Besides the established constellation of Serie A stars, there are others that have yet to shine in the Italian top flight and Stephen Kasiewicz names five to watch in 2023-24.
From Capocannoniere Victor Osimhen at Napoli to Milan left-back Theo Hernandez and Inter midfielder Nicolo Barella there are plenty of big names that excelled under the spotlight last season. New leading performers will undoubtedly emerge in the 2023-2024 campaign to stand tall among the league’s elite.
Football Italia examines five players that could make a surprising impact in the forthcoming campaign.
Natan (Napoli)
The Partenopei were linked with numerous centre-backs before the unexpected signing of the young Brazilian from Red Bull Bragantino. Could the 22-year-old be another scouting success to follow in the footsteps of the outstanding Kim Min-jae?
Although it’s unrealistic to place lofty expectations on a defender untested at the highest level in Europe, the ex-Flamengo player possesses enough quality to make the grade in Italy. Blessed with pace in abundance, aggressive in the tackle and eager to switch from back to front quickly Natan could turn out to be another inspired addition at Napoli.
Charles De Ketelaere (Atalanta)
It was uncomfortable viewing as the Belgian failed to adjust to the unique rigours of Italian football in a desperate first term at Milan. The attacking midfielder has a chance to redeem himself away from the high-pressure atmosphere of the Italian giants after a move to Atalanta.
La Dea coach Gian Piero Gasperini doesn’t take any prisoners and will push the 22-year-old to fulfil his latent potential. Things can’t get any worse for a player that looked timid and out of his depth with the Rossoneri in the previous campaign.
Gustav Isaksen (Lazio)
The young Dane could turn out to be one of the most underrated signings of the summer. A standout performer for FC Midtjylland he scored in both home and away Europa League ties against his future employers last term.
Although predominantly a right-winger the 22-year-old can play anywhere across the front line. A direct runner unafraid to attempt the spectacular, the adventurous forward has the ability to score a few stunners in the season ahead.
Andrea Belotti (Roma)
The Italy striker registered double figures in the goals column in six of his seven Serie A seasons at Torino before drawing a blank after moving to Roma. It was a glaring statistic in an era where everything is meticulously over-analyzed to the point of irrelevancy. Riddled with injuries the 29-year-old played through the pain barrier but couldn’t catch a break in his first year at the capital club. It’s not unreasonable to assume that Il Gallo will bounce back to prosper at Roma this time around especially with Tammy Abraham sadly out of action until new year due to a knee injury.
Mateo Retegui (Genoa)
The naturalised Italian received a hero’s welcome as hundreds of Genoa fans packed into the city’s Piazza De Ferrari to celebrate his official unveiling. The Argentine-born striker has already struck twice in three games for the Azzurri and hopes are high that he will propel the oldest club in the country to safety in the 2023-2024 campaign. The 24-year-old contacted iconic Il Grifone attacker Diego Milito before moving to Geona and will do well to come anywhere close to matching the achievements of Il Principe at the Ligurian club.