Frosinone, a low-cost fairytale: it’s in the European zone with Serie B salaries.
Ghedjemis, Schmid, Kvernadze, and Raimondo: 16 goals for a total of €2.4 million. Serie A's surprise, even in the financials.
The crux of the matter lies in one question: are Frosinone's twenty points—more than Juve and Napoli, just one less than Milan—"only" halfway to safety, or do they hide something more tempting, perhaps a forbidden dream called Europe? Please, have your say. Massimiliano Alvini has no doubts, and reiterated it after the victory against Torino: "The objective remains safety." But try to convince the people of Frosinone that they shouldn't look up there, especially since a break in the middle of the cup race is now a given: whether they qualify for the Europa League or the Conference will depend on the trip to Cagliari, but hey, let's just say it matters.
numbers
Could it be said that Frosinone's is the most beautiful fairytale of this season's start? Yes, let's say so. The reason is measured in money, just to be venal. The club's wage bill is approximately €28 million (gross) and includes the salaries of the entire team: players, coach, and staff. To give you an idea, Juventus reigns supreme in Serie A with €220 million for registered players alone. Inter are just behind them at €215 million, while Milan is at €150 million. To find Frosinone, you don't have to search very carefully; just look at the back of the table: here, you can really talk about a relegation battle. The highest-paid players are Romano Schmid and Florian Grillitsch, the Austrians who arrived in the summer from Werder Bremen and Braga. Their salaries? €2 million gross each. The former, who landed in Ciociaria with a slightly heavy nickname—the "Messi of the Alps"—has already won over fans and critics alike with his goals (two) and assists (four). The latter, after hernioplasty surgery and a more difficult start to the season than expected, is expected back after more than a month's layoff.
there in front
Ghedjemis, Schmid, Kvernadze, Raimondo: watch out for those four. Together, they've scored 16 goals and provided 13 assists; if they're not Frosinone's gold, they're very close. Well, put together, they cost the Gialloblu less than €2.4 million. To simplify matters, Kolo Muani earns €5.5 million at Juventus: more than double. Speaking of Schmid, the situation is even more paradoxical: they're calling him the new Kvara, yet he's one of the lowest-paid players in the squad, with a gross salary of €400,000. In all this, striker Raimondo earns around €800,000, while Ghedjemis reached €1.5 million this year, after earning €60,000 in 2024, having just arrived from Rouen.
there in front
Ghedjemis, Schmid, Kvernadze, Raimondo: watch out for those four. Together, they've scored 16 goals and provided 13 assists; if they're not Frosinone's gold, they're very close. Well, put together, they cost the Gialloblu less than €2.4 million. To simplify matters, Kolo Muani earns €5.5 million at Juventus: more than double. Speaking of Schmid, the situation is even more paradoxical: they're calling him the new Kvara, yet he's one of the lowest-paid players in the squad, with a gross salary of €400,000. In all this, striker Raimondo earns around €800,000, while Ghedjemis reached €1.5 million this year, after earning €60,000 in 2024, having just arrived from Rouen.
skeleton
And the others? Giacomo Calò, the Painter from Frosinone, is worth around €850,000 after his salary increase this summer following his return to Serie A; Lorenzo Palmisani and Gabriele Bracaglia, two youth academy graduates, aren't worth more than €350,000. The other side of the coin? Well, the inevitable correlation between team results, player market value, and their salaries. A prime example is Palmisani, who exploded this year and has been eyed by several Serie A big names; and if his valuation is around €20 million, it's clear that at that point, keeping him would require a fair salary. But come on, if we had "problems" like that...
property
—
Speaking of clubs, a word about the new ownership, the American fund Clara Vista, already a shareholder of Ipswich Town in the Premier League, is in order. At the helm of Frosinone since last July, in addition to retaining Maurizio Stirpe as president and Rosario Zoino as CEO, they have effectively handed over operations to Renzo Castagnini and Piero Doronzo, sporting director and general manager. They are the ones who have put their stamp on the Frosinone fairytale. And if last year they achieved the feat of climbing to Serie A with the tenth highest wage bill in the league, who knows if they can continue to breathe European air with a squad—judging by the numbers—worthy of Serie B.