This summer marked the return to Inter Milan, even on loan from Chelsea London, of Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku. The player, for whom Chelsea paid £97.5 million to the Milan club last year, is far from the form he showed for two seasons at Inter, when he scored 64 goals in all competitions! In addition, just three games into the season, when he scored once in the opening round against Lecce, Lukaku got injured! Inter didn’t have the money for spectacular transfers, settling for signing 34-year-old defender Francesco Acerbi from Lazio (on loan) and “free agent” Henrikh Mkhitaryan from AS Roma.
The rebuilding started by Napoli has meant parting with players who have been iconic in recent years but unable to bring the title to the ‘Stadio San Paolo’, now the ‘Stadio Diego Armando Maradona’. Gone are David Ospina, Kalidou Koulibaly, Fabián Ruiz, Arkadiusz Milik, Andrea Petagna, Lorenzo Insigne, Dries Mertens – more than half the squad!
Napoli’s novelty for this season is the Georgian Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, a completely unknown Georgian until his transfer to Serie A. The 21-year-old Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, brought in from Dinamo Batumi, has had a fantastic start to the season. It’s not just the Georgian’s appetite for goals, four goals scored in the first six games of the season, that has impressed. His speed, amazing technique and determination have turned the “anonymous” Khvicha Kvaratskhelia into a superstar in record time! Khvicha Kvaratskhelia quickly won the heart of Napoli’s fans, who are now watching their rivals from the top of the table!
Juventus gave the “expensive” Dušan Vlahović, brought in January from Fiorentina for 70 million euros, Filip Kostić, his compatriot, 12 million euros from Eintracht Frankfurt. In the first six games, Kostić has failed to break the ice! Also in attack, Juve have transferred the Polish Arkadiusz Milik and the Argentine Ángel Di María, and in the midfield the troublesome Paul Pogba, who returns to the ‘’Old Lady’’ after six years at Manchester United, during which time he became world champion and UEFA Nations League winner with the French national team.
After selling Joaquín Correa permanently to Lazio for €23.6 million and Vedat Muriqi to Mallorca for €7.7 million, Lazio Roma spent €31.7 million on four players: Luís Maximiano (Granada CF), Marcos Antônio (Shakhtar Donetsk), Mattia Zaccagni and Nicolò Casale (both Hellas Verona).
AS Roma managed a high-profile transfer, Paulo Dybala, from Juventus, for whom the Giallorossi paid nothing, the 28-year-old Argentinian ending his contract with the Turin club. Paulo Dybala has impressed since making his debut for Roma, scoring three goals and two assists in his first six games. Andrea Belotti is another big name transferred by Roma. The 28-year-old former AC Torino striker and captain is reportedly in need of a period of adjustment with his new team. The same cannot be said of Serbian Nemanja Matić, turned 34, who has also parted ways with Manchester United after five years at Old Trafford.
Roma cashed in €43.6 million this summer after selling Pau López, Jordan Veretout, Cengiz Ünder, Felix Afena-Gyan, Robin Olsen and Alessandro Florenzi.
Fiorentina took advantage of the situation of Ukrainian teams and transferred young Brazilian right-back Dodô from Shakhtar Donetsk for €14.5 million.
Atalanta had money to spend this summer! Atalanta cashed in €59 million on two players Cristian Romero and Remo Freuler alone. The Bergamo-based club took €98 million out of their pockets to improve their squad: Jérémie Boga (US Sassuolo), Éderson (Salernitana), Merih Demiral (Juventus), Rasmus Höjlund (Sturm Graz), Brandon Soppy (Udinese Calcio), Ademola Lookman (RB Leipzig).
Other interesting names that Serie A teams are putting forward for the new season are:
– Agustín Álvarez, the Uruguayan striker, only 21 years old, brought in by Sassuolo from Peñarol Montevideo.
– Perr Schuurs, Dutch central defender, 22 years old (1.91m), brought by Torino from Ajax Amsterdam
– Jhon Lucumí, Colombian central defender, 24, brought by Bologna from Genk.
