The new Serie A campaign starts on Saturday, and Peter Young lists five top signings to watch in 2023-24.
Davide Frattesi – Inter
Davide Frattesi effectively had the pick of the top Serie A clubs to choose from this summer – at certain points, it seemed as though they were all queuing up. Roma tried, Milan came knocking, but ultimately it was Inter who were able to convince the 23-year-old to go on board.
Over the course of the last two seasons with Sassuolo, Frattesi has established himself as one of the most promising midfielders Serie A has to offer. An all-action player in the middle of the park, he has the ability to play from deep, but also to get himself in goalscoring positions, chipping in with seven in the league last season.
Arriving on loan for a fee of €6m with an obligation to buy for €27m plus €5m in bonuses, Frattesi hasn’t exactly come cheap. However, if he continues to consistently perform at the level he has shown he is capable of, the Nerazzurri could have a solid midfielder on their hands for the best part of the next decade.
Christian Pulisic – Milan
Could anybody have predicted the summer Milan have just had when the 2022-23 season ended just a few short months ago? Almost certainly not. Paolo Maldini and Ricky Massara were both dismissed before Sandro Tonali was sold to Newcastle a few weeks afterwards. However, the Rossoneri have since been one of the busiest Serie A sides in the transfer market and in reality, there are a whole host of new signings to choose from.
Christian Pulisic is one of the more sensible options. A well-established, proven talent in the Bundesliga, Premier League and at international level, it is easy to forget that he is still just 24 years of age. His ability to play on either wing and through the middle gives Stefano Pioli plenty of options and along with Rafael Leao and fellow newcomer Samuel Chukwueze, the Rossoneri seem to have the makings of an exciting attacking unit.
Milan will of course need to keep the American fit, but given his age and experience, the reported €22m fee, which includes bonuses, is not bad business. Especially given his popularity across North America, an increasingly important market for the Rossoneri, and the boost in shirt sales and general engagement that Pulisic’s singing is likely to provide.
Houssem Aouar – Roma
In what has been a tricky summer for Roma due to various financial restrictions, Jose Mourinho’s side have still managed to pull off some fairly impressive bits of business. While they have so far relied solely on free transfers and loan signings, there have still been some improvements to the first-team squad, particularly in the middle of the park.
Houssem Aouar was the first new arrival through the door of the Stadio Olimpico this summer. At 25 years old, he has so far represented just one club, Lyon, turning out 233 times for his boyhood side since making his senior debut in 2016.
The Algeria international has been highly rated for a number of years now and has had plenty of interest from the Premier League in recent transfer windows. But it is Roma who now have Aouar at their disposal, and having penned a five-year contract in the capital, all interested parties will be hoping for a long and successful partnership.
Daichi Kamada – Lazio
Daichi Kamada is another who has had plenty of suitors in Serie A throughout the summer transfer window. Having been a free agent since the expiry of his contract with Eintracht Frankfurt at the end of the 2022-23 season, the Japan international had to hold out before joining a new side, eventually landing in Rome to join Lazio on a free.
Kamada’s stats during his time in the Bundesliga certainly make for impressive reading. A goal involvement every other game, in fact, with his nine goals and seven assists from 32 appearances. He also added three from eight in the Champions League and that experience will certainly come in handy to Maurizio Sarri and his team in the coming season.
Having lost Sergej Milinkovic-Savic to Saudi Arabia this summer, Lazio certainly have a big gap to fill in the middle of the park. But with the arrival of Kamada in attacking midfield, there could be a fresh spark of creativity at the Stadio Olimpico.
M’Bala Nzola – Fiorentina
One of the more underrated pieces of business this summer is Fiorentina’s acquisition of M’Bala Nzola from Spezia. It will be a completely new-look attack for La Viola this season, having also brought in Lucas Beltran from River Plate and having sold Arthur Cabral to Benfica. But in Nzola, Vincenzo Italiano could have a reliable goalscorer on his hands.
Despite Spezia’s relegation to Serie B at the end of last season, Nzola proved himself to be capable of scoring regardless of the circumstances. He came up with 13 goals from 31 appearances in 2022-23. Including his two assists, Nzola was involved in just shy of 50% of the 31 goals Spezia scored in Serie A all season.
Nzola will now have a better set-up around him compared to last season and he knows Italiano well, having played under him at both Spezia and Trapani previously. At a reported fee of €12m, Fiorentina may have just made an incredibly sensible investment.
Twitter: @peter_yng