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The Three Serie A Matches You Should Watch This Weekend and Why…

Serie A returns this weekend and for a full preview of all the games going ahead, you should probably just get a Gazzetta subscription or head over to Football Italia. However, on this blog we’re going to zoom in on three standout fixtures on the opening weekend and why we think you should be watching these games…

Game 1: Roma v Bologna

When: Saturday 23rd August – 20:45 (IT), 19:45 (UK), 14:45 (NYC)

Gasperini is the new man in charge at a Roma side that finished last season under Claudio Ranieri losing just once in the last 25 matches. An extraordinary run that if they can repeat will see them as Scudetto outsiders.

Roma have done some smart business over the summer, bolstering their defence with Italian prospect Daniele Gilhardi and Brazilian Wesley from Flamengo after an impressive Club World Cup. Up top they’ve added Brighton starlet Evan Ferguson – initially on loan – and he’s hit the ground running in pre-season. Gasperini’s tactics are not quite “Gung-Ho” but they are positively reckless in a league famed for defensive stability.

They open their campaign against Coppa Italia champions Bologna, who defeated Milan 1-0 in last years Rome showpiece. A strong post-Christmas run was negated by a stumbling over the finish line at the end of the Serie A season, but they did have a cup final on their minds then.

Bologna’s summer business has been a little tamer than Roma’s, but they have brought Bernardeschi and Immobile back to Italy. However, it’s in defence where they’ve made the biggest moves splashing €11m on 22 year old Martin Vitik from Sparta Prague as well as two other centre backs – Torbjorn Heggem from West Brom and Nicolo Casale from Lazio.

The match sees renewed defensive pragmatism going up against Roma’s revamped forward line. It looks like Leon Bailey has also been added at Roma from Aston Villa although this game might come too early for him. I would expect to see goals in this match which is why on Saturday night after I’ve finished my dinner, I’ll be finding a bar in Bergamo to tune into this.

Fancy a Bet? – Roma to win and both teams to score is currently at 16/5 with Coral in the UK.

Game 2: Milan v Cremonese

This should present a fairly straightforward start to the season for Max Allegri in his second spell at Milan. I’ve already tipped Milan to surprise a few people this season and the additions of Ricci and Modric to their midfield as well as Brighton’s Pervis Estupinian going forward are the main reasons why.

Milan have done smart business and while the changes haven’t quite been wholesale, there should be enough change to wipe away the memories of a mess of a season in Serie A last time out. Milan finished 8th to miss out on European football and lost the Coppa Italia final, going through two underwhelming Portuguese coaches on the way.

They actually outscored the champions but conceded far too many and this is where they’ll hope to tighten up, keeping hold of Maignan despite Chelsea’s advances will go a long way to making them happy in this respect.

Cremonese on the other hand, finished 4th in Serie B – 15 points off automatic promotion – and were promoted by beating Spezia 3-2 in the play off final. This despite being 3-0 up with ten minutes to play. Their preparation for life in Serie A was to add 12 new players this window with none of those players costing as much as €3.5m.

Most notable is Romano Mussolini on loan from Lazio. The right sided player (of course) is actually fairly highly rated but unfortunately is more well known for his family history at this moment. That shirt sales of his name have spiked is an indictment of the World we’re living in. But this isn’t a political blog, it’s a football one…

So why should you watch this game? One reason, goals. While Milan will be fairly pragmatic under Allegri, he’ll want a good start in his first competitive game and smashing a promoted side will go a long way to doing that. I fancy Cremonese to make a fair battle of staying up under Davide Nicola, but opening day won’t be where they lay down their marker. Tune in for goals, goals and more goals.

Fancy a Bet? – Milan to win and over 3.5 goals in the game is 2/1 with Coral

Game 3: Inter v Torino

A fairly fascinating affair as far as I’m concerned. History isn’t on my side with this, but hear me out (Inter have won 29/45 against Torino).

Inter are a wounded animal, their season ended disastrously losing 3-0 in the Coppa Italia semi final to Milan, losing the Scudetto at their own cost with silly mistakes against Lazio and then getting truly embarrassed in the Champions League final. They had a chance to make amends fairly quickly though in the Club World Cup – which they exited in the Round of 16 against Fluminense sparking an internal soap opera between Lautaro Martinez and Hakan Calhanoglu.

Calha stayed and everything was swept under the rug, but since then the Mercato has been a nightmare. Public pursuits of Leoni, Lookman and Kone have all so far ended in failure and despite the early additions of Sucic and Bonny looking like smart business they’ve done nothing to raise hopes in Milan. The obvious need to strengthen in defence has been largely ignored and for a third season you can easily predict their starting line up…

Torino finished 11th last season, losing 4 of their last 5 matches. Their answer? 8 new signings. Giovanni Simeone from Napoli up front looks a smart addition, as does Zakaria Aboukhlal on the wing. The Moroccan scored 7 and set up 4 in 26 Ligue 1 appearances for Toulouse last time out.

Premier League fans will be intrigued to see Cesare Casadei lining up having joined Torino from Chelsea this summer – proving he does exist and is a real player. A fairly underwhelming season last year can’t be entirely pinned on his shoulders, his loan to Leicester couldn’t have come at a worst time, since they were beyond awful.

So why watch this one? Call it professional curiosity. Chivu’s Inter didn’t overwhelm at the Club World Cup, but he’d only been in the job 9 days. He’s had a full pre-season to stamp his mark on a team who are another year older without any solid reinforcements added. Torino have refreshed a side that threatened Europe briefly before absolutely tanking last time out. I still fancy Inter to just about get through this one with three points, but it could easily be the upset of the weekend…

Fancy a Bet? – Torino or Draw Double Chance is 9/5 with Coral

20th Aug 2025
Serie A’s Next Great Crisis: Losing Its Future Stars

In just the past year, Italy has watched a golden generation slip through its fingers. Mateo Retegui headed to Saudi Arabia, Giovanni Leoni swapped Parma for Liverpool, Riccardo Calafiori moved abroad, and Diego Coppolla packed his bags too. They’re part of a growing list of young Italian footballers leaving Serie A in search of opportunity, money, and trust.

It’s a worrying pattern — and one that could shape the future of Italian football for decades.

The Growing Exodus

This summer Italy lost her top scorer to the Saudi Arabian league. Not such a shock that Italian teams can’t keep up with the wages in Saudi Arabia, even the Premier League struggles with that. What was alarming was that Mateo Retegui is 26 years old, and had just won the Capocannoniere (top scorer award).

Then, after Juventus, Inter and Milan were all circling the Parma prodigy Giovanni Leoni, Liverpool swooped out of nowhere and took the centre back to England. The reported fee of €40m shouldn’t really have been too beyond the three biggest clubs in Italy.

As well as this, Calafiori headed to London last summer, Diego Coppolla has chosen Brighton this summer. Some players you’ve probably never heard of that have left Italy include Samuel Pia and Luca Reggianni are both in Germany at Dortmund, Manuel Pisano went over the Alps from Turin to Munich in 2023 and Guido Della Rovere went from Cremonese to Bayern too.

Why Are They Leaving?

It depends on the player, is the shortest answer we can give here… Leoni and Calafiori undoubtedly left because there was more money on the table in England than in Italy. This financial weakness was highlighted by Luigi De Siervo (CEO, Serie A) who blamed rampant illegal streaming for severe revenue losses. He estimates this to be roughly €300m annually, which is affected the wages that Italian clubs can pay, along with stifling investment into youth development and their infrastructure.

But lower down the age groups, why are players leaving Italian Academies for Germany? There’s no real player pathway for Italian footballers to break into the first team in Serie A. Unless you’re a truly exceptional talent, the over reliance on experienced players in Italy means there’s no way to force your way into the team. Therefore, the naturally inkling is to look elsewhere. Germany has a reputation for blooding young players, even the high stakes of the English Premier League give young kids a chance from time to time.

This brings an over reliance to Serie B or Serie C teams, the standard is much lower, the development isn’t as intense and the development window for great talent is missed. Players don’t see any Serie A minutes until the age of 22. Enzo Maresca (Chelsea Manager) even pointed at this reliance on “experience” led to the demolition of Inter Milan in the 2025 Champions League final.

Carlo Nesti (veteran journalist) paints a grim picture of life in Italy for young players. Serie A has a high foreign player ratio of 50-60%, with only about 3-6% of playing time in Serie A going to Under 21 Italian players, far below peers like La Liga and the Premier League. The Italian overemphasis on tactical rigidity and defensive habits along with dwindling grassroots and street football sees a demographic decline in young Italian players making the grade.

The Cost For Italian Football

The cost of the decline in young Italian talent staying in Italy is threefold. There’s the natural risk of a weaker national team, the loss of connection between clubs and their local communities and fans being deprived of seeing their own talent grow at home.

The national team weakness is fairly self explanatory. If your best young players scatter all over Europe, then they’ll grow up in different systems and different philosophies before returning to play together. In theory, the players could flourish under these better foreign academies, with much more game time – but they’re not likely to come together on national duty with similar outlooks and tactical ideas or even capabilities.

Football has always been a community sport. The clubs have been the heart of the communities, they’ve brought the local people together under one set of colours, one badge. And the strongest link to all of these clubs has been local homegrown talent. But when that talent is being lost before they’ve set foot on the pitch, there becomes a strain on the relationship. There’s no closeness between the fans and their club. How can they cheer for strangers, not from the area who don’t “understand” their club.

How To Stop The Drain

Full disclosure, and fans of the blog will already be aware of this, but I’m no politician. And I’m certainly not involved with the FIGC in any way. But there are ways to stop this drain.

Mandating Youth inclusion is an obvious one, but not a popular one. The more money that becomes up for grabs in European competition especially, the more the game becomes about win at all costs. But rules ensuring minutes for Under 21 Italian prospects have been called for, especially from Fabio Capello. He’s called for a radical shift in mentality, youth academies to prioritise Italian talents, including mandated young players to be included in Serie A squads.

Reforming the loan system would aid Italian players. If clubs weren’t able to ship out their entire youth prospects to Serie B and Serie C teams because of a limit on loans, then they would have no choice but to keep them closer to the first team squad to maximise their investment in them.

The obvious next step would be to include B teams or reserve teams in their own league. Giving a competitive element to youth development and bridging the gap between academies and the first team. I’m not a fan of Juventus/Milan/Inter Reserves all playing down in Serie C, in vastly uncompetitive matches with semi-pro players that just want to chase them and kick them. Having a reserve league of their own would enable competitive games without the need for “win at all costs”.

Investment in academies is an option for Italian clubs too. Perhaps too much of a simple one, given the financial pain they’re all currently facing. But certainly an investment in the coaching structure that these academies would help to keep Italian players in the very academies that produce them.

Conclusion

Italy still produces outstanding footballers — the problem is keeping them. Without a serious change in mentality, investment, and opportunity, Serie A risks becoming a league that develops stars for others to enjoy. The exodus of Retegui, Leoni, Calafiori, and Coppolla might not be the end of an era — it could be the beginning of a very long drought.

15th Aug 2025
Giovanni Leoni: What Can Liverpool Expect

The news broke yesterday that Liverpool were continuing their PSR approved prolific spending spree and they’d aimed their cross hairs at Parma’s teenage centre half Giovanni Leoni. The 19 year old defender has risen quickly to prominence in Italy and while the top Serie A clubs were circling like sharks, none can match Liverpool’s spending power or the pull of the Premier League and we fully expect him to end up on Merseyside.

So the big question is for Liverpool fans: who is this kid and what can we expect from him? Well look no further, we’ve got all the information required for you to sound like you know your stuff down the pub this weekend.

Giovanni Leoni

Date of birth: 21st December 2006

Height: 6ft 2in

Position: Right sided centre back, right footed

Clubs: Padova (youth), Sampdoria, Parma (current)

International: Italy U19: 7 appearances

Overview

In winter 2024, the boy from Rome was loaned from Padova to Sampdoria in Serie B with an option to buy. His coach Andrea Pirlo quickly recognised his talent there commenting that he was “Sure he’d reach Serie A, he deserves it”.

In one of the more peculiar Italian transfer quirks, he was transferred to Sampdoria where he signed a three year contract on 25th June 2024. He then moved to Parma on 27th August 2024 following their promotion to Serie A.

Parma initially struggled in Serie A but when renowned former Inter centre back Christian Chivu came to the helm, they stepped up their survival fight and Leoni was named man of the match in hard fought 1-0 over the mighty Juventus. He was also widely acclaimed during a 2-2 against Inter where he ably defended Lautaro Martinez and Marcus Thuram.

Come this summer, Inter appointed Chivu as manager and they immediately began circling Leoni, as well as Juventus and Milan. Italian football being what it is, Parma wanted more than the three could afford, they wanted to make a deal and yet again the English Premier League has some money to throw at the deal and another young promising Italian talent appears to be heading to England. Maybe he can open an Italian restaurant with Calafiori.

Giovanni Leoni, Strengths

Leoni is cool under siege, it was his performance against Juventus that showed this. He has great concentration, his positioning is fantastic and he reads the game well, as per every single Italian defender ever.

Paolo Maldini once said, “if I need to make a tackle then I’ve already made a mistake” and Leoni embodies this. He rarely dives in, he’ll stay touch tight to his man and tracks cut-backs very well.

Leoni doesn’t turn the ball over cheaply. It’s often simple and safe distribution, he’ll help the team build through the defensive midfield and he has an average of 87.7% pass completion rate in Serie A last season.

He has a high volume of blocks and emergency actions, showing his appetite for reading danger, how he recognises situations arising and can snuff them out. He’s a typical “Italian Centre Half” in that he reads the game, snuffs out attacks and plays simply out of defence.

He has a great temperament, making his Serie B debut at 16 years of age and Serie A at 17. He remains a set piece threat with two goals from corners to his name so far.

Areas to Improve

Of course, no defender is perfect – no matter how Italian – and a teenager will obviously have areas to improve. Leoni isn’t slow by any stretch of the imagination, but at Premier League tempo he’ll be stressed by runners across his shoulder. His improvement will be required in his angles and first step acceleration.

Despite his height (over 6 foot), Leoni’s aerial win rate lags behind his peers. It isn’t a lack of willing, however, it’s his strength and timing in the air that needs work. He couldn’t wish for a better mentor than he would find at Liverpool with van Dijk.

Finally, his distribution is short and safe. His stats show very low progressive passes and carries – at Liverpool he would need to add line-breaking passes or carries to suit Liverpool’s possession game.

What can Liverpool expect?

In the short term, if the move is completed, Leoni would initially suit Liverpool as a depth or rotation centre back. There would be immediate competence in deep-block defending, set piece value and low-risk distribution. Working alongside a dominant aerial partner and a ball progressing number 6 he would learn quickly and adapt well in the Premier League.

In the medium to long term, I would expect his progression to make him one of the better defenders in England. If he can work well on his ball progression and his aerial ability in addition to his existing defensive anticipation he could be the next big Italian centre half, in the Cannavaro mould.

Summary

So there you have it, Reds fans, you’re going to be getting (it seems) a very able and promising centre back. He’s capable and still has room to improve in his game. Italians don’t always settle in the UK, they find it tough, so that mental aspect will be interesting to see. It looks on the face of it that he would be resilient enough to cope, given he made his professional debut at 16 and his Serie A debut at 17.

You can never predict the future, but Leoni certainly has a bright future in the game, hopefully he can succeed in England.

13th Aug 2025
Meet the New Boys: The big summer movers

This summer has been a busy one for Serie A teams and there’s some big names entering Italy this summer. There’s also some lesser known names who’ll be on our pitches and our screens in 2025/26. So who are they? Where have the come from? Are they any good? Here’s a selection of them…

Kevin De Bruyne, Napoli

Undoubtedly the biggest transfer this summer in Serie A, the six time Premier League winner arrived in Naples this summer to fanfare and adulation from supporters of the current Champions. He’ll link up with Scott McTominay in Napoli’s midfield, which will only make them better. However, at 34 it remains to be seen how he’ll cope with the rigours of a 38 game season and a Champions League campaign.

We don’t really need to analyse his game for you, he remains one of the best passers of the ball in the World and Italy’s slower paced game will suit him. I expect Napoli to get at least one good year out of him before an inevitable move to Saudi Arabia.

Luka Modric, Milan

If you thought Kevin De Bruyne was old, Luka Modric has 5 years on him. The 39 year old has as many Champions League titles as De Bruyne has Premier League titles. The little Croatian is one of the most decorated players in Real Madrid’s history, so despite his advanced age there’s enough for Milan to feel optimistic about this summer.

The “trivela” style player has great composure on the ball, creativity in spades and can unleash a strike from distance to put fear into even the greatest Serie A goalkeeper. Sitting deeper these days, expect Modric to act as a “puppet master” and dictate things in the middle of the park. Again, don’t expect longevity from this transfer, but he’ll lift Milan in the short term.

Wesley, Roma

An interesting one this, Wesley featured three times in the Club World Cup for Flamengo as they beat eventual winners Chelsea and won over the casual fan with their swashbuckling displays. Key to it was the young right back, who provides athleticism and pace on the flanks. The 21 year old signed a 5 year contract with Roma in July and joins Evan Ferguson is lowering the average age of the squad as well as increasing their attacking intent.

Keep an eye on Roma this season, they’ll score a lot of goals with these additions but they’ll be wide open too. Their games won’t be boring at all, but can they bring it together to challenge? Who knows…

Noa Lang, Napoli

The controversial Dutchman joins Napoli for €25m. The winger is explosive, full of creativity and a great eye for goal. A bargain for the price they’ve paid. After struggling to make an impact at Ajax as a young man, he turned to Belgium and Club Brugge where he scored 32 goals in 99 matches before returning to the Netherlands where he scored 15 in 40 matches.

A solid return from out wide and makes Napoli’s attacking line up all the more formidable when he joins up with McTominay, De Bruyne and Lukaku. If Conte can finally get it right in Europe it may leave Napoli stretched, but if he continues his usual progress in European Competition, hand them the Scudetto now.

Luis Henrique, Inter

It’s all change for Inter and we could write an entire post on their window this far, and probably will. However, one of the early pieces of business they managed was the signing of Luis Henrique for a reported fee of around €25m. Henrique played mainly off the wing for Marseille so on the face of it this was an odd signing. However, with Inzaghi leaving and Chivu taking over at Inter, there’s a likely change of shape coming and Henrique could be much more useful in a 3-4-2-1 behing Lautaro.

He underwhelmed in the Club World Cup in his first few performances, but you can’t really judge a man at a new club that was in complete turmoil at the end of an exhausting season. Henrique’s success or failure at Inter will depend how their season opens up, largely expected to be challenging Napoli if they start well, Henrique will do well. If they flounder, I think the player will too.

Lennon Miller, Udinese

Ok, so this isn’t complete yet, but he’s headed to Udine for a medical yesterday so we can assume this one is done and dusted. The Motherwell Central Midfielder is set to become yet another Scot in Italy – however, as an 18 year old, don’t expect to see him week in week out at this stage. The highly rated youngster has already played twice for Scotland’s national team.

He’ll be certainly hoping he can emulate the successes of Scott McTominay, Billy Gilmour, Lewis Ferguson and even Josh Doig and Che Adams out in Italy.

Kamaldeen Sulemana, Atalanta

We’ve written a full blog post on Sulemana which can be found here, but in short this is a sensible move from Atalanta. Especially with Lookman seemingly on his way out of the club. His pace and directness will be an issue for Serie A defences and anyone who can stand out in Southampton’s dreadful season is worth a look.

I like Sulemana as a player and he got off to a great start, scoring against Croatian side Opatija. Keep an eye on this one.

That’s the new boys in Serie A, well a selection of them anyway. It’s also worth keeping an eye on the likes of Petar Susic at Inter, a young player from Croatia, I’m not sure what his influence will be. Inter like their standard midfield of Calha, Mkhitaryan and Barella. There’s a number of transfers within Serie A and we’ll look at them in the coming days, but for now here’s your new boys.

Who do you like? Who’s got you excited at your team?

12th Aug 2025
Serie A 2025/26: Predictions
Tomorrow we’ll be exactly two weeks away from the beginning of the new season and the optimism that comes when no one has actually kicked a ball. By Tuesday morning, half the fans in Serie A will believe their season is already over, the other half will be boasting how this year is their year. But we’re going to peak even sooner than that on the blog and boldly chuck out some predictions two weeks ahead of time with the Mercato in full swing still. Bookmark this later to come back and laugh at!

Champions – The contenders

Napoli

Raced into a great Mercato with the signing of Kevin De Bruyne for nothing. A top, top player but doing nothing for Serie A’s image as a retirement home. With McTominay being nominated for a Ballon D’Or this week and some other smart acquisitions they’re rightly considered favourites amongst most bookmakers. Conte, however, will be the key. He already threw a tantrum and threatened to quit once, will he see the season out? They’ll be hoping so in Naples

Inter Milan

Last season Inter beat Lazio away 6-0, but they also lost at home in the Derby in the last minute. They also got to a Champions League final, which they lost 5-0. The point here is, who knows what Inter will show up from one week to the next? Their market has been a mixture of smart looking deals and ridiculous pursuits underlined by failure. Petar Susic looks a good signing, while the campaign for Lookman stumbles on. One alternative is Mason Greenwood, good goalscorer, questionable bloke. The fall out between Calhanoglu and Lautaro appears to have been papered over, so let’s see how the season plays out. New, inexperienced coach Chivu will have his work cut out. Second favourites with most bookies, there may be some value at 3/1.

Juventus

Juventus are always listed amongst the favourites no matter what. Kenan Yildiz and Francisco Conceicao will be key in any title challenge Juventus want to put up, if they put one up. Randal Kolo Muani wants to resign for them after his successful loan, Juventus want him, yet they can’t get the deal done. It’s been a strange window for Juve fans, Jonathan David came in and no one can tell if that’s a good thing or not. He’d be a great “option player”, but is he a regular starter? Tudor steadied the ship last year when he came in, but that’s easy for a caretaker to do, now he has the job full time, all his credentials will be put to the test.

Milan

A disastrous campaign last time out, they’ve offloaded some of the bloated squad and brought in some key players. Another feather in the cap for the retirement league is their signing of Luka Modric. The 104 year old Croatian will find life in Italy tough, but his reading of the game and ball playing ability won’t be affected by age. The acquisitions of Jashari, Ricci and Estupinian generate some excitement, as does keeping hold of keeper Mike Maignan. If they can keep Newcastle away from Malick Thiaw then they’ll consider it a summer well done. If they can shake off the absolute circus act they became last season, then maybe they’re an outsider for a 20th Scudetto and second star.

The Others…

Usually you’d highlight Atalanta as a dark horse outsider, but having seen Ivan Juric manage at Roma and Southampton last season and the fact Ademola Lookman is AWOL chasing his Inter move, I don’t see Atalanta troubling the top pack this season.

Their former boss, however, has gone to AS Roma who have made some smart moves in the window, appear to be keeping Dybala and Dovbyk and will inject youth into their team as Gasperini likes to do. I would keep one eye on them as the season draws on.

I’d be surprised to see Genoa or Bologna challenge for the title, but good runs put together in the last season, if they can repeat, could see them trouble the Champions League places.

And don’t forget about La Viola. Pioli is back in Italy and he has a point to prove. It looks like Moise Kean isn’t going anywhere and they’ve added veteran marksman Edin Dzeko to the roster. De Gea stays in goal and it would only take a solid mid-season run to see them pushing to return to Europe’s top table. The title is probably beyond Fiorentina, but Europe isn’t.

Verdict

Ok, balls on the line time…
- Champions – Napoli
- Champions League – Inter, Milan, Roma
- Europa/Conference – Bologna, Atalanta, Juventus
I get it, no big surprises there. Juventus can change things if they secure Kolo Muani or another big striker, and I just fancy Milan to get it together this season. And as for Roma, I just like their business. I like Evan Ferguson and I like the way Gasperini plays football. They’ve got a chance.

Dark Horses

There’s a few clubs who could surprise us all and while they’re outside of the traditional “big clubs” in Italy, they could make a play for a European spot. This season, for me, it’s got to be Como 1907.

Yeah, alright, they’ve got the richest owners in Serie A and have had a busy summer, but they’ve got that small stadium, were in Serie D as recently as 2019. Any European finish would still be a massive achievement for this provincial side.

Cesc Fabregas flatly refused the move to Inter in the summer and insisted on staying with “the project”. Only good news appears to come out of this club, they’ve got some great young flair players and while some pundits are questioning them abandoning Italian players for South American gems, they’re bound to win more than they lose.

The only question marks really are whether they can mix it up and be tough when they need to and can they keep the group together. Well question one was answered the other night when they had a full on fist fight after a friendly with Real Betis, and question two was answered seemingly when Nico Paz and Cesc Fabregas chose to stay rather than heading down the road to Inter.

Don’t be surprised if Como end up playing European football next season.

The promoted teams

Always the favourites to go back down, how will the promoted sides fair next season?

Sassuolo

Dominant in Serie B last season, winning the league by some margin, it should highlight their readiness for top flight football. Yet they were comfortably relegated from Serie A the season before. They need to avoid becoming an Italian Norwich and stake a claim to stay in the league. Bookmakers make them the strongest promoted candidate to stay up, and the collapse of Armand Lauriente’s transfer to Sunderland is a big factor in this. The winger scored 18 goals and provided 5 assists last season and will be key to any creativity in Serie A.

Pisa

Got promoted and lost manager Pippo Inzaghi back to Serie B and rivals Palermo. Not a great start. However, they have replaced him with Alberto Gilardino and having made it back to the top flight for the first time in 34 years, they’ll be keen to hang on and stay there. Matteo Tramoni looks to be sticking around having banged in 13 goals last season for them, which is welcome. Veteran player Juan Cuadrado is also on board and the loan of midfielder Akinsanmiro from Inter boost their numbers nicely. They’ll need to replicate their strong defence from last season where they only conceded 36 goals on their way to second place.

Pisa collected a trophy for coming second in some Utter Woke Madness

Cremonese

Cremonese finished 4th last season, behind Spezia, but went up through the play offs. However, since the departure of Giovanni Stroppa who led them to promotion they have survival specialist Davide Nicola in charge. The Italian Sam Allardyce has rescued Crotone (2019/20), Torino (2020/21), Salernitana (2021/22), Empoli (2023/24). He will hope to replicate this with Cremonese, but will have his work cut out with a side who’ve only just spent more than €10m this Mercato.

Verdict

I can’t see past Cremonese for relegation I’m afraid. Sorry guys, but despite having Davide Nicola, it doesn’t look good for you. Sassuolo have the capability to stay up, but do they have the belief only time will tell. Pisa could dig in under Gilardino’s leadership and if they can continue their strong defensive record they definitely have a chance, but I think the rest of the league may prove too good for them.

However, bookmakers also look to the likes of Verona, Lecce and even Cagliari as potential relegation candidates.

I think ultimately, Lecce and Cremonese will go, one of Pisa and Sassuolo to join them…Sorry guys.

Top Scorer

Might as well just piss into the wind and pick a name here. Who can ever predict the top scorer? Even when Inter won two years ago and Lautaro took the prize it was his first time ever. Last season Mateo Retegui won it and promptly left Italy for Saudi Arabia. So who’s going to take it home this season?

Well, surprisingly, Lautaro Martinez is leading the bookies charge at 9/2, good value but he spent most of last season looking exhausted. Another 60-odd games last season won’t have helped him out. Moise Kean is next best at 11/2, but you can’t help but feel he needs Fiorentina to have a good season for him to win that title.

Jonathan David pops up third in a lot of lists, and at 7/1 there’s certainly some value in it. Again, if Juventus spend another 3 months imploding as per last season, his chance will have gone.

There’s some newbies to the league who have a shot too. I can’t hide my admiration for Evan Ferguson and with a solid pre-season of goals for Roma and Gasperini’s attacking style, he’s got a great chance to get it. Noa Lang at Napoli is a dark horse too. Not exactly a prolific career to date but Napoli will spend most of the season on the front foot and with the supply lines coming from KdB and McFratm, he should get chances. As will their other striker, Big Rom Lukaku. Always up there without ever winning the grand prize, he’ll have his eyes on it this season.

Verdict: For some value I’d go for an each way bet on Evan Ferguson, but for me it’s got to be Lukaku or Lautaro. Once a prolific duo, now on opposite sides of the title race. Their goalscoring might just tip the title in their team’s favour.

Liked this post? Check out our Kit Review for 2025/26
8th Aug 2025
The best (and worst) Serie A kits this season!

So most of the teams, apart from like two of them, have given us their home kits for next season. However, all 20 have provided at least one kit and I’ve been through them all and assessed them for your pleasure. Now, be warned, I’m not listing all 20 teams, I’ve picked the best and the worst ones. These are, of course, only my opinions – yours will differ so don’t come at me unless you agree.

The Best

Napoli (Both)

Napoli have the best midfield and best kits for 2025/26

My word. Not only are they champions, not only do they have De Bruyne and McTominay together but these kits are works of art. The home is nice and clean, classic, it’s hard to get it wrong when you go simple. But it can be equally hard to get something beautiful – AND YET LOOK AT THAT AWAY KIT. Chef’s kiss. Well done Napoli, early trophy to you lot as best dressed this season.

Roma (Third)

They’ve killed it with this

This third kit launched just after I wrote this initial blog and it couldn’t be more welcome! It pained me having to put the Roma home kit in the bad section. Then someone at the club read it and did something about it. Probably. It is pure sex. Should come with a health warning it’s that naughty. Give me more!

Como (Home)

Yes Please

Yeah, everything about this works. The main chest of the shirt looks like the lake with some moonlight or something on it. And yet, despite that motif, it’s still pretty clean and basic. The colour consistency, the uncomplicatedness of everything else that isn’t the background. It’s gorgeous, 10/10 for Como.

Sassuolo (Home)

Is it this years shirt or a 90s classic?

Promoted for their footballing merit, they could’ve gone up for this shirt alone. Everything about it I’m in love with. The design of it is simple, yet nods back to the 90s – everyone’s favourite nostalgic period currently. Love that collar on the shirt too, a good collar seems like a lost art. Little touches like anything else on the shirt only being in white is really smart too. I don’t normally buy “other clubs” shirts but I might this one… 15/10

Parma (Third)

Parma’s third kit this year is a really nice effort

Is it an early 90s Leeds kit? Is it the current Parma Third Shirt? Who knows but I want more of it. Parma should’ve used this as their home shirt for me. It’s clean, simple, slight throwback. It works. Well done.

Milan (Home)

Clean, Simple, Milan.

Ok, so I am typing this with gritted teeth as an Interista, but this kit is nice. They’ve done no messing about here, like Inter did with their stripes. This is a really nice effort, the two tone badge is cool and the little pattern on the stripes is a nice touch. Hope this is all they get right this season. Well done Milan.

The Worst

Inter (Home)

Hmmm…

Rumour has it they took over 3 millions photos of Lautaro in this shirt and he refused to smile in this kit. I think when teams try something a bit different it can work, it refreshes their style and it can be a nice departure. None of that is true here. Inter have some of the best kits of all time and they’re all just SIMPLE BASIC BLUE AND BLACK STRIPES! What they’ve been up to the last couple of seasons I can’t tell you, but it isn’t cool. Go back to what you do best.

Juventus (Home)

Nope. No thanks.

Stop messing about with stripes. All teams. Now. If you have stripes, look at Milan and Atalanta and do that in your colours. Hate the haphazard stripes here, hate the two sponsors and although I know Juventus used to wear pink when they were founded, I hate the pink accents. Please god, just get together with Inter and bang your heads together.

Cremonese (Home)

Not for me

Goalkeepers wear grey kits. There’s not a lot else to say. It’s a weird colour for an outfield shirt and I’m not on board. Pass.

Lazio (Home)

Home? No. Away? Yes, just.

Guess what guys? Lazio have a plain sky blue shirt. They’ve made zero effort here and I’m not making any effort to talk about it. Wear the away kit, it’s a much sharper look.

Inter (Away)

As an Interista… No

Two things here. 1) Was this designed by a competition winner? 2) How did they win the competition with this design? Honestly, after the embarrassment we Interisti suffered at the end of last season, these kits feel like Nike rubbing it in a bit. Pass.

Juventus (Away)

Monstrosity

This looks like the hooky shirt you see hanging from a souvenir stand in a main piazza in Turin. Why this colour? Why the yellow Adidas stripes? Why are there two sponsors on the home shirt and none here? None of this adds up, I’m sure there’s a conspiracy here but I don’t know why, or what. Just wear that gorgeous third strip all season please.

Roma (Home)

Mixed feelings

Ok so hear me out here, because maybe there’s nothing actually wrong with this, maybe there is. I just feel like Roma normally turn out in such beautiful kits that this feels a little… generic? Again, it looks like a copy of a real Roma kit. Maybe the PES version of a Roma shirt. It’s not awful, it’s not horrible, it’s just not very Roma for me.

So there you have it, I’m sure some of you are upset by my choices, it goes without saying! But as you can see I’m not biased, an Interista choosing Milan’s shirt as nice and condemning the Inter efforts! Anyway, I’m off to Sassuolo to buy a shirt. Let me know your favourites…

22nd Jul 2025
Evan Ferguson to Roma: The perfect move for both?

When a striker has a difficult spell in England at West Ham, you could be forgiven for thinking that the game is up. Destined to become a journeyman bagging a few here and there at different spells in lower/mid table clubs. That’s what Gianluca Scamacca must have thought anyway, until he came to work with Gian Piero Gasperini at Atalanta.

Fast forward a season and the Italian’s career was resurrected, he was back in the national team and he owed it all to Gasperini. At least that’s what I read into his words, “If I’m here so much it’s thanks to him, this year he helped me and managed to strike the right chords to make me click, I owe a lot to him.”

Now, Gasperini looks all set to hook up with Irish striker Evan Ferguson. The 20 year old is far from a washed up journeyman, but his career has drifted somewhat since a breakthrough season at Brighton when he score 10 goals in 25 matches as an 18 year old prodigy. Ferguson started the next season on fire and scored a memorable hat trick against Newcastle, but would only score 3 more goals that season as injuries hampered his progress.

Last season he managed only 1 goal in 13 matches before being loaned to West Ham in a spell which can only be described as disastrous. That’s not entirely down to him of course, West Ham’s second half of last season was only mildly better than their start and they were woefully inadequate as a team. It probably wasn’t the best environment for confidence building.

And confidence building will be key for a player who was once touted at €120m and now looking at significantly less. Injuries affected his confidence on the pitch, but also in himself, with the player seeming reluctant to fly into tackles or stretch himself physically.

Ferguson is physically strong, he has a bit of the Alan Shearer about him. A big lad, strong, physical, two footed finisher who has a strong header on him too. In fact Shearer himself described him as a striker with, “no obvious weakness”.

Physicality will serve him well in a Gasperini system, he’ll need to be ready to engage the defensive line early and he’ll need to be willing to run. As Scamacca himself said, “The coach hammered me day after day, told me how to move on the pitch, but also I started to get into good physical shape and so could give him what he wanted.”

Scamacca isn’t the only striker Gasperini has moulded either, one standout example from Atalanta shows how the relationship with Gasp can create a monster that’s hard to replicate elsewhere. Rasmus Hojlund had the eye of a lot of European clubs after his breakout season at Atalanta, Gasperini sharpened what was raw talent and got the best out of the young Dane. Manchester United have struggled to replicate this.

There’s no doubt at all that if Evan Ferguson can gain consistent minutes in a Roma shirt that his confidence will improve. Gasperini has a tried and trusted system that nurtures young attacking talent, while demanding a lot from them. Ferguson already aligns with some of Gasperini’s trademarks, he’s a strong and physical lad which will aid him in the press, something Brighton did effectively with him too.

Further to that, he provides an aerial headache for defences, he can provide that target man focus when required. Not only this, but he’s more than capable of drifting wide and linking with Wing Backs.

So where does he need to improve? First and foremost it’s with his fitness. It might be harsh to judge a player on their injuries, but if he can stay in shape and stay fit, that’s the first hurdle jumped.

Serie A’s defenders are significantly tougher and more physical than Premier League defences, who tend to focus more on their possession play than out of possession discipline. This will take some adapting in Italy.

For me, his best chance of success will come in a dual striker system, the 3-4-1-2, rather than the 3-4-2-1. Partnering Ferguson with the likes of Dovbyk will complement aerial strength with sharp finishing.

Personally, I like Evan Ferguson, if you hadn’t been able to puzzle that out yet. This was a kid once valued very highly by Brighton and was attracting interest from all over Europe. Roma have the chance to land an absolute bargain. Moving to Italy has proven to be a breath of fresh air for so many stagnating in the Premier League, just look at the form of Scott McTominay.

I would say Ferguson has the potential to be significantly better than the Scot and if he can progress with Roma, you may just have them as an outside bet this season…

18th Jul 2025
AC Milan’s and the million transfers

Ok, it’s a bit cheeky to title the blog this, but I was surfing on X the other day and noted an account mention Milan’s “shortlist” this summer and then name 8 players. That isn’t a shortlist. It’s a list.

So I thought I’d sift through the bullshit that’s out there and look seriously into what Milan are up to this summer. There’s a million players linked with them, what’s credible, what do they actually need? And most importantly for Milanisti, what’s actually going to happen?

Well I don’t have a crystal ball so don’t go running out and betting on these guys to sign, I could be WAY off!

Luka Modric

Ok, let’s start easy. This one is done. Allegri has even said so himself! The 39 year old legendary playmaker will be strutting his stuff at the San Siro (and Perth) next season and the most decorated Real Madrid player of all time will be a welcome addition in the centre of the park. Don’t expect to see him up and down the pitch like he would have been 13 years ago when he signed for Real, but expect to see him dictate the play from deep. He’ll probably be used as a very handy regista.

Nicola Jackson

The Chelsea striker is expected to fall well out of favour considering he can’t finish, stay onside or even stay on the pitch for 90 minutes in most games. It doesn’t make him a bad player, the Premier League is just a huge step up and the gulf in class is huge.

Easily capable of contributing 20 goals a season in Serie A. Milan are reportedly “very interested” in the Senegalese striker although Chelsea’s rumoured €50m price tag might put them off. I could see a loan-to-buy happening, maybe he’ll be used as makeweight in a Maignan deal? That seems to have gone cold now but Chelsea were interested.

Granit Xhaka

This one seemed to have legs earlier in the summer and since then the trail has gone a little cold. Igli Tare has spent time in Germany with Leverkusen but the valuations appeared some way apart.

The 32 year old has played 49 times last season for Bayer and contributed 6 goals and 7 assists, but his game is so much more than that. His work rate and tackling also mean he’s incredibly useful defensively.

I think this transfer looks like it makes sense, but let’s see if they can pull it off.

Jean-Philippe Mateta

Matteo Moretto (via Telegraph) in the UK has suggested that Milan have enquired about scouting data on Crystal Palace’s marksman. Talks are expected to take place in late July between Milan and the London club. It’ll be interesting to see how Palace’s demotion from Europa to Europa Conference affects his choices.

It’s not like Mateta isn’t spoiled for choice either, with Inter, United, Barcelona and Atletico all interested in the striker. It would be a coup for Milan against some of those names, but don’t ever rule out the allure of joining the great history of Milan.

This one is early stages, and it’s a long shot, but keep an eye on it.

Other Strikers

It’s clearly a problem area for Milan, who spent a lot of last season with Tammy Abraham donkeying around up top. He’s gone to Turkey and Milan are looking for something a bit more befitting a club who once had Shevchenko and Crespo playing together up there.

Vlahovic is one name constantly swirling around. Juve are motivated sellers, so motivated in fact that they’re talking about cancelling his contract. Moise Kean at Fiorentina is the envy of most of Serie A and his name has appeared on a few Milan links, but with some obscene Saudi money on offer, let’s see what happens to him.

Lorenzo Lucca at 22 would be an interesting one, he scored 11 times in 32 games as Udinese struggled last season. He could do a lot more damage in a Milan team with creativity abound. Ramos at PSG is out of favour with Dembele on this revenge tour to the Ballon D’Or, his wages would be a problem but the transfer fee wouldn’t be an issue for a motivated selling PSG.

Who’s leaving?

Well a few players. Aside from the obvious ones who’ve gone on free transfers, Kyle Walker won’t be back after his underwhelming loan spell. The full back gone full circle in his career and ended up back at Burnley.

Theo Hernandez has emotionally bid farewell and gone to collect massive bags of money at Al Hilal with fellow Milan resident Simone Inzaghi.

But what of two of the current Milan stars, Mike Maignan and Rafa Leao.

Maignan was envied by Chelsea earlier in the window but the two clubs had hugely different valuations. For what it’s worth, I think Milan valued him more accurately than Chelsea did. Tare says that’s off now and Maignan is staying at Milan. But if a club comes back with a more suitable offer, it’ll be interesting to see what Milan do.

And Rafa Leao? I’d be surprised to see him leave personally. German media says that Bayern are sweet on him and want him. But so far no bids have been forthcoming. Milan don’t want to sell one of their golden boys and it would take €80-100m to pick him up. I don’t know if Bayern rate him that highly.

Stranger things have happened, but I don’t see Rafa heading over the Alps to Bavaria from Lombardy.

Obviously, this is all done on my opinion, because who the hell knows what these huge European clubs will actually do when the time comes.

All I know for now is what my gut tells me. Bookmark this page now to tell me I’m wrong in September.

13th Jul 2025
Milan – Como in Australia. Has Serie A lost its mind?

In 2026 the Winter edition of the Olympic Games will be held in Milano-Cortina, Lombardy. Great news for the area. Or so you’d think. When the opening ceremony of the tournament is held in February, there was only one venue that was deemed sufficient. The Stadio San Siro was the perfect choice for the opening ceremony. With one exception. Milan are due to play host to Como on February 8th.

In any other ordinary “non-batshit crazy” league, they might move the game to a different stadium in the same area. Or they could swap the home and away matches around and avoid the clash altogether. What did the FIGC decide? Go to fucking Australia and play football.

I’m all for Serie A increasing its commercialisation. I’m a huge fan of Italian football and have long held belief that everyone else should love it as much as me. It’s why I have a blog. But what the hell are they thinking here?

It is the middle of the season, not a pre-season tour. Milan and Como will be travelling some 20 hours to Perth (if reports are to be believed) and then, suffering with immense jetlag, will proceed to “put on a show” for the Australian fans.

Then, when that’s all done – in the Aussie summer by the way – they’ll fly another 20 hours back to Italy to continue their season. So a half arsed show for a few extra quid. Is this worth the pressure on the players and the squads?

If Serie A really want to push their product into a new region, they firstly need to choose a country where they can actually tune into the games at a reasonable hour, like when they’re awake. East Coast of America is an option, Saudi Arabia too. Why Australia?

It is completely baffling to me why they’ve made this particular choice. The Supercoppa is already in Saudi Arabia, so why not send Milan and Como over there to increase the presence of Italian football, cement relationships and show some faith to the country. Sure, Saudi Arabia comes with other legitimate criticisms and questions, but if the FIGC has already decided to do it, then why not go all in?

The travel to Australia, the cost of the teams heading there, the affect it has on the playing squad out there and the disruption to the calendar just doesn’t seem worth it.

If Australia really is a target audience for Serie A and the FIGC, then why are they going out for one match in the middle of February? Why don’t they go out there for 2/3 games with a few teams over a longer period? Why don’t they take the Supercoppa there? Why don’t they go for a pre-season competition?

The whole idea feels half baked. A quick decision that’s been taken hastily. Have Milan or Como agreed to this willingly? What’s the compensation they’re getting for agreeing to this?

And where does it stop? Is this a green light from UEFA for more matches to be hosted in foreign commercial paradises? The Premier League will be following this debacle closely and you can bet your bottom dollar that within two years we’ll be watching Fulham v Wolves in Charlotte, NC.

It smacks of a big comedic bag with a dollar sign on it has been handed around somewhere (allegedly of course), and everyone’s nodding along without really thinking of the consequences. Not just the consequences for the teams involved, but for the integrity of top level European football. It’s going to have far reaching consequences and Milan v Como in Perth is going to be ground zero for it.

10th Jul 2025
Transfer Window Round Up: Week 1
Ok, it isn’t strictly week one, since there was a window pre- Club World Cup, but the main summer window is now open and Italian clubs have wasted no time getting to work.

It’s been a week, just, and what’s going on? Who’s signed, who’s leaving and who’s rumoured to be doing what? We’ve rounded up the latest news and rumours below!

✅ Confirmed Signings (Incoming)

🔵 Inter Milan
- Ange‑Yoan Bonny (Parma → Inter) – €23 million + €2 million in add‑ons.
⚪ Juventus
- Jonathan David (Lille → Juve) – Free Transfer
- Pierre Kalulu (Milan → Juve) – €14.3 m (after loan)
🔴 AC Milan
- Samuele Ricci (Torino → Milan) – €23 m + €1.5 m add‑ons
🔵 Napoli
- Luca Marianucci (Empoli → Napoli) – €9 m
🔵 Pisa
- Isak Vural & Mateus Lusuardi (Frosinone → Pisa) – €4.5 m & €0.5 m
🔄 Rumoured Incoming Transfers

🔵 Inter Milan
- Giovanni Leoni (Parma → Inter) – Rumoured buy
- Richard Rios (Palmeiras → Inter) €30m rumour
⚪ Juventus
- Jadon Sancho (Man Utd → Juve) – ≈ €25 m in talks
- Dusan Vlahović – Rumoured sale (~€70 m)
🔴 AC Milan
- Luka Modrić (Real → Milan) – Free; arrival confirmed August, on a one‑year deal worth net €3–3.5 m .
- Lorenzo Lucca (Udinese → Milan) – Interest growing
🔵 Napoli
- Jayden Addai (AZ → Napoli) – ≈ €14 m, close deal
- Jens Cajuste (Besiktas → Napoli) – Loan with €6.5 m option
🔵 Lazio
- Lorenzo Insigne – Free agent, potential September arrival
📤 Outgoing Transfers

🔴 AC Milan
- Tijjani Reijnders → Man City – €55 m + €15 m add‑ons
- Theo Hernández → Al Hilal – €25 m
- Marco Pellegrino → Boca Juniors – €4 m
- Davide Calabria, Alessandro Florenzi, Luka Jović – Left on free transfers
⚪ Juventus
- Timothy Weah → Marseille – ≈ €15 m, deal in progress
👑 Spotlight: Ange‑Yoan Bonny → Inter Milan
- Fee: ~€23m + €2m in add‑ons; plus a 20% sell‑on clause per Calcio e Finanza
- Contract: 5‑year deal until June 2030 earning €2m net/year
- Why It Matters: Inter have secured a young, powerful striker and are now prioritizing midfield and defence reinforcements
⚽ Final Thoughts

Serie A’s transfer window is in full swing. Transfers like Bonny, Modrić, and major departures have reshaped several squads. Expect more dramatic moves as clubs await preseason preparations.
8th Jul 2025