Gianluca Frabotta hits out at West Brom ‘disrespect’ as fingers pointed after Hawthorns exit
Gianluca Frabotta had a short and unsuccessful spell at West Brom in the 2024-25 campaign.
Coming in from Juventus, there were high hopes for the left-back. However, after just eight appearances in all competitions, he was allowed to leave The Hawthorns for Cesena.
During his stay, Frabotta was often criticised at West Brom, with Tony Mowbray deeming the 26-year-old as not up to standard.
Frabotta also struggled with injuries at The Hawthorns, which did not help his case.
However, with the full-back now impressing back in Italy, he has decided to hit back.
Gianluca Frabotta: I felt helpless at West Brom
It was confirmed in August that Frabotta had moved to Cesena, ending his one-year stay at the Baggies.
Joining the Serie B side, he has quickly established himself as a regular, as they look to gain promotion to the top-flight.
With the Italian possessing clear ability, it has brought into question how it went so wrong at the Black Country club.
- Frabotta signed for West Brom from Juventus in the 2024-25 campaign
- However, the full-back only managed to play eight times in all competitions for the Baggies
- He was sold in the summer under Mason
Now, Frabotta has spoken to Corriere Della Sera on 17 October, hitting back at West Brom as he claims he was “disrespected” during his stay.
He said: “After some positive months in Cosenza, I accepted West Bromwich Albion’s offer.
“It didn’t go well. I met people who showed disrespect towards me. Even though I was doing well and training hard, they never took me into consideration.
We can confirm we’ve parted ways with defender Gianluca Frabotta by mutual agreement.
— West Bromwich Albion (@WBA) August 8, 2025
We wish Gianluca all the best for his future career.
“It was frustrating. I felt helpless. And I was far from Italy, the climate was different, I didn’t go out much, I didn’t speak the language. I felt alone. But I decided to react.”
Frabotta’s stats show Ryan Mason was right to sell
Even though Frabotta has had a successful return to Italy, his stats show that he was not ready for Championship football.
According to Fotmob on 17 October, many of the full-back performances have been underwhelming so far this season, with an average rating of 6.74.
His stats also leave much to be desired, only having 78.8 per cent passing accuracy, and is yet to register a goal or an assist.
| Gianluca Frabotta stats in the Serie B this season | Per 90 minutes |
| Goals | 0 |
| Assists | 0 |
| Expected assists | 0.07 |
| Passing accuracy | 78.8% |
| Chances created | 0.70 |
| Duels won | 46.9% |
| Recoveries | 1.79 |
With the Championship a much harder league than the Serie B, he was clearly not ready for the step up.
Therefore, Ryan Mason was right to sell the full-back when he had the chance in the summer transfer window.
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