Luciano Spalletti has opted to drop eight players from his most recent Italy national team squad, but has handed first call-ups to Atalanta midfielder Marco Brescianini and Leicester City defender Caleb Okoli.
Eight players who were selected to represent Italy at EURO 2024 have been omitted from the Nations League squad set to face France and Israel in September.
Arsenal midfielder Jorginho has not made the cut, nor has Roma’s Bryan Cristante. Versatile Inter defender Matteo Darmian was not selected. Gianluca Mancini has also been left off the list.
Federico Chiesa, who had been training separately from the Juventus squad before his move to Liverpool, has also been left at home on this occasion.
Inter’s Nicolo Barella requires an operation on his nose, and will therefore be unavailable for a few days.
The injured Gianluca Scamacca is also out, as is Michael Folorunsho.
There are first call-ups for Brescianini and Okoli, while Nicolo Fagioli, Destiny Udogie, Samuele Ricci and Moise Kean have returned to the group.
There is also a first call-up for well over a year for Sandro Tonali, who is now eligible again after his 10-month ban for his activity in illegal gambling practices. The 24-year-old made his return to competitive action in the EFL Cup for Newcastle earlier this week.
Confirmed Italy squad
Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain), Alex Meret (Napoli), Guglielmo Vicario (Tottenham).
Defenders: Alessandro Bastoni (Inter), Raoul Bellanova (Atalanta), Alessandro Buongiorno (Napoli), Riccardo Calafiori (Arsenal), Andrea Cambiaso (Juventus), Giovanni Di Lorenzo (Napoli), Federico Dimarco (Inter), Federico Gatti (Juventus), Caleb Okoli (Leicester), Destiny Udogie (Tottenham).
Midfielders: Marco Brescianini (Atalanta), Nicolò Fagioli (Juventus), Davide Frattesi (Inter), Lorenzo Pellegrini (Roma), Samuele Ricci (Torino), Sandro Tonali (Newcastle).
Attackers: Moise Kean (Fiorentina), Giacomo Raspadori (Napoli), Mateo Retegui (Atalanta), Mattia Zaccagni (Lazio).
Official: Tonali returns, Chiesa dropped, Okoli’s first time – Italy squad for France and Israel
Woeful lack of attacking talent continues. But almost all the arrivals in the market this season were foreign, so expect Italy’s struggles to continue.
We are in a bad place
Seems
Spalletti is trying to get fired. Cannot understand any of the picks but Ferban is correct what can u expect when u import all foreigners and keep diminishing italian players in seria A. It will only get worse until people wake up smell the coffee.
we never learn he does wnt to get fired this is the best way for him without quiting the pictuer looks gloomy no killer strikers he should of called balotelli given him a chance