Neverending negotiations, protracted talks and a ceaseless daily batch of rumours have been the hallmarks of a hectic summer transfer window: Stephen Kasiewicz looks to five summer signings to watch in Serie A this season.
Deals which were supposed certainties fell through, while others were mentioned and disappeared in a single day. Yet clubs throughout Serie A managed to confirm a host of fresh additions before the start of the new season.
Football Italia examines the five best window signings in Italy so far this summer.
Douglas Luiz (Juventus)
A steady stream of big names has left Italy for the not inconsiderable financial rewards of the English Premier League in recent years. Juve bucked the trend with the high-profile capture of the Brazilian international in a €50m deal, although Enzo Barrenechea and Samuel Iling-Junior’s move to Aston Villa helped Juventus lower the transfer fee to €28m.
Douglas Luiz scored a career-high nine league goals last season, helping Aston Villa qualify for the Champions League for the first time in 40 years last year. Juve coach Thiago Motta will expect more of the same from a midfielder renowned for his defensive attributes.
After five seasons in England, much is expected from the Brazilian in the Old Lady’s revamped midfield.
Matias Soule (Roma)
The left-footed attacker rejected lucrative EPL offers to commit to the Giallorossi after a brilliant breakout season at Frosinone. The capital club invested €30m to bring the Argentinian to the capital from Juventus in an eye-opening transfer.
Deployed primarily as an inverted winger, he claimed 11 Serie A goals on loan at the Canarini in a dazzling campaign. How the 21-year-old adapts to the unique pressures of playing in the Eternal City – along with fellow new forward Artem Dovbyk – could shape Roma’s Champions League ambitions this term.
Mehdi Taremi (Inter)
The Nerazzurri have frequently outmanoeuvred their rivals with several astute, value-for-money deals in an increasingly complicated market. The capture of the Iranian international on a free signing represented another great piece of business for the reigning Italian champions.
While the 32-year-old could easily command a regular first-team place at other clubs, he will begin the new campaign just behind the stellar attacking partnership of Lautaro Martinez and Marcus Thuram in the Inter pecking order.
There were a few deficiencies in a squad that sauntered to the title last season, but the former Porto forward adds invaluable depth and experience to an already deep player pool.
Alessandro Buongiorno (Napoli)
The Partenopei won the race for the highly coveted Italian international after a dreadful campaign marred with defensive blunders. Napoli almost fell out the top half of the standings in one of the worst title defences in the modern era of Italian football.
The 25-year-old will not immediately remedy all the Campania based club’s rearguard problems. Yet the €35 million buy from Torino does possess an abundance of qualities, from his timely interventions, aggressiveness in the tackle and ability in the air.
Coach Antonio Conte will rely on the central defender to shore up the Napoli rearguard as they target the top four again.
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Alvaro Morata (Milan)
The Spanish captain has often been a polarizing figure in a peripatetic career at some of Europe’s leading clubs. Yet after two separate spells in Serie A with Juventus he has the know-how and tactical nous to lead the forward line for the Rossoneri.
The 31-year-old is not a like-for-like replacement for Olivier Giroud; however, he returns to Italy after two accomplished seasons at Atletico Madrid. How the €13m striker combines with the creative duo of Rafael Leao and Christian Pulisic at Milan could determine if his fifth season in Italian football is a success.
@SKasiewicz