Tag: premier league

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
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
Forgotten Giants: Vicenza – Calcio’s Forgotten Fairytale
In the late 1990s, a small club from the Veneto region etched its name into calcio folklore. They beat Napoli to lift the Coppa Italia. They almost knocked Chelsea out of Europe. And then… they disappeared.

This is the story of L.R. Vicenza — a club that dreamed big, defied the odds, and left a legacy far greater than their trophy cabinet suggests.

Founded in 1902, L.R. Vicenza is one of Italy’s oldest clubs. Based in the historic city of Vicenza, they’ve always been seen as a classic “provinciale” — a small, local side often bouncing between Serie A and B. Their home, the Stadio Romeo Menti, holds just over 12,000 but has witnessed moments that rival even the grandest stages in Italian football.

For decades, Vicenza quietly survived in the shadows of northern giants like Milan, Inter, and Juventus — until one unforgettable season changed everything.

In 1995, under the tactical guidance of Francesco Guidolin, Vicenza were promoted to Serie A and quickly became Italy’s surprise package. They played compact, organized football with bursts of creativity, led by key figures such as Uruguayan striker and cult hero Marcelo Otero, the safe hands of Giorgio Sterchele and the attacking duo of Giovanni Cornacchini and Alessandro Iannuzzi.

The next season, in 1996-97 they would embark on a magical run to the Coppa Italia final, beating the likes of Bologna and Genoa on the way to facing Napoli. Vicenza would lose the first leg at San Paolo 1-0, but at home three weeks later they completed a stunning turnaround in front of a raucous home crowd. Goals from Giovanni Cornacchini, Maurizio Rossi, and Alessandro Iannuzzi secured a 3–0 win after extra time — and with it, their first major trophy in 95 years of existence.

In the age of Batistuta, Baggio, and Del Piero, it was Vicenza that lifted silverware. A provincial club, built on heart and discipline, had conquered the cup.

As Coppa Italia winners, Vicenza qualified for the 1997–98 UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup. And incredibly, they didn’t just make up the numbers — they lit up the continent.
- Beat Shakhtar Donetsk and Roda JC to reach the semi-finals.
- Drew English powerhouse Chelsea in the final four.
In the first leg at the Stadio Menti, Pasquale Luiso scored the winner to give Vicenza a 1–0 lead. Chelsea, loaded with stars like Gianfranco Zola, Gustavo Poyet, and Mark Hughes, were stunned.

But at Stamford Bridge in the second leg, Vicenza’s European dream fell apart. Goals from Poyet, Zola, and Hughes sent Chelsea through 3–1 on aggregate. It was heartbreak — but Vicenza had shown Europe what they were capable of.

Just one year later, however, in the 1998–99 season, Vicenza were relegated from Serie A.

Key players left, financial difficulties crept in and over the next decade, the club bounced between Serie B and C, with ownership instability and budget issues mounting.

The final blow came in 2018, when the club was declared bankrupt and lost its professional status. After over a century of history, Vicenza Calcio was no more.

In the wake of the collapse, a new entity was formed: L.R. Vicenza Virtus, following a merger with nearby club Bassano Virtus. While technically a new club, it carries the same badge, colours, and loyal fanbase.

They returned to Serie B in 2020, and though they were relegated again in 2022, the passion remains.

Stadio Romeo Menti still echoes with memories of Otero’s goals and that famous win over Napoli. And Vicenza’s story continues — not in the headlines, but in the hearts of calcio romantics everywhere.

In an era before oil money and inflated sponsorships, clubs like Vicenza could still write fairy tales. With tactical discipline, local pride, and passionate fans, they showed that in Italian football, anything was possible.

Today, we remember them not because they became a giant — but because, for one brief, beautiful moment, they stood toe-to-toe with giants and didn’t flinch.

“Do you remember Vicenza’s fairytale run in the ‘90s? Should Serie A do more to protect its provincial clubs?”

Drop your memories or thoughts in the comments below — or tag us on X @EnglishCalcio and Instagram @calcioenglish.
9th Jul 2025