Italian football is starting to heat up as the summer transfer window takes shape. From smart moves in Milan to Juventus’s mega sponsorship deal, here’s everything you need to know from the past week.
🔁 Transfers & Market Moves
Nicola Zalewski stays at Inter: The Polish international has been signed permanently from Roma for €6.5 million after a successful loan. Confirmed on June 23.
Ange‑Yoan Bonny joins Inter from Parma: The 20-year-old striker’s loan is now permanent for a total fee of €23 million plus €2 million in add-ons. His contract is worth €2 million net per year.
Fiorentina signed midfielder Jacopo Fazzini from Empoli for a reported €8 million plus bonuses. The deal was confirmed on June 26.
Samuele Ricci to AC Milan: The Rossoneri have agreed a deal with Torino for around €25 million including bonuses. Ricci is expected to reinforce Milan’s midfield depth.
Alex Meret extends at Napoli: The title-winning goalkeeper has renewed his contract until 2027, with an option for 2028 – putting to bed interest from Arsenal and Inter.
🔄 Player Movement & Rumours
Tammy Abraham (formerly of Roma) is set for a €20 million move to Besiktas. A deal is in place, pending final paperwork.
Tim Weah (Juventus) is close to joining Nottingham Forest, possibly as part of a swap involving Samuel Mbangula. The American is valued at around €22 million.
Romano Floriani Mussolini, great-grandson of Benito Mussolini, has returned to Lazio after a season-long loan at Juve Stabia. A name that always draws attention, he’s working to make headlines for his performances rather than his lineage.
📊 Club Finances & Strategic Moves
Juventus have extended their partnership with Adidas until 2037 in a huge €408 million deal. This follows a recent €69 million per year renewal with Jeep as shirt sponsor – clear signs of a long-term commercial rebuild.
Serie A clubs are set to receive confirmation of the fixtures for matchdays 1–3 by June 30, with the full schedule to be locked by September 5.
🏆 Competitions & Coaching News
Inter Milan, under new boss Cristian Chivu, continue to impress at the FIFA Club World Cup, with a strong 2–0 win over River Plate on June 25. The club is showing ambition both on the pitch and in the transfer market.
Napoli are quietly reinforcing their Scudetto-winning squad. Having secured Meret, they’re now being linked with another Scottish international after the success of McTominay and Gilmour in Serie A.
🎯 Key Takeaways
Inter are going all-in on youth and cohesion: Zalewski, Bonny, and Chivu form the foundation of a long-term project.
Napoli are building on continuity: renewals and smart reinforcements aim to make them consistent contenders in Europe.
Juventus are focusing on the business side: with their Adidas and Jeep deals, the Old Lady is preparing for financial stability and competitive growth.
Lazio continue to balance heritage and ambition, bringing back young talents from loan to reshape the squad.
🧠 Final Thought
This week marked a transitional phase: deals being finalised, pre-season strategies being laid out, and new leaders stepping forward. As the summer rolls on, the moves made now will set the tone for what promises to be a thrilling 2025/26 Serie A season.
It’s a well trodden path, Serie A to the Premier League. Some all time greats like Gianfranco Zola, Fabrizio Ravanelli and Pierluigi Casiraghi have made the trip to England from Italy. And this summer, three more players have already made moves from Southern to Northern Europe.
Diego Coppola left Hellas Verona for the sunny south coast of England, rocking up in Brighton (pun intended) for €11m on a 5 year deal. Brentford snapped up Michael Kayode from Fiorentina for €15m and Manchester City spent a whopping €55m on Tijjani Reijnders as part of their squad rebuild.
But what can the English fans expect from these three players?
Diego Coppola – Brighton
The 21 year old centre back is one of Italy’s brightest defensive prospects along with Kayode and Leoni. He played 34 games and contributed one goal for Hellas Verona last season as they had a perfectly average season.
Diego Coppola unveiled as a Brighton player
He stood out against much older and more experienced opponents though, with 2.09 tackles per game. He also managed 2.31 interceptions per game, like any good Italian centre back. This put him in the top 1% of Serie A defenders. He was also in the top 1% for aerial duels won with 3.94 per game, a key facet of the game for this “old fashioned” centre back.
Coppola fits the bill for what you think of when you think Italian defender. Great reading of the game, enabling him to make high amounts of interceptions. Strong in the air and disciplined in his positioning, he’ll add much needed strength to Brighton’s back line.
One area he can improve (and will need to at Brighton) is his ball playing. Coppola isn’t what you’d call a ball playing centre back. His composure under a press isn’t fantastic and playing out remains a key facet of Brighton’s game. He is, however, intelligent and adapting to play in Brighton’s back line won’t be difficult for him.
All in all, this is a solid signing and I expect one of the power 5 to pick him up in a few seasons time.
Michael Kayode – Brentford
One of Italy’s most prized future full backs has moved to West London and before long their manager was on his way to North London. Brentford are a club that do their homework and stick to one ethos, so I don’t anticipate there being an issue here.
He only appeared in the Conference League for Fiorentina and played 5 matches before moving on loan to Brentford, but the 20 year old impressed in them. What will he look like long term for Brentford? 80% passing accuracy and 50% crossing accuracy and making 11 interceptions across those 5 games paints a picture of a composed full back who’s always looking to start attacks and contribute across the half way line.
Energetic, calm, disciplined and reads the game well, he’s really highly rated in the Azzurri youth teams and it’s no secret as to why. One criticism that has been levelled at him is the speed of his decision making, but for a young man that will improve.
If he keeps his high energy and good whipped crosses going, he’ll become a fan favourite in no time at all. Expect to see him gradually introduced throughout the season but I reckon by next season he’s the starting right back at Brentford.
Tijjani Reijnders – Manchester City
Ok, you probably know all about him anyway. Or at least a bit about him. The 26 year old comes with a big reputation and an even bigger boots to fill replacing the outgoing Kevin de Bruyne.
After two years at Milan, it seemed a fairly emotional goodbye, but he’s in a good place in his career and I’m sure he’ll make the step up.
Tijjani Reijnders has already played in the Club World Cup for City
Last season Reijnders was the top scoring midfielder across Europe’s big 5 leagues with 15 goals in all competitions as well as another 5 assists. He maintained an 88% passing accuracy across the season the box to box number 8 made over 45 line breaking passes last season.
Intelligent positioning play, strong dribbling, accurate passing and long range shooting. He’s the perfect pre-packaged De Bruyne replacement. He’s even received praise for his engine from Frank Rijkaard – high praise indeed.
Breaking the lines and late arriving in the box will certainly see him fit like a glove into any Guardiola team but the faster tempo and tighter pressing of the Premier League will take some judgement. It’ll be interesting to see how this plays out, some big players have gone to City and flopped completely…
We English have a habit of laying claim things that aren’t ours. Like half the World at one point… But one thing we do have a pretty firm claim on is that we invented the beautiful game.
In the 1920s and 30s Benito Mussolini would have Italians believe that Calcio descended from Calcio Storico Fiorentino, the medieval football of Florence. This game was mostly played by noblemen (including Popes) and dates back to 1530 where it was first referenced in Piazza Santa Croce. The game combined elements of football, rugby, wrestling and street fighting, which I guess is where the great Italian defenders of the 70s and 80s were drawing inspritation.
Calcio Storico Fiorentino in the modern day
Benito Mussolini promoted the game as the “true origin” of Calcio in direct contrast to the foreign game of football. He used the game in fascist propaganda to reinforce the idea of Italy’s deep cultural and martial heritage, distancing itself from British influence. The game was even revived in the 1930s in Florence with choreographed pageantry to tie it in with Renaissance and Roman virtues.
But Calcio does owe a lot to British football, including one of its biggest clubs and one of the most iconic kits in the game.
James Richardson Spensley in Genoa
Dr James Richardson Spensley was an English physician and football enthusiast who worked on boats that came through the port in Genoa. During his time in Italy, Dr James would organise football matches with local dockers and as a result, is largely considered to be the first person to bring football to the masses in Italy.
James Richardson Spensley – Apparently…
By 1897 he had founded the Genoa Cricket and Football Club. Not only did he found the club, but he managed it, organised their games and was their goalkeeper. He helped to shape Genoa into the first dominant team of Italian football, winning the first championship in 1898, going on to win another 5 titles with him at the helm. He retired from playing when he was nearly 40 and would go on to manage the side for a few more years before his death in World War One at the Fortress of Mainz.
Had it not been for the four clubs in Turin founded by Edoardo Bosio then Dr James would’ve founded the first club in Italy. The two of them are rightly considered as the Grandfathers of Italian football.
Herbert Kilpin and the Milan cricket club
129 Mansfield Road in Nottingham is an unassuming terraced property that could be any other in England. However, on the 24th January 1870 at this property, a man was born who would go on to shape Italian – and World – football for years to come.
Herbert Kilpin was a lace maker who lived most of his life in Nottingham playing as a Midfielder and Defender for local part time teams. In 1891, he moved to Turin to work for Edoardo Bosio who was an Italian-Swiss textile merchant. Bosio had founded the first ever Italian side, Internazionale Torino, and Kilpin would represent the team in his time with Bosio.
In 1898, however, while living in Milan with Samuel Richard Davies, Kilpin would found AC Milan, then known as the Milan Cricket and Football Club. To this day Milan still uses the English spelling of the city’s name to pay homage to their founder.
He chose the famous red and black stripes after being quoted as saying, “We’re going to be a team of devils. Our colours will be red like fire and black to invoke fear in our opponents”.
Herbert Kilpin striking fear into his opponents in Red and Black
The first elected president of AC Milan was Alfred Edwards with Kilpin acting as player-manager. Milan were, unsurprisingly, immediately successful, winning the championship in 1901 in only their second season. Kilpin spent 9 years with the Milan side and won two more titles in 1906 and 1907.
Herbert Kilpin died in Milan in 1916 aged 46, apparently due to his smoking and drinking habits – another English trait. Little was known, or acknowledged, of his influence over Milan’s early history until the 1990s when Luigi La Rocca tracked down Kilpin’s grave in the Municipal Cemetary in Milan. In 1999 the club paid for a new tombstone acknowledging his role in Milan’s history and in 2010 he was moved into the Famedio in the main building where Milan’s most illustrious personalities are interred.
The Curva Sud pay homage to their founder
John Savage and the spare kits
Nottingham’s influence over Calcio doesn’t finish there though, a few years later in 1903 an Englishman John Savage would help one of Italy’s most iconic clubs gain their iconic kit design.
John Savage was a footballer who had played with Kilpin at Internazionale Torino before joining Juventus in 1900. He was the first foreign player to represent the Old Lady, who at the time wore pink shirts. Savage wasn’t impressed with the quality of them though and likened them to being similar to a “gang of war survivors”. Whatever that means.
He wrote a letter to Nottingham based tailoring company Shaw and Shrewsbury requesting new kits and nearly a month later received a spare set of Notts County kits, in the famous black and white stripes.
Juventus in their new colours alongside some of the old kits
At first, Juventus were not impressed with the change, Domenico Donna – a founder of Juventus – compared them to funeral attire. However, thanks to a remarkable upturn in form in the new kits, Donna labelled the kits as “a symbol of old fashioned Piedmontese elegance”.
Juventus would keep the Notts County kits and the retain the black and white to this day, the link remained so close that when Juventus opened their new stadium in September 2011, Notts County were invited over to play in the first ever game here.
John Savage would go on to referee the 1902 Italian Football Championship final between the other two English influenced clubs, AC Milan and Genoa.
More general influences
The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) was inspired by the structure of the English FA when it was formed in 1898. Not much of a surprise given the English influence of the game in those early years, rules and club structures were based on the English game and most of the clubs were started as cricket and football clubs.
In fact, one of the Italian terms still used today, Il Mister, used to describe a coach is attributed to an affectionate term given to William Garbutt during his time managing Genoa between 1912-27. He won three championships with Genoa and introduced structured training and tactics to Italian football.
Inter and Roma are two clubs that have had English ownership stakes or partnerships in the past and Serie A was brought into British homes in the 90s thanks to James Richardson and his Sunday show Football Italia on Channel 4. That programme, in fact, was responsible for this Calcio fan’s own obsession!
Much like everything else though, England introduced the sport to Italy but Italy took it and ran with it, made it their own and subsequently has won 4 World Cups to England’s one. They even beat England in their own back yard in the Euro 2020 final after a penalty shootout to really assert their dominance over the English game.
While English domestic football has surpassed Italian domestic football for quality and finances, Calcio had some great days in the 80s and 90s and Italian clubs still have joy against Premier League teams in England.
England and Italy will always be inseparable for their love of the game and their passion for it, and we’ll always be linked thanks to those English pioneers back in the day.
Ok you’ll have to bare with me on this one, because I only just about understand it myself. But there’s a “play out” happening tonight in Serie B. A play out, so much as I can figure out, is the same as a play off. But they don’t always happen. They only sometimes happen.
Welcome to another Calcio madness…
So the relegation from Serie B is settled by the bottom three going down. Sometimes it’s the bottom four though. But sometimes you can finish 5th bottom and be relegated. How? Well it depends how fair ahead of 4th bottom you finish. Still with me?
If you finish the Serie B campaign in 20th, 19th or 18th you’re down no matter what. Now normally the 17th place team will also be relegated. But there could also be a play out between the 17th and 16th place team as long as the gap between them is 4 points or fewer. So finishing 16th guarantees you safety as long as you finish 5 points ahead of 17th placed team.
But the season finished three weeks ago, so what’s been the hold up? We all saw the scenes of Sampdoria being relegated and the top class shithousing from Genoa supporters celebrating? How come they’re playing tonight.
Sampdoria were relegated to Serie C for the first time in their history. Or were they?
Well, it’s “simple” really. Sampdoria finished 18th, so were relegated. Salernitana were 17th and Frosinone were 16th, separated by a point and Brescia were 15th by dint of having better goal difference than Frosinone.
And then the news broke that broke hearts of Calcio fans of a certain vintage. Brescia had gone bust, they probably won’t be around anymore and their financial misfortune could cost them points. The FIGC acted swiftly and dished out a 4 point penalty at the end of the season.
That meant that Sampdoria have been briefly spared. Brescia took the 18th place after that and Sampdoria escaped automatic relegation to move into 17th. The biggest winners? Frosinone. They’re now not involved in the relegation picture at all.
The final table after the 4 point deduction to Brescia
Cue absolute legal pandemonium. Brescia are obviously challenging the ruling, Salernitana aren’t happy and Sampdoria are remaining suspiciously quiet. There’s suits and countersuits going on all over the place and beneath it all, Sampdoria take on Salernitana in the first leg tonight.
Sampdoria haven’t been spared some shenanigans from their city rivals Genoa though. The Genoa fans are determined to make sure Sampdoria play in front of an empty stadium and have taken advantage of Samp putting tickets on at €5 each to fill the ground. They’re purchasing up tickets in the name of Genoa legends past and present and plan to then leave the seats empty.
Whatever happens tonight and next week, it’s not a situation where the FIGC covered themselves in glory and it doesn’t reflect well on Italian football that these situations come up. But it can’t take away the excitement of two winner takes all games.
Keep your eyes on this one, even when the football is done, I don’t think we’ve heard the last of this relegation battle.
Here it is then, finally, the long awaited part three to the Calcio weekender review! After two days in Bologna, it was time to actually spend a day there. With no travelling to be done for this match, there’s a bit of tourism writing here!
Bologna had never really ever occurred to me as a tourist destination. Sure you go to Milan, Rome, Sicily, Turin – but Bologna? Short of being the home of bolognese, I didn’t really know anything about it.
Well hold on to your hats folks, because it turns out it’s bloody beautiful. Not as hustly and bustly as some of the bigger cities I mentioned earlier, Bologna is chilled. A perfect place to spend a day sat outside cafes with a coffee watching the world go by.
Not that there’s nothing to do there. Isabelle and I left the apartment with a clear plan of our day after a quick Google. We had plans, we’d researched what we were going to do, so what could go wrong?
Well. It was Monday by now. Despite the fact I was off work, booked annual leave and wasn’t supposed to be contactable, I work in sales so I’m never really off the clock other than weekends or Christmas. And sure enough, I was awoken by the sound of my work mobile going off. A crisis for one of my customers that needed sorting.
Cue an entire morning of back and forth phone calls with the customer and my office, with Isabelle’s face increasingly more fuming as the minutes passed! Don’t get me wrong, being sat in my office dealing with the crisis wouldn’t have been anywhere near as nice as sitting in a cafe Piazza Maggiore dealing with it.
Crisis resolved, I was marched back to the apartment by Isabelle to deposit the work phone and focus on her and Bologna. That’s where I noticed I still had Andrea’s sons fan card from Parma a few days before. Surely not, what a ballache!
A quick phone call, and I had an address to send it to. But no stationary to send it with and no idea how to send it. I figured it must be easier to post in Italy than when I get home so Isabelle and I set off for the nearest Post Office.
Now if you think UK/US post offices are a nightmare, at least you speak the language. PostItalia in Bologna was at least air conditioned but that’s where the positives end. When my number was called I approached the desk and opened with my best, “Ciao, Inglese??”. To be met with a firm shake of the head. Well how the fuck are we going to do this?
Turns out there’s no phone signal or free WiFi in this particular branch so speaking into Google translate is out. No amount of gesturing to the fan card, then to the address on my screen was working. Shouting “SEND” or “POST” while doing it wasn’t working either.
Finally, the bloke in the next booth was done with his client and apparently spoke some English and came to help. It cost me roughly €5 all in for the envelope and postage and I swiftly sent the tracking number to Andrea and wished him all the best in receiving because who knows if it’s making it there!
Well, it’s time to enjoy our day in Bologna, surely. We head straight for Le Due Torre, a large tower sticking out of the ground made of the local red brick. Nowadays it sticks out like a sore thumb but apparently in Bologna’s heyday there were loads of these towers all over town.
Le Due Torre
As we arrive, there’s a notice on the door, it’s closed for renovations while we’re out of season. Of course it is. Now what? Back to Google. The Clock Tower is open, over in Piazza Maggiore. Looks like that’s the plan.
We head over and finally greeted with a bit of good luck. It’s open and tickets aren’t ridiculously priced. It’s a shame there’s no lift to the top, but Italy is a country with many old buildings so I didn’t really expect one. I’m not a man exactly built for lots of stairs but the Clock Tower breaks it up nicely with art exhibitions on each floor so it’s not just constant climbing. The views from the top are great, over Piazza Maggiore, the entire city and over to the hills outside of town.
Your guides in this journey
There’s just sight of the evening entertainment too, right over in the distance you can catch a glimpse of the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara. Home of Bologna FC since 1927. Tonight Isabelle and I are finishing our Calcio epic at Bologna v Napoli, an exciting prospect in a Serie A season where Napoli are chasing down Inter (they eventually succeeded, spoiler alert) and Bologna are pushing hard for a return to the Champions League (they fell away late and didn’t make it).
First, we need some lunch and it was time to embrace a tradition for Isabelle and I. Some people also partake, some people think we’re mad to do it in Italy. But we always, wherever we visit across the World, always, have a McDonald’s one day for lunch. For those who don’t know, the menus in McDonald’s are wildly different all over the World so we always insist on seeing what each country offers that the UK doesn’t.
Sorry…
On this occasion, Italy didn’t really offer anything more exciting that being able to have a beer with my meal, my favourite thing about European McDonald’s. I went for a spicy chicken burger of some description while Isabelle went for her favourite food of all time, wings – something else unavailable in the UK.
Our afternoon was spent exploring the rest of the town fairly aimlessly, basically walking around flitting from bar to bar, it’s matchday and I’m English so obviously beer is required. It’s also always required when there’s a city with the ambience and weather of Bologna.
When I tell you this city is beautiful, there’s no lie, it is gorgeous. The architecture on nearly every building is unique and ornate. I’ve no doubt that if I headed out of the centre to the outskirts I’d see the normal high rise flats built in the 1970s, but I’ve rarely seen a city centre like this.
We stumbled across the Finestrella. A small canal running along a street in Bologna, and rather cheekily named “Little Venice” locally. It’s literally one canal so I’m not sure it can rival Venice, or even Milan’s Navigli area! There’s a small window in a wall that opens out onto the street, but there was an awful long queue of travel influencers queuing up to take videos of the window opening to a trending audio. If you head across the road there’s an equally good view which is below.
Finestrella
As we edged closer to match time, I decided we should get some dinner. Kick off was at 9pm so around 5pm I thought we should eat and begin our journey to the ground. The stadium is around a 30/40 minute walk and I had designs on pub crawling down there!
We ate at Sfoglia Rina on a few recommendations. There’s no reservations so expect to queue, but we weren’t waiting longer than ten minutes for a table. Sfoglia Rina all feature fresh pasta made on site and is a popular place with locals and tourists alike. There’s one large table in the middle where different groups can all sit together. Not really my thing, so we plumped for a small table for two on the outside.
Isabelle was keen to have a proper Bologna bolognese and went for the Taglietelle Bolognese Ragout, which was delicious and I had the Gramigna with Sausage Ragout. It was absolutely fantastic. A great meal to end our time in Italy.
Tasted better than it looked!
After the meal, we popped into the Celtic Druid Irish Pub around the corner, we’d been in a couple of times when returning from the other cities and I knew there was a lot of Bologna FC themed decoration and figured there’d be some fans in pre-match.
I wasn’t wrong and the atmosphere was lively. I love the way Italians talk so expressively and with their hands. Even though I don’t know what they’re saying, I can pick out footballer and team names, there’s so much discussion on the previous weekends Calcio going on here.
We have a couple of pints here and begin the long trek to the ground, stopping at a few pubs along the way. The amount of people on the street increases the closer we get and there’s a few livelier fan bars here. In one I’m immediately accused of being “Napolista” because I’m different to them. I refer him to the fact I’m English and show Isabelle’s scarf bought earlier at the club shop in the City Centre and I’m immediately bought a sambuca and welcomed. I’m not sure how many more sambucas I can take.
When we head to the ground it’s about half an hour before kick off, and this is a mistake. The beautiful old facade to the stadium is also the only entry point to that stand, which is where our tickets were. There’s only two gates and two long queues stretch in either direction and in a very Italian way there’s absolutely no organisation. The queue is carnage, absolute chaos. It’s anarchy. The Brit in me breaks out in a cold sweat.
The other uniquely Italian thing about the queue is across the road from it, it is easily the biggest moped parking area I’ve ever seen. It raises a smile in me, this is a unique country and I love it.
Italy…
We eventually get into the ground about 5 minutes before kick off and head to our seats and we’re confronted with another Italianism of football matches. Just because your ticket has a seat number on it, unless you get in early don’t expect to be able to sit there.
It’s every man for himself and we arrive to our seats to see them filled with Napoli fans. Again, in Italy it’s very common for away fans to sit in any area of a stadium and not just the allocated away section. You won’t find them in the ultras section obviously, but they’re generally accepted. If you’re watching your team as an away team in the home end, just don’t rub it in if you’re winning. You’re allowed to cheer the goals, but not excessively, then sit down and shut the fuck up is basically the rules.
Chaos reigns in the queue…
Even last year at the Milan derby I was sat with both Inter and Milan fans who were chatting about the game together.
Anyway, the section we’re in is crazy, the game is sold out so rather than go in the hunt for two seats together, we plonk ourselves down on the stairs with a few others and watch the first half. Napoli take the lead after 18 minutes through Anguissa. It’s a scrappy goal that started with some nice football and Anguissa going through 1v1. The goalkeepers attempt to close him down results in a messy “rounding” of the keeper by Anguissa who taps in as he’s falling over.
No one in a Napoli shirt cares how good or scrappy the goal is though, and they’re up. Flares are lit and the noise cranks up a level in the ground. Bologna aren’t in the game and they’re in danger of being overrun here. Napoli can smell blood after Inter’s draw on Saturday.
Napoli fans all over the ground celebrate taking the lead…
Half time comes and Isabelle and I have noticed a smattering of empty seats right down at the front, so we head there (via the bar). Down in position right in the front row, we strike up conversation with a half drunk guy next to us. He’s Scottish and travelling Italy watching football, and came to this game to see the obvious Scott McTominay, but also last season’s best midfielder winner Lewis Ferguson who turns out for Bologna.
As the second half gets underway Bologna have decided to play. They’re much more positive, much more decisive and much quicker. The Napoli section quietens down and the Bologna ultras step it up. They’re rewarded in the 64th minute when Dan Ndoye scores a quite audacious goal. Meeting a cross from the left he flicks it through his own legs with his heel, the ball rising to meet the underside of the bar and settle in the back of the net.
Dan Ndoye celebrates his equaliser…
They deserve the equaliser and there’s absolute pandemonium. Suddenly Conte’s team look happy with their point and there’s a ten minute spell where they look like they won’t get it. Eventually, the game settles back down and rather peters out in the final few minutes. Napoli have done a good job of killing the momentum Bologna were enjoying.
All told, the point is probably deserved. It’s not terrible for Napoli who saw Inter also drop points. And it kind of helps Inter out too. As we leave the ground with our new Scottish friend in tow, there’s a row of buses waiting and we hop straight on one heading for the City Centre.
We depart the bus outside the Celtic Druid pub and head in for a nightcap. The trip to Italy is coming to an end and tomorrow I’ll be hungover in an airport heading for home. It’s been three fantastic days and we haven’t seen one team win a game, witnessing three draws. I guess that’s almost appropriate for a country whose entire football identity is built on strong defence.
Writing these reviews of the long weekend have done nothing to quench my thirst to get back out to Italy and watch some more Calcio. I was over there 4 times last season and it wasn’t enough. As I mentioned back in part one, in my opinion Italy does food, beer, football (and women) better than anyone in the world and I think it comes from passion. Watch an Italian talk to another person and there’s passion oozing out of them, they apply the same to cooking, their football, to everything. Last week the fixtures for 2025/26 were released and I’m already planning trips.
We’re only a month on from the end of the 2024/25 season in Italy and already there’s more talking points that throughout most of the actual season. And the main one seems to be, who on Earth is going to be managing in Serie A next season?
Axes have been wielded, resignations have been handed in and managers have been caught flirting with rival clubs. So what’s going on? And what’s still to come? Hopefully I’ve made sense of it below for you…
Fiorentina
After being appointed in June last year to replace Vincenzo Italiano, Fiorentina manager Raffaele Palladino has left the club “by mutual consent”. There’s no replacement as yet, although Stefan Pioli is being heavily linked with the role according to Viola Nation. Seen by some as a stabilising influence, he’ll need to use all his experience to turn around a gradual decline in Firenze.
Atalanta
After 9 very successful years at the club, Gian Piero Gasperini has left Atalanta. During his time in Bergamo, Gasperini led Atalanta into the Champions League five times and his tenure was characterised by swashbuckling attacking play. He famously led the team to the 2024 Europa League title.
His replacement at Atalanta? It’s a baffling one… Ivan Juric has been handed the reigns in Northern Italy. That’s the same Ivan Juric that oversaw a disastrous spell in Rome last season before heading to England to somehow make Southampton worse than they already were – avoiding being the worst team in Premier League history by 1 point.
Roma
Gasperini comes through the door at Roma replacing firm fan favourite Claudio Ranieri. His move “upstairs” may be put on hold, however, with the news that Spalletti is leaving the national team job. Ranieri is the favourite to take the Azzurri through the rest of the World Cup qualifying campaign. Watch this space!
Lazio
Across the city and Roma’s great rivals Lazio have also had a change in the dugout after a rather underwhelming end to the season. A comeback draw at the San Siro to hand Napoli the Scudetto was a brief highlight in an otherwise forgettable season under Marco Baroni. He was dismissed and Maurizio Sarri is back after a 15 month hiatus. Sarri was announced in spectacular fashion by the media team at Lazio and the former banker will be chain smoking his way through next season with the hopes he can restore the Lazio empire.
AC Milan
In Italy’s second city, change is also afoot. For the second time in a season Milan sacked their manager after Fonseca didn’t see in 2025, Conceicao is now also gone. An underwhelming season all round, Conceicao paid the price for an 8th place finish and no European football next season after a Coppa Italia final defeat. However, brief respite was offered in the shape of a 3-2 defeat of city rivals Inter in the Supercoppa final.
Allegri returns to Milan for next season after a break from the game following a trophy-laden spell at Juventus. In his first spell at Milan, he won the Serie A title and Supercoppa, Milan certainly hope he can repeat that next season.
Inter Milan
So near, yet so far to a treble. Dumped out of the Coppa Italia in the semi finals by Milan, beaten in the Supercoppa final, trounced in the Champions League final and second to Napoli by a point. Inter’s season could broadly be viewed as fairly successful until April. Simone Inzaghi was in demand from Al-Hilal and the news breaking in the run up to the final didn’t help their preparation.
A mutual parting followed a 5-0 defeat from PSG. Inter acted swiftly to woo Cesc Fabregas who promptly turned them down in a rather embarrassing episode. Christian Chivu is the man to take them forward. Their former centre back was manager of the Under 19 team who won the Primavera before being installed at Parma to secure Serie A survival. It’s a gamble, but Inter weren’t left with much choice with the Club World Cup on the horizon.
Torino
Further down the table, Torino parted company with Paolo Vanoli and replaced him almost immediately with Marco Baroni following his sacking by Lazio.
Parma
Parma only confirmed today that Christian Chivu had left the club after only a few short months. He replaced Fabio Pecchia in February and had the brief to save the club from an immediate return to Serie B. He did it, and then left for Inter. Rumours about a replacement are few and far between, but they’ll need to act fast to avoid losing out in the summer transfer window.
Italy National Team
In true bizarre fashion, national team manager Luciano Spalletti announced his own sacking in a press conference after a 3-0 defeat in Norway. But he’s not going anywhere yet… He’s managing the team tonight against Moldova before finally leaving. Clear? Thought not. Ranieri is the favourite to replace him since Calcio has some clear agenda on letting the poor guy retire in peace.
And there you have it. It’s been a matter of weeks since Serie A finished and the soap opera continues. Honourable mention to Juventus who look set to appoint Igor Tudor permanently after he finished off the season Thiago Motta started. Who do you think is the best appointment? Who’s undersold themselves and Who just got it plain wrong?
As the blog begins, it seems that I should lend some credibility to my self proclaimed “expertise” in Italian football. And like every other love story, it came about with falling in love with an experience rather than an individual. The weekend in question is one of my most recent experiences, but by far the most varied so it seemed like the best place to start. This blog will cover day one, so look out for days two and three coming…
In early April I travelled for “just another” Calcio weekender with my 15 year old daughter Isabelle in tow. I guess that makes us a little unique too, most people go to matches with their mates or their son, I take a 15 year old girl. Anyone who knows anything about 15 year old girls will know that spending time with Dad isn’t always viewed as cool and they certainly don’t appreciate early starts and late finishes! But God bless her, my kid Isabelle goes with it and I tend to pay for it the couple of days after we’ve returned.
Pizza and beer and football are three of my favourite things and I think the Italians do them all better than most of Europe.
So I earmarked the first weekend in April. Inter were away at Parma, which is not a million miles from Bologna. Bologna is easily accessible with Ryanair via London Stansted and the rail network in Italy meant that we had easy access to Parma. Further to this, Bologna would play Napoli the same weekend. With both Inter and Napoli chasing a Scudetto I knew there was no chance Italian TV schedules would allow the games to be on the same day.
£55 later and Isabelle and I have return flights booked from Stansted to Bologna. Ok, £55 is stretching it a bit, I added prebooked seats, fast track security and a checked bag for us to share so it was more like £200 between us. But come on, £100 a head to get to Italy and back in relative comfort once I’d added everything on? I can’t go to Manchester from London for that!
My go to when travelling is always Airbnb. I don’t really know why, hotels are great, especially if you can get breakfast included. I just like the local experience and those apartment buildings in Italy are a great authentic experience. We chose one on Via Pescherie Vecchie just off the central Piazza Maggiore. Naturally, with Ryanair and a night flight, it was late so we didn’t arrive at the apartment until 1:30am on Saturday morning, but whatever, we’re on holiday. Who cares?
The check in was so easy, there was a lockbox that I had a code to, we opened it and found the apartment key and let ourselves in. The place was “cosy” but again, who cares, we’re only sleeping here.
The ambience at 1:30am betrayed the ambience for the rest of our trip. At check in we were completely alone, waking up at 8am we were atop a busy bustling market street with Parma ham, parmesan and coffee the main wares being sold. Truly, it was fantastic, the sights and smells of Italy right there, absorbed in the culture. What else was there to do but head for a coffee in the Piazza. Honestly, sat there with my daughter with a cappuccino in the sun, picking at a croissant I have never felt so anti-Brexit. Europe is fantastic, what the hell were we doing leaving this place??
The chilled start to the day belied what was to follow. Saturday was the day of Parma v Inter. We still had to get to Parma, then we had to find tickets. Shit, I never mentioned, I still had no tickets for the main game we came to see! I’d tried online, surely I would secure a Parma ticket? They hadn’t sold out all season! Bullshit, they sold this game out immediately. No ticket. Well, there’s always a chance on the day…
The next best thing was paying slightly over the odds on Vivaticket. Secondary reselling sites are common in Italy and mostly they’re ok to be trusted. You’ll pay more than you would directly to the club, but if you’re desperate to see the game it’s a really good option. The only problem here was, nothing was hitting the website!
Now we reached desperation time. I joined every Parma fan group on Facebook. It must be possible, people must be surely not travelling to the game who have season tickets. Surely they’ll help out a foreigner in need?? Surely??
For about a week before the match I hit nothing but brick walls. But fuck it, I could travel to the game and surely find someone selling there? Isabelle and I set off for Parma from Bologna station, for a mere €14 each return. This is something I need to praise Italy for. The transport system is a joke compared to the rest of Europe. It’s cheap and it’s more often than not on time. Don’t get me wrong, try to get to Como in peak summer season and the trains arrive whenever they feel like it, but I’ve had nothing but broadly positive experiences on Trenitalia. I tend to use the English website to buy my tickets and just download them to my phone, but the big stations have super helpful staff who all speak your language and will help. Definitely don’t get caught without a ticket though! The wrong ticket’s fine, your ignorance as a tourist will be accepted, but having no ticket is a problem!
Anyway, 1h10 minutes or so later, Isabelle and I are pulling into Parma and the first thing we see is the Inter team bus parked up at a hotel opposite the station. We hang around for a bit, hoping for photo opportunities that never materialise before jumping in a cab to the ground. We’d hoped to explore Parma a bit but the tickets are more pressing. It’s a shame because Parma looks magnificent.
As we arrive at the Stadio Ennio Tardini, there’s hustle and bustle everywhere. But no one selling tickets! We hang around the shop, the ticket office and are informed that maybe by 3pm there’ll be some returns for sale. Not exactly promising. I increase my desperation to the Facebook Groups – “Please, I’m English, I’ve only travelled for the game” – but no response. Well, we have three hours, so let’s go grab lunch.
Easy as pie in Italy, avoid anything touristy looking and you’re getting a fantastic meal for next to nothing. The food is incredible in this country, always has been, always will be. It’s the first thing that always comes to mind when you think of Italy; pasta and pizza. So true to form, we drop into the first place we walk past and Oh My God look at this pizza below! Parma Ham and Parmigiana! That, in the sun with a cold beer and the world of work felt a million miles away!
Then suddenly a breakthrough… a message on Facebook, from a knight in shining armour! It was a simple message, “I have a woman ticket. 14 year old ok”. First I’d ever heard of a woman’s only ticket, but then there was a pin dropped to a pub around half a mile from the ground. And this is where it gets interesting. Really interesting!
Isabelle and I set off immediately on foot towards the pub, Google Maps reckons 25 minutes but I’m half running. We pass the ground and are now heading in the opposite direction, please god please!
On the final stretch a truly bizarre encounter. As we wander up the road, a VERY familiar figure walks out in front of us. No, surely it isn’t? It is, someone else just asked for a photo… “Lilian!” I shout, “A picture?”
Somehow, in this little back street cut through in Parma, I’ve bumped into former Parma and Juventus player and French World Cup Winner Lilian Thuram. His son now plays for Inter so it makes sense he’d be in attendance for this match. A lovely bloke, with very little English, he happily posed for photos with Isabelle and I before we head off to the pub.
As we approach the pub, it’s clear this is a testosterone charged environment. This is the Ultras. Mattia greets Isabelle and I at the door and ushers us in, I duly buy him a pint.
Now, the Ultras have a very mixed reception in Italy and Europe. Viewed on by some as nothing more than hooligans, but by others – including themselves – as the life blood of the club. They travel to every match, they rally the team when required, they organise charity events and they fill the stadium with noise and get every chant going. And yes, they fight each other.
It’s a complicated relationship that clubs have with their Ultras and the other fans at the clubs, which I won’t go into in any great detail here but if you want to know more, Tobias Jones’ book Ultra is a great insight into their World.
One thing I will say is, if you turn up and you’re ready to get involved and be part of their World – you cannot wish to meet a friendlier and more welcoming bunch. Immediately a Sambuca shot is thrust into my hand, a scarf wrapped around my neck and I’m welcomed.
Their English is probably only slightly better than my Italian and conversation is limited to saying names like “Gianfranco Zola” and everyone nodding and cheering. Mattia brings over his friend Andrea, an absolute tree of a man, who hugs me and welcomes me.
I explain the ticket predicament to him, “No problem”, he says, “we can get you in”. Pints downed, we march off the four of us to the ground, Mattia on his pushbike, and I’m handed Andrea’s son’s season card and his ID. Apparently I’m going to be passing for a 12 year old boy. Andrea explains that I just need to keep my thumb over the picture, “the only check the name matches”. Surely, surely, this isn’t going to work.
As we arrive at the Tardini, the throng of people at the gates parts and we are ushered to the front. Andrea must be a big deal I figure, and even more so when none of our tickets are even checked, we’re ushered into the ground. I hand over – as agreed – a €50 note to Mattia and he takes us into the underbelly of the huge open Kop behind the goal. Again, the queues part and we are handed a beer each, more people come to kiss Andrea on each cheek – yep, he’s the guy here.
Mattia takes Isabelle and I into the stand in the last few minutes before kick off and it is absolute pandemonium in there. People are everywhere, there are far more people than there’s space for and we take our place a third of the way up a staircase. There’s no stewards or security inside this stand, another quirk of the Ultras sections – the club expects them to self police. Largely it works. Yeah it’s over subscribed and there’s a strong smell of weed around, but there’s good vibes only here.
As the game kicks off, no one is paying any attention whatsoever. The young lads down at the front are on their perch, back to the pitch facing the crowd, megaphone to their mouths starting every chant. Flags everywhere wave around, we can only catch glimpses of the match through the singing, jumping, flags and general party vibe. Football is secondary today to everyone just getting together and catching up on their weeks. Perhaps it’s not always like this, Inter are top and Parma scrapping to survive, so defeat is generally accepted before a ball was even kicked.
And sure enough, Darmian gives Inter the lead after 15 minutes and the away section erupts behind the opposite goal. Right on half time, Thuram doubles Inters’ lead with potentially one of the worst goals he’ll ever score. And no one noticed. The noise never stopped, the singing never stopped, the flags never stopped. They’re here to support their team, not to react to a setback.
In the second half a new Parma emerge, pulling a goal back on the hour before equalising on 69 minutes from Ondrejka. And you can bet your life that there were spectacular scenes on the equaliser. Limbs everywhere, people falling downstairs, beers being hurled in the air, pure delirium, this was a brilliant display of emotion and it was impossible not to raise a smile for them. Ultimately they deserved it, they fought right until the end and Inter were poor. The game ended in a draw, this was to be the theme of the weekend, 2-2 but it felt like a victory for Parma. They deserved it.
As we filtered out of the stadium, I joined my new friends back at the same bar and we had a few more beers and sambucas, posed for photos and exchanged numbers to become friends for life. Every now and again I still get a text from Andrea after a matchday and we briefly speak to each other in broken English about football. One day they want to join me in Gillingham for a match, I think they’ll be disappointed by the atmosphere.
I sat on the 10pm train back to Bologna with Isabelle and shared a smile with no words as we ate kebab. This was everything we loved about travelling to Italy to watch football, the experiences, the dashing around, the new friends, the atmosphere and the crazy games. And, above all, it’s only day one. There’s two days left yet…
It’s Monday, so there’s a whole week of the soap opera about to begin. Below is our top ten list of things to look out for happening this week.
1. Serie A Fixture Release – Friday, June 6
Grab your espresso and mark the date—this Friday, the 2025/26 Serie A calendar drops. Fans are praying for a soft opening fixture. Clubs are crossing fingers to avoid an away trip to Bergamo in Week 1. And somewhere in Milan, Allegri is plotting a 1-0 already.
2. Serie C Play-Offs – Semi-Final Stage
It’s chaos, it’s passion, it’s Serie C. Ternana and Pescara will fight it out in the final for a golden ticket to Serie B. Expect drama, flares, debates, and at least one 90th-minute winner to shake things up over the two legs tonight and Saturday.
3. Maurizio Sarri Back at Lazio
Yes, you read that right—he’s back. Maurizio Sarri returns to Lazio just 15 months after quitting. Apparently, absence does make the heart grow fonder (or the board ran out of options). Two-year deal, one big reset button. Get the cigarettes and 4-3-3s ready.
4. Allegri Returns to Milan
AC Milan have turned back the clock and hired Max Allegri. He’s promised structure, pragmatism, and probably a very annoyed Rafael Leão being told to track back more. Milan want trophies. Allegri wants another coat. Let’s see who gets what first.
5. Gasperini Leaves Atalanta
After nine iconic years, Gian Piero Gasperini has waved goodbye to Atalanta and is set to join Roma. One Europa League trophy, countless 3-4-2-1s, and more underdog wins than a Rocky film series. Replacing him? Not so easy. The next coach better love wingbacks.
6. Special Serie A Transfer Window (June 1–10)
A unique transfer window opened on June 1 for clubs preparing for the FIFA Club World Cup. Deals can be registered until June 10. It’s like Black Friday for sporting directors—but with more agents and fewer refunds.
7. Davide Frattesi Transfer Rumours Heat Up
After a Champions League final cameo that never materialised, Frattesi is being linked with a move away from Inter. Juventus, Roma, and even some cheeky Premier League clubs are sniffing around. Inter might sell—but only if the price makes Oaktree raise an eyebrow. Watch this space—and Frattesi’s Instagram stories.
8. AC Milan Push for Samuele Ricci
With Allegri back and reportedly craving a Ricci-type in midfield, Milan are stepping up talks with Torino for the Italian starlet. At this point, Ricci may just walk to Milanello himself to get it over with.
9. Napoli Trademark “McFratm”
In what might be the most Napoli move ever, the club has filed a trademark on Scott McTominay’s nickname “McFratm.” He’s the city’s new cult hero, and merchandising execs are already dreaming up beach towels. All that’s missing is a line of limited edition Limoncello.
10. Juventus’ New Tudor Era Maybe Begins
With Thiago Motta drama behind them (for now), Juventus moved forward under Igor Tudor. The Croatian is a disciplinarian who doesn’t mind upsetting a few stars. Think of him as the anti-Allegri—except with just as much tactical tinkering and slightly better hair, and they look set to make his temporary stay a permanent one.
That’s your Italian football week ahead: part soap opera, part tactical chess, part transfer market circus. And it’s only Monday.
Look away now Milan fans… it’s time to break down this absolute breakdown of a season from one of Europe’s biggest teams. The Red Devils experienced turmoil in the boardroom, changed managers, didn’t qualify for European football and had their lowest finish for years. Milan and Manchester are united in their red half being in disarray while their blue half powers on. But what exactly happened this season to Milan?
After the close of the 2024 campaign, Pioli was out and on his way to Saudi Arabia and Lille manager Paulo Fonseca was on his way to Italy. He wouldn’t see 2025 in Milan. In a reign framed by internal dispute and strife, a fall out with Rafa Leao over his defensive contributions would lead to his ultimate departure.
Leao and Theo Hernandez were left out of the line up in late August against Lazio, with Milan trailing 2-1 in the second half both were introduced. However, shortly after scoring the equaliser Leao and Hernandez chose not to join the team huddle for tactical advice during a drinks break, instead opting to stay on the other side of the pitch, to the embarrassment of Fonseca and Milan.
Both parties tried to play it down, but the message was clear – we don’t respect the coach.
Still, a month later and facing the prospect of a record breaking seventh consecutive defeat to cross town rivals Inter, Milan finally showed up. A swashbuckling performance led by season’s silver lining Christian Pulisic drove the team on to a 2-1 victory which in truth could’ve been more. Milan were back. Or were they? Despite beating Lecce in their next outing, they were beaten by Fiorentina and Napoli in the coming matches and drew with Cagliari and Juventus.
It was an odd few weeks for Theo Hernandez who equalled Maldini’s record of 29 goals for a Milan defender, then followed it with a missed penalty and a red card against Fiorentina. Encapsulating the inconsistency that defined Milan’s season.
Fonseca’s short reign ended on 29th December 2024 after a rather tame 1-1 draw with Roma, another side who would change managers in the season. His replacement, Sergio Conceicao was appointed a day later and would take the team to Saudi Arabia and the Supercoppa campaign. Milan easily despatched Juventus and would face the old enemy Inter in the final.
By half time, it was business as usual and Inter led Milan 2-0, appearing to be heading for defeat. Conceicao sparked something other than a cigar at half time and Milan’s comeback was complete when Tammy Abraham smashed home a last minute winner to hand Conceicao a trophy before he’d even managed a league game. His famous dance moves in the dressing room would come back to haunt him later in the season though…
Theo would surpass Maldini’s goalscoring record with his 30th goal in a 2-1 win over Como in January. Corner turned by Milan then? Well, not quite, the popular Davide Calabria was stripped of the captaincy and loaned to Bologna prompting him to comment, “I will miss everything”.
Milan would spend the next few months lurching from one headline to another, inconsistency on the field was becoming the norm, while off the pitch turmoil gathered pace. The Curva Sud were vocal in their criticisms of the club’s American owner Gerry Cardinale and the board running the club.
During the 125th anniversary celebrations, chants of “Cardinale you have to sell” and “We are not Americans” were heard, banners were erected and directors had to use a secondary exit to escape.
Against Roma in Fonseca’s last game, the first ten minutes of the match was dedicated by the Curva to constant criticism of the owners and the manager, in January against Parma they did the opposite and stayed silent during the entire match. Then, in March in a match with Lazio, the ultras delayed their entry until the 15th minute and as they entered, they chanted insults against Cardinale and Conceicao.
This came to a head in the final game of the season with the famous choreography of the fans spelling the words “GO HOME”. The Curva Sud were quick to point out their issues, “Incapable directors, a club without ambition. You are not up to the level of our history. Players without desire and dignity, you are the mirror of this ownership.”
Conceicao managed to make it to the end of the season and not much further. He was dismissed on May 29th rather unceremoniously and has already been replaced with Massimiliano Allegri. Expectations are high for Allegri in his second spell, having won the league in 2011. He’ll need to do something quickly because morale is very low.
Allegri hasn’t spoken publicly yet, but there’s concern for the English players in the squad, Kyle Walker, Fikayo Tomori, Tammy Abraham and Ruben Loftus-Cheek are all facing uncertain futures.
But was it all bad this season? Pulisic had a real breakout season, bagging 17 goals and 12 assists, Theo Hernandez became the highest scoring defender in Milan’s history and Tammy Abraham contributed 10 goals.
Milan stopped the rot against Inter, with three wins and two draws in various competitions including winning the Supercoppa against them and knocking them out of the Coppa Italia. A brief high point included the 3-2 comeback win at Parma scoring two goals after the 90th minute.
And let’s not forget the thrilling 3-1 win at the Bernabeu against the imperious Real Madrid. Morata, Reijnders and Thiaw with the goals on a night when Milan could’ve won by so many more. There’ll be none of that next season, with Milan finishing the Serie A season in 8th and not entering Europe at all. Napoli weren’t in Europe this season though, and the extra time on the training ground seemed to work for them.
So it’s not entirely a “banter era” for Milan, but Allegri needs to get it right to stop it becoming one. And quickly too…
The Calcio Blog 