1. Juventus
Squad Assessment & Transfer Business So Far
Juventus certainly seem to have had a very good summer and there is a begrudging acceptance amongst non-Juve fans that they have to be viewed as a title favourite this season.
We’re going one step further and putting them at the top of our table. The Bianconeri have done good business and the squad is undoubtedly better. The signings of Paul Pogba and Angel di Maria on free transfers raise the technical level of the squad considerably and they can be match-winners in their own right. It is also worth chucking into the mix that Federico Chiesa will be returning after a long injury lay-off and will feel like a new signing in his own right. The caveat here is that Pogba could miss the first few months of the season through injury which is a big blow.
They have also signed Gleison Bremer from Torino who was voted as the best defender in Serie A last season. He has only had one good campaign but he did look like the real deal and he signed for £34.9 million.
There have been some major outgoings at the club too with Paulo Dybala and Giorgio Chiellini moving on, Matthijs de Ligt being sold for almost £60 million, Alvaro Morata’s loan ending (though he may join again) and Federico Bernardeschi being released.
Massimiliano Allegri now has the job of getting the best out of the key players in the team. He’ll want even more from Dusan Vlahovic now that he has had a pre-season with the team and should be getting considerably better service from the midfield and wide areas. Midfielders like Manuel Locatelli and Denis Zakaria may benefit from having a better attack ahead and a player like Pogba who can be the chief creator.
The issue last season was that Allegri refused to let the reigns off and players like Chiesa were forced to play more industrial roles than they are suited to. Given the squad that he now has at his disposal, there is surely pressure on the coach to give the team more creative freedom.
Verdict
The ingredients are in place right now for it to be a very close title race, possibly containing three or four teams rather than just two. We were treated last season but this one could be even better. Given the quality now in the squad and the experience many of the players have, Juve could be the ones to come out on top.
Unfortunately for Italian football as a whole, this Juventus team still does not look like it will have what it takes to go far in the Champions League but the domestic fight could be superb.
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Team: Juventus
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Predicted Position: 1st
2. Inter Milan
Squad Assessment & Transfer Business So Far
It wouldn’t be a summer transfer window without Inter fans going in and out of crisis mode, from celebrating signings and near-signings to bemoaning failed attempts to lure others to the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza.
Simone Inzaghi might be forgiven for having hoped to be working with a more competitive squad by now, but Romelu Lukaku’s return cannot be considered anything other than an upgrade on Edin Dzeko in the attack.
The hopes were higher though. Paulo Dybala had been expected to sign since January but has ended up at Roma – likely as a direct consequence of Lukaku’s arrival – and they painfully missed out on the signing of ex-Torino defender Gleison Bremer to arch-rivals Juventus.
Inter have signed well even beyond Lukaku though; Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Andre Onana both came in on free transfers and should improve the starting XI immediately, while the likes of Raoul Bellanova (Cagliari) and Kristjan Asllani (Empoli) have come in to add some depth to Inzaghi’s side.
The best thing to happen at Inter this summer is the arrival of Onana. Samir Handanovic has been on the decline for a number of years now, but is likely still good enough to be a second-choice goalkeeper even at such a high level. Last year, a lack of depth in goal ultimately cost them the title as Ionut Radu made a fatal mistake at Bologna. He has since been sent out on loan to Cremonese.
In terms of departures, Matias Vecino, Stefano Sensi, Aleksandar Kolarov, Ivan Perisic and Arturo Vidal are the biggest names to have left this summer, but only the Croatian’s exit really weakens the Nerazzurri in any significant way. The hope is that Robin Gosens will stay injury free after being signed from Atalanta in January to succeed Perisic on their left.
It’s hard to imagine any tactical shifts taking place at Inter, and the system fine tuned by Antonio Conte and then slightly tweaked by Inzaghi is certain to remain in place.
Verdict
Having won the title in 2020/21 and fallen short last season, Inter are likely to be right up there and contending again this season. Juventus’ strengthening might just put the Old Lady one step ahead of their Derby d’Italia rivals though, and as a result the Nerazzurri are coming into the new season as probably the second-strongest side in Italy. Their big hope will be that familiarity might just get them over the line, with Juventus undergoing more change this summer.
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Team: Inter Milan
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Predicted Position: 2nd
3. AC Milan
Squad Assessment & Transfer Business So Far
Milan were the deserving Scudetto winners last season but their summer transfer business has hardly gone to plan. Technical director Paolo Maldini and sporting director Frederic Massara, the masterminds behind building the title-winning squad, only had their contracts renewed at the very last opportunity amidst the takeover by RedBird Capital Group.
That meant that Milan essentially missed a month in which they should have been wrapping up deals that had been in the pipeline for many months. They missed out on Sven Botman from Lille and the same could happen with Renato Sanches who at one stage seemed certain to join.
The only major official arrival right now is Divock Origi on a free transfer from Liverpool which could prove to be a very good piece of business. A number of targets to bolster the attacking trio behind Olivier Giroud including Charles De Ketelaere, Hakim Ziyech, Nicolo Zaniolo, and Marco Asensio have been pursued and it now seems that De Ketelaere will be joining for around £30 million from Club Brugge.
They are also linked with a host of midfielders along with Sanches such as Piotr Zielinski and Carney Chukwuemeka. There is a need to fill the gap left by Franck Kessie’s departure. The simple fact is that Stefano Pioli will have wanted to have his squad all but finalised before the first game of the season in mid-August. It is currently very hard to see that being the case.
Despite the disappointing summer, it is worth remembering that they have kept hold of Rafael Leao and apart from Kessie, the team that won the Scudetto is still there and will be an incredibly tight-knit group.
There is some excitement bubbling around young French midfielder Yacine Adli who has returned from his loan at Bordeaux and has been very impressive in pre-season. There is a belief that he can play more of a role than some may have expected next season. The same can be said for Tommaso Pobega who is returning from a successful loan at Torino.
They could get a boost halfway through the season too if Zlatan Ibrahimović brings some goals to the team following his knee surgery and a lengthy recovery.
Verdict
The simple truth for Milan is that at the time of writing if Divock Origi does not score an obscene amount of goals then they have not strengthened the squad. Inter and Juventus definitely have strengthened, as have Roma although the Giallorossi still may not have enough to overhaul the Rossoneri.
For that reason, it is hard to put Milan at the top of the tree at this stage. They’ll certainly be in the picture but they may need some late signings to really hit the ground running as soon as they arrive.
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Team: AC Milan
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Predicted Position: 3rd
4. Roma
There is a huge amount of expectation around Roma coming into this new season. They had a good first season under Jose Mourinho in terms of winning the Europa Conference League and achieving a 6th place finish that likely would have been 5th if it wasn’t for the European campaign.
With the atmosphere still remaining very positive under Mourinho, the transfer business so far has helped boost the mood even more. Tammy Abraham looks as though he is sticking around which is a huge bonus.
Also, if Nicolo Zaniolo does end up leaving as has been rumoured for much of the summer, the blow will be significantly softened by the fact that the Giallorossi managed to persuade Paulo Dybala to forgo Champions League football and sign on a free transfer.
The move is a huge statement of intent and they will only have been able to get the Argentine if they were really sure that they can get into the top four next season.
The major outgoing has been Henrikh Mkhitaryan who joined Inter on a free transfer. As well as that, Sergio Oliveira’s loan move from Porto was not made permanent. He has been replaced by Nemanja Matic who could slot into Serie A very nicely. Another midfielder will also be joining soon. It could be Georginio Wijnaldum from PSG if they can find the right loan formula, or it could be Davide Frattesi from Sassuolo or Jerdy Schouten from Bologna who is the cheaper option.
Zeki Celik has arrived from Lille to create more competition for Rick Karsdorp at right-back and young goalkeeper Mile Svilar has arrived from Benfica to presumably be the backup and eventual replacement for Rui Patricio.
There were two clear issues for Roma last season. They sometimes lacked a spark in attack when things weren’t going their way, which is where Dybala could prove to be the difference. The other is that the midfield could be very passive at times. With Matic holding the fort in front of the backline, a player like Wijnaldum or Frattesi should they arrive could provide a much-needed injection of pace.
Verdict
The feeling around Roma right now is that this is the season where they get back into the Champions League. The likes of Lazio, Atalanta, Napoli and Fiorentina will be their competition for 4th place.
If Dybala can strike up a partnership with Abraham and the middle has a bit more dynamism about it, they should have more than the rest when it comes to that Champions League fight and it could be seen as a disappointment if they miss out again.
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Team: Roma
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Predicted Position: 4th
5. Atalanta
Squad Assessment & Transfer Business So Far
Atalanta were something of a disappointment last season, though their 2021/22 campaign was largely shaped by injury absences and COVID cases. They’ll want the coming campaign to be more smooth sailing and, should that happen, they’ll be right among the fight for a top-four finish again.
The only new face they’ve added to their squad has been Salernitana’s Ederson, which addresses an issue of depth that they had in holding midfield and finally gives them a perfect stand-in option for either Remo Freuler or Marten de Roon without Gian Piero Gasperini having to compromise on his style. Jeremie Boga and Merih Demiral’s signings have both been made permanent as well.
In what is something of a rarity for La Dea, though, they’ve come through the transfer window without having lost any important players. Instead, they’ve shifted the likes of Matteo Pessina, Matteo Lovato and Bosko Sutalo, as well as allowing some younger players to leave for other destinations lower down in the Italian football pyramid.
Their biggest wins of the summer have been retaining the services of Duvan Zapata and others, and their familiarity and depth should now allow them to return to their previous best and really mount a challenge for the Champions League places. Not being in Europe could also play in their favour.
Under Gasperini, the Bergamaschi will continue to play free-flowing football when and where they can, prioritising a high-tempo and their commitment to attack.
Verdict
Atalanta should be contenders for a top-four finish this season and anything less than being involved in the fight will be a disappointment. Without European football to distract them, they’ve shown in the past that they are capable of really great things and it wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see them even contending for one of the top three places.
You get the feeling that their best chance to push for the title was a couple of years ago, but La Dea aren’t likely to fall away from the higher end of the Serie A table anytime soon.
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Team: Atalanta
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Predicted Position: 5th
6. Napoli
Squad Assessment & Transfer Business So Far
Napoli are going to be a bit of an unknown quantity this season after what has been a pretty tumultuous summer for the Azzurri.
Some big, big players are no longer part of the team. Lorenzo Insigne and Dries Mertens have left at the end of their contracts. Kalidou Koulibaly has been sold to Chelsea and there is a lot of interest in Piotr Zielinski right now.
In terms of incoming signings, they’re targeting lesser-known players that could surprise people if they hit the ground running. The most exciting is young Georgian attacker Khvicha Kvaratskhelia who has signed from Dinamo Batumi for £8.5 million. The 21-year-old is certainly unproven but he comes very highly rated and has been impressive in pre-season. He could certainly be a lot of fun in Serie A.
Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa’s loan has been made permanent, defender Leo Ostigard has come in from Brighton, and Uruguayan left-back Matheus Oliveira has joined from Getafe in what was a problem position for Napoli last season. Napoli have confirmed the signing of Kim-Min Jae who is a South Korean centre-back from Fenerbahce. They triggered his release clause which equated to £16.4 million.
It is likely that Napoli will be doing a lot more business towards the end of the transfer window but currently, it seems like the calibre of players leaving the club is just too high to be able to picture them improving.
They ended last season on a gradual decline that Luciano Spalletti could not seem to stop. It is likely that whilst they will still be a very good team with some very good players, it could be something of a transition year with quite a few new players and some existing ones growing into roles with more responsibility.
Verdict
Given the drastic changeover in the squad and the way that the teams around them seem to be strengthening this summer, Napoli could be set to go backwards. It may only be temporary, but there is a lot for Spalletti to keep on top of in the new campaign as they will be playing Champions League football too.
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Team: Napoli
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Predicted Position: 6th
7. Lazio
Squad Assessment & Transfer Business So Far
Lazio are something of a guarantee in Serie A in that they’re a side with a brand of football that’s easy on the eye and they’ll always hope to break into the top four and secure Champions League qualification. They’re slightly unique though in that there isn’t quite the same pressure there that there is at other clubs, even across the capital at Roma.
Maurizio Sarri has had a full season behind him at the Stadio Olimpico by now and his ideas should have been fully taken on by a squad that the Biancocelesti have done well to keep the core of together. Offloading Vedat Muriqi for close to €7m represents good business despite having signed him for close to €20m, and they’ve also seen Luiz Felipe and Lucas Leiva depart on free transfers.
The biggest area of concern for Lazio will be in goal, where both Thomas Strakosha and Pepe Reina have been let go. Luis Maximiano has come in from Granada to presumably be first choice between the posts. The signings of Nicolo Casale from Verona, Alessio Romagnoli from AC Milan, and Marcos Antonio from Shakhtar Donetsk went slightly under the radar this summer but could each prove to be shrewd bits of business, and Sarri’s Lazio might just be set to put on a show this coming season.
With the former Napoli, Juventus, and Chelsea boss on the bench, it’s clear that Lazio will play possession-based football and try to suffocate their opponents when possible, and they have one of Italy’s most lethal marksmen in attack in Ciro Immobile.
Verdict
Lazio’s aim for the season will be to secure European football for 2022/23, and that could even see them push for a place in the Champions League. The top-four race is going to be competitive again, and Sarri’s side are one of the contenders for that fourth spot.
Without being the favourites for the spot, no finish between 4th and 7th would come as a great shock, though anything outside of that window would raise eyebrows.
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Team: Lazio
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Predicted Position: 7th
8. Fiorentina
Squad Assessment & Transfer Business So Far
Fiorentina had an excellent campaign last season but the addition of European football could mean they sink slightly domestically despite having a very good squad.
In terms of the transfer window, the loans of Lucas Torreira and Krzysztof Piatek have come to an end but they have already addressed both of those positions. Luka Jovic has come in from Real Madrid on a (complicated) free transfer and he will be determined to get his career back on track. Rolando Mandragora is a proven Serie A midfielder and he has come in for £7 million from Torino.
Pierluigi Gollini has also come in on loan so he can provide more competition for Bartlomiej Dragowski in between the sticks, should the Pole stick around.
The major obstacle for Fiorentina to contend with this season is combining domestic success with a Europa Conference League campaign. They certainly have a deep squad but there could be some very tough patches during the season. They have a lot of seemingly quality options in the attack who did not all show their best last season despite the overall good campaign.
The likes of Jonathan Ikone, Nicolas Gonzalez and Arthur Cabral have all definitely got more to bring to the team and if they do, they could really be one of the highest scorers in the league next season.
Many fans will just be happy that they have managed to keep hold of their coach, Vincenzo Italiano, as there was a point early in the summer where it seemed he may have fallen out with the club over a lack of transfer activity. The issue was addressed and he has since signed a contract extension.
La Viola have also managed to replace Alvaro Odriozola who returned to Real Madrid after his loan spell. They’ve signed 23-year-old right-back Dodo from Shakhtar Donetsk for a fairly hefty £12.8 million.
Verdict
There is quite a lot to be excited about for Fiorentina fans after last season and the summer so far but despite that, it is hard to picture them getting into the top four. Inter, Juventus and Roma have strengthened and Milan will still be a superb team. That added into the balancing of European football and the domestic campaign means that getting any European football again would be impressive but it could be a big ask.
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Team: Fiorentina
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Predicted Position: 8th
9. Sassuolo
Squad Assessment & Transfer Business So Far
After close to a decade in Italy’s top flight, Sassuolo have really established themselves as Serie A mainstays now. Being a club from a town of just 40,000 people, just how impressive their story isn’t shouldn’t be lost.
As is always the case when it comes to the Neroverdi, their summer was largely clouded with uncertainty as transfer speculation hung over a number of first-team regulars, but they played their cards perfectly – as they tend to – and have managed to keep their core group of players at the club (or at least have with two weeks to go before things kick off).
A look at their list of departures would cause more concern than it should, as the names of Jeremie Boga, Ciccio Caputo, and Mehdi Bourabia all technically left permanently this summer, but their exits had been agreed long before the end of last season and they were all out on loan at their now-permanent homes anyway.
The biggest loss this transfer window was Gianluca Scamacca, who has now joined Premier League side West Ham after his big-money move, but Sassuolo have shown in recent years that they’re more than able to rebuild and continue along the same track after selling an important player.
Despite scoring a decent tally of 16 goals in 36 Serie A appearances last season, there was a feeling that the forward didn’t quite show enough consistency over the course of the campaign, and tended to up his performances against the so-called bigger sides.
Keeping hold of Domenico Berardi is the best thing that has happened to the Emilians this summer, and their enigmatic forward has been handed the No.10 shirt ahead of 2022/23, leaving his No.25 behind.
Alessio Dionisi is coming into his second season on the bench at the Mapei Stadium, and he’ll be expecting his side to be closer to his vision than they were last term, even if he did well in replacing Roberto De Zerbi last summer.
Verdict
You know what you’re going to get from Sassuolo. They’ll play football that’s easy on the eye, they’ll bloody some noses, but they will also drop points where they perhaps shouldn’t. A top-half or mid-table finish is almost sure to await them, and they might just be able to push for Europe.
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Team: Sassuolo
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Predicted Position: 9th
10. Torino
Squad Assessment & Transfer Business So Far
The summer feels as though it hasn’t really happened at Torino, with nobody of note having arrived yet at the Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino, but their squad has been worsened with Andrea Belotti and Gleison Bremer both having departed.
The no.9 had been Toro captain for a number of years and their main threat in attack, while Bremer burst onto the scene last season to quickly establish himself as one of the very best centre-backs in Italy. He has since joined cross-city rivals Juventus.
That lack of market action has clearly taken its toll on the atmosphere in Piemonte, and coach Ivan Juric was involved in a car park bust-up with sporting director Davide Vagnati just three weeks shy of the season starting. The heated exchange was secretly filmed by someone looking down on the car park and posted to social media, and Vagnati appeared to refer to Granta president Urbano Cairo as a “d***head”, claiming that he was “the only one” who defended the coach.
Vagnati did add that the pair have since hugged things out and put the exchange behind them, and also gave his full support to Juric as the man to lead the team into the 2022/23 season.
But the sporting director also acknowledged that Juric’s concerns about the lack of activity this summer were valid, so new names should be arriving at the Olimpico before the campaign kicks off.
Verdict
With Bremer and Belotti gone, it’s hard to be overly optimistic about this Torino squad unless new faces are brought in fast, and Vagnati has already said that “there won’t be ten” new arrivals.
But Juric has shown in the past that he’s more than capable of surprising people with his work, and this might just prove to be the latest case of needing to trust the coach to work some magic. After the car park fight, though, many will think that the coach might walk away before too much longer if his frustrations aren’t calmed by new signings coming in. If Juric is to leave, things could get really troubling for Toro.
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Team: Torino
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Predicted Position: 10th
11. Verona
Squad Assessment & Transfer Business So Far
Hellas Verona’s 2021/22 season was excellent, and under Igor Tudor they became a side capable of causing problems for just about anybody in Serie A. At the Stadio Marc’Antonio Bentegodi, they beat Juventus, Lazio, and Roma comfortably and all in the first half of the campaign but things then slowed down a little in the second half of the season.
It was a similar story for the Gialloblu under Ivan Juric previously, and now Gabriele Cioffi has a job on his hands to keep standards as high as each of his two predecessors, while also having the challenge of going one better and managing to maintain a level of performance throughout the entire campaign. That may be aided by the mid-season break brought on by the World Cup.
Their summer business is unlikely to leave Mastini fans excited though, with Thomas Henry having come in from relegated Venezia, and Milan Djuric arriving from Salernitana. The latter is a physical presence that could give them another option in attack for 2022/23, though they brought in another forward in Roberto Piccoli from Atalanta as well. For now it’s hard to see how they’ll all find minutes in the same team.
One signing of Verona’s to watch out for though is Alessandro Cortinovis. The 21-year-old has followed Piccoli in joining on loan from La Dea, and he’ll take his first steps in Serie A in Veneto having been out on loan in Serie B with Reggina last term. He’s got bags of technical ability and likes to control the game from deep in midfield, though he’s also capable of giving goalkeepers something to think about as well, as was seen in his own Goal of the Season contender for Reggina last season.
Verdict
Verona are likely to be a very different team this season compared to what we have seen them be under both Juric and Tudor in recent seasons, but it’s hard to imagine that they’ll find themselves being overly concerned by relegation and they should be more than capable of securing a mid-table finish. A slow start, though, and they could be one of the unexpected strugglers.
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Team: Verona
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Predicted Position: 11th
12. Udinese
Squad Assessment & Transfer Business So Far
Udinese could be a tough one to read this season. For many years they have floated just above the relegation zone, playing uninspiring football, and never threatening to push up the table.
That changed to an extent in the second half of last season. Gabriele Cioffi came in and a few players hit their stride. The Friulians were out of the relegation picture with a good few weeks to go and they were involved in some very thrilling games. Against the odds though, they are going into the new campaign without Cioffi. Udinese announced before the final game of the season that they would not extend the caretaker manager’s contract and he has now pitched up at Hellas Verona.
They’ve hired Andrea Sottil who took Ascoli to the playoffs in Serie B last season and clearly felt that he should try and make the jump to Serie A regardless. He made over 80 appearances for Udinese in his playing days and at 48, he will be one of the slightly younger coaches in Serie A.
As for the squad, they have retained Beto and Destiny Udogie for next season barring any late moves. Gerard Deulofeu is so far sticking around and they’ve spent £9.4 million on three new defenders in Adam Masina, Jaka Bijol and Leonardo Buta. Irish youngster Festy Ebosele also joins. Enzo Ebosse has joined from Angers for £3 million and they got Nehuen Perez from Atletico Madrid as part of the deal for Nahuel Molina to leave for £16.8 million.
Apart from Jens Stryger Larsen leaving on a free for Trabzonspor, Molina is the only really major outgoing player other than players whose loans ended like Pablo Mari. For that reason, you’d think that Sottil will be looking to build on the good feeling that Cioffi created in the group.
He should be blessed with more defensive options and he will have Beto who was injured for most of the second half of the campaign, having scored eight times by mid-January before a dry spell and the injury.
Verdict
They finished twelfth last season and provided Sottil does not come in and upset the dynamic, they should be in for another campaign where relegation is not such a pressing issue and there are more players in the squad capable of creating exciting moments, rather than just getting over the line.
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Team: Udinese
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Predicted Position: 12th
13. Sampdoria
Squad Assessment & Transfer Business So Far
Sampdoria simply need to have a better season in 2022/23 than they did in the previous campaign.
They’ve had multiple seasons of mediocrity and relegation scares and last season they very nearly flew too close to the sun. In the end, they just did enough but serious improvements are needed. If they are going to make any great strides in the transfer market, they’re going to have to come when the season is already underway it seems.
Three loan deals from last season have been made permanent, Francesco Caputo, Abdelhamid Sabiri, and Tomas Rincon. Central defender Maxime Leverbe has come in from Pisa on loan too. Senior players such as Morten Thorsby, Kristoffer Askildsen, Albin Ekdal and Maya Yoshida have all left the club.
It has to be assumed that Samp have got some deals in the pipeline because the squad is looking very thin with a month of the transfer window remaining.
One player who they will be looking toward for inspiration is Mikkel Damsgaard. He impressed when he joined and was heavily linked with a move after EURO 2020 but he missed effectively the whole of last season with a thigh injury. The 22-year-old was out from October through till April but he can be their main creative force next season if he can get up to fitness and slot into the team again.
Good form from Damsgaard could result in getting more out of ageing strikers Francesco Caputo and Fabio Quagliarella who will both want to be hitting double figures but can’t do it by themselves.
Federico Bonazzoli returned to the club after his loan spell at Salernitana but he has now headed back to the Granata. Ernesto Torregrossa returns after a loan spell at Pisa but he is also going straight back there again.
Verdict
Whilst the aforementioned transfer issues could make it sound like Samp are doomed to failure, there are players in the squad who have enough technical ability that they should be okay. They are likely to bolster the squad before the end of the window and there are plenty of teams with lower-quality squads in the division. They should be fine but don’t expect anything too thrilling. If they do very little in the rest of the window, they could be in for a very nasty surprise.
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Team: Sampdoria
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Predicted Position: 13th
14. Bologna
Squad Assessment & Transfer Business So Far
It feels as though Bologna have finished 14th in every Serie A season for most of the last decade, and this season they should have enough about them to finish comfortably above the drop zone without troubling the top ten as well.
They might, though, manage to find themselves slipping down towards the bottom three if they take their eye off the ball for even a brief period, and they might be worth considering as an outside bet to fall into Serie B. In Arthur Theate (Stade Rennais), Aaron Hickey (Brentford), and Mattias Svanberg (Wolfsburg), Bologna have lost three key first-team players this summer. Other more peripheral squad players have also departed the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara as well, but not of the same weight of importance.
Little about their incoming signings will have Rossoblu fans excited either. Andrea Cambiaso might well be the only exception to that, joining on loan from Juventus to succeed Hickey at left-back. Fans of British football will have their eyes drawn to Scot Lewis Ferguson who has come in from Aberdeen in midfield.
Beyond those, though, they’ve promoted a lot of players from their Primavera squad and signed players with little-to-no Serie A experience, and Sinisa Mihajlovic will have his work cut out to ensure the Rossoblu stay on track.
Verdict
Bologna should be more than capable of avoiding the drop this season just by having three teams worse than them In Serie A, but they could well find themselves in a troublesome position at some point. It won’t be a huge shock to see them sweating come May, but they will be disappointed to be in a survival fight should it come to that.
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Team: Bologna
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Predicted Position: 14th
15. Monza
Squad Assessment & Transfer Business So Far
The Silvio Berlusconi-backed Monza have been making waves in the transfer window this summer after finally sealing promotion from Serie B. Berlusconi and another man formerly of AC Milan, Adriano Galliani, had been trying to get the Lombardy-based club promoted without success for a couple of seasons before managing to get the job done last term.
Since then, they’ve been signing freely and building a squad that should see them survive at the bottom of Serie A, even raising some eyebrows along the way.
Alessio Cragno has come in from Cagliari to be first-choice goalkeeper in what is one of Serie A’s best summer signings, while Stefano Sensi has joined on loan from Inter and Andrea Ranocchia has made that same move from the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza but on a free permanent transfer.
Matteo Pessina’s arrival from Atalanta is one of the summer’s best stories. The 25-year-old is from Monza and he has now returned to the place where his youth career began to become club captain.
Andrea Carboni, Gianluca Caprari, Mattia Valoti and a handful of others have shown that they’ve prioritised Serie A experience in this summer’s market, and they’ve even found themselves linked with some superstar names in the form of Paulo Dybala, Mauro Icardi and Andrea Belotti – though moves for the former, in particular, never seemed realistic.
Giovanni Stroppa is the man in charge of guiding Monza on their Serie A adventure, and he might just be a contender to be the first coach dismissed given the height of expectations that surround the Brianzoli.
Verdict
Monza should have more than enough about them to survive in their first Serie A season, but they may not be as good as a lot of people appear to be expecting them to be.
They’ve signed players who have been largely unimpressive or, at best, inconsistent in Serie A in recent seasons and there are no guarantees that they’ll shine at the Stadio Brianteo. With players having come in from SPAL, Cagliari, and the periphery of Inter and Atalanta, it’s hard to imagine that Monza will be bothering the clubs in the top half of the table.
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Team: Monza
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Predicted Position: 15th
16. Spezia
Squad Assessment & Transfer Business So Far
Heading into their third straight season in Serie A in 2022/23, Spezia might well be better equipped than they have been in either of their previous two top-flight campaigns.
It’s hard to look at this summer as having been anything other than a success for the Aquilotti, having avoided losing any really important players while also managing to bring in the likes of Daniel Maldini and Mattia Caldara on loan, while making permanent additions in the form of Kevin Agudelo, Arkadiusz Reca, Mehdi Bourabia, and Albin Ekdal.
Caldara appears to have found his feet again in Serie A, enjoying a lot of playing time on loan at Venezia last season. Although he’s not at the levels many hoped he would stay at after breaking out with Atalanta and subsequently joining Juventus and AC Milan, he’s a reliable centre-back when he can stay fit and he should slot nicely into Luca Gotti’s backline.
Ekdal, formerly of Sampdoria, might just be one of the most shrewd signings made by any of the teams expecting to be in the bottom half of the Serie A table next season. Having played with Samp, he’s no stranger to Liguria and he’s been around the block of Italian football with a history at Cagliari, Juventus, Bologna, and Siena.
Some uncertainty may surround the Ligurians after Thiago Motta’s departure at the end of June, with the coach parting ways by apparent mutual consent to be replaced by Gotti, but the change isn’t something that’s likely to cause too much concern.
Gotti did reasonably well at Udinese having originally arrived as an interim coach, and he’ll be more than capable of steering a solid side to safety next season.
Verdict
The bottom half of Serie A is likely to be competitive again in 2022/23, if not packed with quality. Monza’s promotion and subsequent strengthening has put everybody down there on high alert, and they’ll expect to be considerably stronger than most newly-promoted sides can manage to be and likely find themselves away from the bottom three.
Spezia, though, should have enough about them to be relatively comfortable this coming season and it’s hard to imagine them being sucked into a relegation battle.
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Team: Spezia
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Predicted Position: 16th
17. Empoli
Squad Assessment & Transfer Business So Far
Empoli are a very hard one to read coming into this season. The squad could look very different and their season took an unusual path as it progressed.
They were deeply impressive on their Serie A return and by November they were hovering around ninth. They then swiftly became the team with the worst form in the league for around half a season. They weren’t quite dragged into the relegation fight, but it was a lot closer than it needed to be.
It’s a busy summer for the Azzurri as they are losing some of their most important players. Kristjan Asllani has already gone to Inter and Andrea Pinamonti has gone back to Inter at the end of his loan spell where he scored 13 goals. Samuele Ricci’s loan to Torino has been made permanent and Mattia Viti looks destined to leave the club as well.
In terms of incomings, they’ll be getting Uruguayan forward Martin Satriano from Inter on loan who they hope can replace Pinamonti’s goals. Journeyman Mattia Destro has also signed for free. Interestingly, they have also signed Serie A’s first New Zealander, Liberato Cacace, on a permanent deal after joining on loan last season.
They will still be coached by Aurelio Andreazzoli so given his experience, you would assume he can get at least a relatively decent tune out of them next season. He will be dealing with a much-changed squad compared to last season.
It is clear that concentration was a problem for Empoli last season. They would switch off in games and, seemingly, for a couple of weeks at a time. They can’t get away with that sort of approach and it could be the case that a bigger squad allows for more rotation and more competition for places. A few players were a bit too comfortable in their positions last season.
Verdict
They’re harder to judge than most, but Empoli should have enough about them this season, or rather just have enough teams worse than them, to avoid the drop again. Many may wish for them to go down as it isn’t a fantastic place for a football trip, but there is Serie A experience in the squad and a coach who knows what he is doing at this level.
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Team: Empoli
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Predicted Position: 17th
18. Salernitana
Squad Assessment & Transfer Business So Far
Beyond AC Milan finally getting back on top of Italian football, Salernitana were the story of Serie A last season. The Granata had absolutely no right to remain in the division given they were completely cut adrift with around a quarter of the campaign to go.
Not only that, they had almost been chucked out of the division in January because they were still owned by Lazio owner Claudio Lotito, which violates rules around owning two teams in the same division. A buyer was found at the eleventh hour and they have already been busy this summer.
The major outgoing for the squad will be talented midfielder Ederson who has joined Atalanta for 15 million euros. Salernitana will also be getting young defender Matteo Lovato out of that deal. By the standards of a lesser Serie A team, Davide Nicola’s side have already been splashing the cash, though many have been loan deals that have been made permanent. They have made the loan deal for Brazilian forward Mikael permanent for £2.4 million.
In midfield, they have added Emil Bohinen from CSKA Moscow and Mamadou Coulibaly from Udinese for a combined fee of £4.1 million. Pawel Jaroszynski joins the defence for £1.3 million, as does Pasquale Mazzocchi for £860k. Domagoj Bradaric has been signed from Lille for £4.3 million to bolster the defence. Also, they have managed to sign Federico Bonazzoli again after his loan spell at the club last season.
Having lost Ederson, they will certainly need to be adding some Serie A quality players to the squad as their great escape contained a level of performance that they will not be able to reproduce over the course of an entire season.
The Granata will be coached by Nicola for what will be his first (hopefully) full season in charge of the team. He was brought in towards the end of last season as a firefighter and he managed to do exactly what was needed; keep Salernitana in the division.
That is what could be an issue for Salernitana. There is no guarantee that Nicola will be able to get a tune out of his side at the beginning of the campaign when the odds aren’t entirely stacked against them.
Verdict
There may well be patches of the season where Salernitana might look like they have enough about them to stay up, but they could be one of the first to fire their coach if things aren’t going their way. A large amount of the squad are not really at Serie A standard and they won’t be able to pull off an escape like last season again. They have brought in a fair few players but it could all become a bit disjointed.
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Team: Salernitana
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Predicted Position: 18th
19. Lecce
Squad Assessment & Transfer Business So Far
Lecce are back in Serie A having been relegated on the final day of the 2019-20 season. They finished top of Serie B last season after a very impressive campaign that saw a number of teams try and dislodge them from the automatic promotion spots.
Lecce are located right down in the heel of Italy and after the relegation of Cagliari last season, they are the southernmost side in Serie A for the 2022-23 season. Unfortunately for them, they’re likely to be toward the southernmost tip of the table come early June 2023 as well.
The major issue for Lecce heading into the campaign is that they have sold Italian journeyman striker Massimo Coda to Genoa for £1 million, meaning he has chosen to return to Serie B. He has been the top scorer in Serie B for the past two campaigns and he netted 20 times to deliver Lecce back into Serie A. Replacing him will be very difficult and absolutely crucial if they are to avoid the drop.
They have signed a player that will try to offset the departure of Coda. Assan Ceesay has come in for free from FC Zurich and he netted 22 goals in 36 games last season. Him settling in will be absolutely crucial. Gabriel Strefezza was the other primary source of goals for Lecce. The 24-year-old Brazilian right-winger netted 14 times and got six assists from 35 games. Beyond Strefezza and Coda, no one else in the squad got above five goals, showing the importance of offensive signings.
Lorenzo Colombo has come in from Milan on loan which could prove to be a successful move after his exploits with SPAL. Similarly, Joel Voelkerling Persson has joined on loan from Roma after scoring 25 goals in 61 games across the Giallorossi youth setup.
They have also brought in Juventus youngster Gianluca Frabotta on loan for another option at left-back and he proved a very useful player to Massimiliano Allegri at times last season. Young Fiorentina goalkeeper Federico Brancolini has also joined for free.
Verdict
Whilst stable, Lecce are not a financially blessed club and the sale of Coda is very hard to look past when it comes to judging how they will fare. The gap between Serie B and Serie A is very pronounced and whilst they may not be the worst team in the league, they will do very well to avoid the drop. How quickly those who have been brought in to strengthen the squad adjust will be crucial.
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Team: Lecce
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Predicted Position: 19th
20. Cremonese
Squad Assessment & Transfer Business So Far
Every season there is at least one promoted side that comes up and struggles to keep their heads above water. Unfortunately for Cremonese, it’s hard to look at this seasons’ newcomers and not think that they’ll be the ones who find life extremely difficult in the top flight.
Their promotion last season was unlikely but deserved, though their squad wasn’t equipped for a top-flight adventure in May and they’ve done little over the summer to address that. Players have come in though. Ionut Radu has arrived on loan from Inter in goal, while Vlad Chiriches, David Okereke and Paolo Ghiglione provide varying amounts of Serie A experience too. But even those experienced names aren’t exactly going to get Cremonese fans off their seats.
After those signings, they’ve mostly brought in youngsters or untried players in Serie A and it’s hard to see that approach working. Their big-money signing has been a €3.4m deal to take Charles Pickel from Portuguese side Famalicao, and Giacomo Quagliata came in from Heracles for €1.8m as well.
They’ve kept the majority of those who earned them promotion around, so they’re likely to be well equipped in the more-than-probable event of their immediate return to Serie B.
Verdict
Cremonese are probably the worst of Serie A’s 20 teams this season, and little about their squad makes you think they’ll have enough to finish anywhere other than rock bottom. It’s going to be a long season for the Grigiorossi.
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Team: Cremonese
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Predicted Position: 20th
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