Old Juve
Fansided

Serie A: Top 5 Signings of the Season (so far)

By James Cormack

ROME, ITALY - DECEMBER 04: Edin Dzeko of FC Internazionale speaks with his teammate Hakan Calhanoglu during the Serie A match between AS Roma and FC Internazionale at Stadio Olimpico on December 4, 2021 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Giuseppe Bellini/Getty Images)
ROME, ITALY - DECEMBER 04: Edin Dzeko of FC Internazionale speaks with his teammate Hakan Calhanoglu during the Serie A match between AS Roma and FC Internazionale at Stadio Olimpico on December 4, 2021 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Giuseppe Bellini/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 4
Next

The return of Serie A is fast-approaching and we’re set for a thrilling second half to the 2021/22 campaign.

In the summer, with the financial impact of the pandemic still lingering, teams across Italy were forced to be more astute in their transfer dealings. Big money moves were of the essence, with savvy loan deals and free transfers the returning trend of the 2021 summer.

Despite the ‘lack’ of money being thrown around by Serie A clubs, we’ve seen many new arrivals enjoy brilliant stars at their respective new clubs. In fact, the first half of the 2021/22 campaign was a haven for summer signings shining (try saying that a few times over!). Thus, it was incredibly tough to conjure up a top-five list of Serie A’s summer signings, and the lengthy ‘honourable mentions’ list below depicts just how many players have hit the ground running despite a change of scenery.

The top-five Serie A signings of the 2021 summer

However, after careful consideration and debate, we have put together a top-five. There’s no debate, this is unequivocally correct.

Honourable mentions: Andre Zambo Anguissa (Napoli), Nicolas Gonzalez (Fiorentina), Manuel Locatelli (Juventus), Juan Musso (Atalanta), Mike Maignan (AC Milan), Tammy Abraham (AS Roma).

5. Beto (Joined Udinese from Portimonense – loan)

Beto has scored seven times in Serie A this season. (Photo by Giuseppe Cottini/Getty Images)
Beto has scored seven times in Serie A this season. (Photo by Giuseppe Cottini/Getty Images) /

Despite the lack of big-money deals in the summer, we’ve seen plenty of success stories on the transfer front so far this season. Perhaps the most surprising star thus far has been Udinese’s Beto.

While the towering forward had enjoyed a 21-goal league season with Portimonense in 2020/21, expectations weren’t exceedingly high for the loanee to be a major hit in Serie A. However, Beto has swiftly hushed any doubters with his impressive campaign thus far. The on-loan striker has been pivotal in keeping Udinese afloat this term following the predictable summer departure of protagonist Rodrigo De Paul.

While Beto offers close to nothing from a creative perspective, he sure does know where the goal is. He tops the Udinese scoring charts in Serie A with seven goals, and his rather unique skill set has seen him become a thorn in many Serie A defences. He’s quick despite his frame, while his ball-carrying ability is pretty special. Compared to other forwards in Europe’s top-five leagues over the past year, Beto ranks in 96th percentiles for dribbles completed per 90 minutes (2.17) and numbers of players dribbled past per 90 (2.38).

He’s the transition threat and goalscorer Udinese so desperately needed. If only he arrived while De Paul was still in town…

Continues onto the next slide…

Home/Serie A