The old FM24 goalkeeper injury curse hit Empoli FC hard and curtailed their push for a maiden Serie A title in 2027/28. But that disappointment aside, we'd built an exciting young squad in Tuscany and the club was very much on the up.
Fledgling manager Robaato Rasamu had made a lively start to life in his first role at Kamatamare Sanuki, averaging four goals per match in his first 20 career games. But he was also a manager keen to make progress, as proven by bagging his first coaching badge, the National C License, in January 2024.
Robaato Rasamu was a little taken aback at how quickly he'd managed to fall into a job in football management. He'd only spent 13 days as an unemployed and inexperienced Football Manager yet Japanese third-tier side Kamatamare Sanuki had deemed him the ideal option for their vacant managerial role.
Rasamu wasted no time in applying for vacancies that were available on 3 July, including a couple of roles in his native Japan and clubs in South Africa, Indonesia and Malaysia. Six days later, he attended his very first Football Manager interview with Malaysian club Melaka FC then two more interviews with Japanese side Kamatamare Sanuki and South African side Black Leopards.
"These days, it seems like every man and his dog thinks he's capable of being the next Pep Guardiola." That was the opening line from the thesis that Robaato Rasamu (ロバート ラサム) had proudly presented to the advisory board at The University of Tokyo Sports Science Initiative a few months ago.
The good people of Empoli painted the streets blue with gallons of Nastro Azzurro, Chianti, limoncello and Negronis flowing freely as they celebrated the greatest day in the history of Empoli FC. Our young side defied all the odds to win the Europa League and record the highest-ever finish in club history.
These were exciting times at Empoli FC as we'd established ourselves in Serie A, were beginning to challenge some of Italy's bigger sides, and were edging towards the latter stages of the Europa League.
European nights were coming to Empoli FC as our exciting young side wrapped up a 7th-place finish in Serie A in 2025/26. We now faced a big challenge to try and strengthen to compete on two fronts with minimal finances. An even greater challenge was posed by big teams looking at our best players in... Continue Reading →
Empoli FC had reached heady heights, enjoying a 7th-place position heading into 2026. That was despite having already lost three times more home matches than last season and struggling slightly at the start of the campaign.
Empoli FC brushed off the loss of their talismanic striker to work their way into the top half of Serie A, securing a 9th-place finish in 2024/25. That success saw the board get all big-headed and expect a mid-table finish in our third campaign, so the pressure was on.
Football Manager Addict 