopo Desogus netted a goal apiece.

Pavloletti netted five times for Cagliari last season - next best behind the outgoing Joao Pedro - and the former Italian international lined up as part of a three against Strasbourg that also featured teenage winger Desogus and Uruguay international Gastron Pereiro, a player who weighed in with four goals and two assists last term.

Desogus, Pavoletti and also 21-year old defender Nunzio Lella netted in the 3-0 win at Olbia.

The Sardinian side will start their new league campaign one week later than Leeds who faced Cagliari in their own backyard in the summer of July 2019.

Back then, Cagliari were the top flight outfit having finished the previous season in 15th place. Leeds, under Marcelo Bielsa, had suffered agony to Derby County in the Championship play-offs.

The two teams played out a 1-1 draw in Sardinia and times have dramatically changed since.

Cagliari squad for Strasbourg friendly: Radunović; Zappa, Altare, Walukiewicz, Obert; Makoumbou, Viola, Lella; Pereiro, Pavoletti (C), Desogus. Subs: Aresti, Lolic; Boccia, Carboni, Di Pardo, Palomba; Cavuoti, Faragò, Kourfalidis; Contini, Luvumbo, Pulina, L. Tramoni