There are no awards given out for how your team performs in the transfer window, but fans still love to delight and despair at their arrivals and departures. Giancarlo Rinaldi looks at who has the most to celebrate as the Calciomercato door slams shut.
Many a good team on paper has been found wanting on the pitch, as Brian Clough famously suggested. Still, a big name signing or the loss of a star has the ability to provoke a passionate response from supporters. Here are some ratings of how each Serie A side has performed in its buying and selling this summer.
Atalanta 6.5/10
Perhaps their greatest victory was keeping hold of coach Gian Piero Gasperini after overtures from bigger clubs. Other than Teun Koopmeiners, they managed to keep hold of the majority of the team which did wonders last season and acted quickly to replace the injured Gianluca Scamacca with Mateo Retegui. Ben Godfrey, Nicolò Zaniolo and Raoul Bellanova are intriguing additions.
Bologna 5/10
It was inevitable teams would take notice of their revelation season and the loss of Joshua Zirkzee and Riccardo Calafiori is definitely a blow. However, at least they got the deals out of the way quickly. Arrivals like Emil Holm from Atalanta, Tommaso Pobega from Milan and Sam Iling-Junior in a circuitous route from Juve are not the kind of purchases to get the pulse racing, though.
Cagliari 5/10
Having secured late survival last term, they look awfully like a side that will face another battle to stay afloat – and this time without Claudio Ranieri. Experienced Sebastiano Luperto from Empoli will hope to guide the defence, while Atalanta loanee Roberto Piccoli might pep up the attack.
Como 7/10
It certainly was not your ordinary newly-promoted side’s summer under Cesc Fabregas, as a string of household names were acquired. Andrea Belotti, Pepe Reina, Alberto Moreno, Raphael Varane and Sergi Roberto are the kind of established performers many sides would dream of. How it all fits together, of course, remains to be seen.
Empoli 6/10
They have started the season well, but their transfer market did not set the heather alight. Sebastiano Esposito has the potential to have a breakout campaign while Lorenzo Colombo is another young prospect who arrives on loan. As always, they will hope their youthful enthusiasm can keep them in Serie A for another year.
Fiorentina 6.5/10
Arrivals like Andrea Colpani, David De Gea, Moise Kean and Albert Gudmundsson were headline grabbers, but the loss of Nico Gonzalez, Giacomo Bonaventura and Nikola Milenkovic felt like they counteracted that. A late scrabble to bolster their squad did not smack of much in the way of forward planning, but names like Robin Gosens and Yacine Adli gave much-needed depth.
Genoa 5/10
The names on the way out were definitely bigger than those that came in, with Albert Gudmundsson and then Mateo Retegui lost to Fiorentina and Atalanta respectively. Alberto Gilardino has just rolled up his sleeves, however, and the arrivals of Andrea Pinamonti, Fabio Miretti and Pierluigi Gollini gave him something to work with.
Inter 7.5/10
They got their transfer work done early with Mehdi Taremi and Piotr Zielinski the big acquisitions to try to make the champions even better in the league and more convincing in Europe. With few departures of note other than veterans like Alexis Sanchez and Juan Cuadrado, they will set the standard again.
Juventus 9/10
There was plenty to be changed but, on paper at least, they have done big work on the transfer market. Douglas Luiz, Khephren Thuram and Michele Di Gregorio were their early strikes, but it was the late landings of Nico Gonzalez, Teun Koopmeiners and Francisco Conceicao that were the icing on the cake. Now it is up to Thiago Motta to transform them into a team.
Lazio 5/10
Losing Luis Alberto, Ciro Immobile and Felipe Anderson looks like a challenge for new boss Marco Baroni, although he has brought in his own men to compensate. Tijjani Noslin is an interesting addition and one he knows from Verona. Fisayo Dele-Bashiru has also impressed early, but time will tell if they can make up for the loss of three stellar performers.
Lecce 5/10
Having had some of their better players picked off, it will be a tall order to deliver salvation again, although don’t rule out the expert eye of Pantaleo Corvino unearthing more talent. A lengthy list of relatively unheralded names arrive – and the experienced Ante Rebic – but they have surprised us in the past and will hope to do so again.
Milan 6.5/10
It wasn’t perhaps the summer the fans hoped for, but the additions have all got potential to improve the side. Alvaro Morata knows Serie A well, while Strahinja Pavlovic and Youssouf Fofana have strong reputations from other leagues. Emerson Royal is a bit of a gamble, but with the only big loss Olivier Giroud – replaced late by Tammy Abraham – they should be fine, if not brilliant.
Monza 4.5/10
The departures of Michele Di Gregorio to Juve and Andrea Colpani to Fiorentina look like big blows with no real excitement on the arrivals front. Coach Alessandro Nesta will have high hopes that Stefano Sensi can deliver, while Omari Forson has to be considered a roll of the dice acquisition. There could be tough times ahead, unless Adriano Galliani dives onto the market of free agents.
Napoli 7/10
The main news was Antonio Conte’s arrival and also the chaotic handling of the Victor Osimhen situation. David Neres should add something to the side and, in Alessandro Buongiorno, they have one of Italy’s best defenders. Things took a late positive twist with a deal for Romelu Lukaku getting over the line and the intriguing Scottish arrivals of Scott McTominay and Billy Gilmour. Few of the departures will be much regretted, apart from Piotr Zielinski.
Parma 6/10
It was good to see a newly-promoted team keep faith with the side which got it there in the first place. Matteo Cancellieri is a genuine prospect, while Pontus Almqvist shone with Lecce last year and both can add a bit of quality. Fabio Pecchia will look to confirm the good things seen in Serie B can continue in the top flight.
Roma 7.5/10
It might not have pleased the accountants, but keeping Paulo Dybala has given Daniele De Rossi a real array of attacking talent. Matias Soulé might have been his replacement, but instead the club can now call on both. Artem Dovbyk was a goal machine for Girona, but he will need time to adjust to his new surroundings.
Torino 5.5/10
Losing Alessandro Buongiorno was bad, but it was the late departure of Raoul Bellanova to Atalanta that really hit their transfer market. However, new boss Paolo Vanoli has the potential to be their real added value along with Scotland striker Ché Adams, who has already hit the ground running along with Saul Coco.
Udinese 6/10
It’s almost impossible to tell if the usual gathering of talent from across the world will do the job, but early indications have been good. There’s an emotional return for Alexis Sanchez which might provide a boost, but it really will take time to see if this mix proves better than last season’s random assortment in Friuli.
Venezia 5.5/10
Keeping Joel Pohjanpalo and Gianluca Busio is something of a victory, although the eventual loss of Tanner Tessmann was a blow, if not an unexpected one. Perhaps the consistent Alfred Duncan can fill that gap a little along with the promising Gaetano Oristanio. Hans Nicolussi Caviglia is another one to watch.
Verona 5/10
A lot of the new names are unheralded ones, but Paolo Zanetti has a track record of developing youngsters, so the club will hope he can work his magic at the Bentegodi. Seeing Michael Folorunsho and Tijjani Noslin leave, however, can only mean he will face a tough season ahead.
Giancarlo Rinaldi is the author of a number of books on Italian football. You can follow him on X @ginkers , visit his website or listen to him on the podcast Rigore!.