At a time when the biggest interest – and row – in Serie A seems to be about a fixture that has not been played and could ultimately be settled in the courts, it’s easy to forget transfer deadline day in Serie A can generate much excitement.
While Napoli believe state authority should override sporting regulations – and quite rightly too in this case – their battles to surpass rivals on the pitch may be a genuine struggle based on the latest moves in the market.
So, who have been the winners and losers in the transfer window? Which clubs have potentially snaffled up the best players and who are the ones that have been left reeling in the wake of their rivals?
When Serie A highlights return after the international break, it’s clear Juventus will have strengthened further thanks to one deadline day move.
Yes, Douglas Costa officially returned to Bayern Munich on loan for another term but the acquisition of Federico Chiesa from Fiorentina is a fine move which fully strengthens the champions’ squad.
This a team, of course, which already possesses Cristiano Ronaldo and has added Alvaro Morata to its ranks.
He’s the son of Enrico Chiesa, who funnily enough, played at Parma with a certain Gianluigi Buffon. So legendary goalkeeper Buffon, who played alongside Chiesa the father at Parma, will soon line-up with Chiesa the son at Juve which is quite a statistic.
Fiorentina will miss him badly, even if his departure has been offset somewhat by the arrival in Florence of Jose Callejon, the former Napoli winger who is set to undergo his medical with the Viola.
If the SBOTOP Serie A betting odds were based solely on money spent, Inter Milan would be out on their own as title favourites.
Last season’s runners-up in both the league and Europa League have splashed the cash again in a big way.
Achraf Hakimi (from Real Madrid), Nicolo Barella (from Cagliari), Aleksandar Kolarov (from Roma) have joined the likes of astute free transfers Arturo Vidal and Alexis Sanchez with another former Manchester United man, Matteo Darmian, arriving on loan from Parma.
Inter midfielder Joao Mario has arrived in Portugal to undergo his medical before reportedly completing a one-year loan move to Sporting but one suspects he would hardly have been a regular had he been kept on by boss Antonio Conte.
United have actually played quite a part in the Serie A window with another defender, Chris Smalling, moving to the Italian capital on a permanent basis after impressing last term.
He was greeted by singing Roma ultras at the airport as he returned. The one-time England defender had become a fan favourite during his season-long loan and pushed to make the move permanent.
After months of increasingly tense negotiations, the deal was finally done with minutes to spare on deadline day for €15m, payable over four years.
Likewise, Milan have been busy bees and could have made one of the signings of the summer with the loan move from United of Diogo Dalot, a player who has the potential to be one of the best full-backs in Europe – a move which gives weight to the critics who believe the English giants lack leadership on and off the pitch. His loan move only weakens a side which was hapless in its last outing.
Elsewhere though, could their failure to capture a centre back prove costly?
The Rossoneri signed several new players in the summer transfer window with the likes of Dalot, Jens Petter Hauge, Ciprian Tatarusanu, Sandro Tonali, Brahim Diaz and Kalulu Kyatengwa all joining.
That they have ended the window with no reinforcements at the heart of their rearguard is surprising. Several centre-backs were linked with a move to the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza but neither of them eventually joined up.
Among the other news, Napoli forward Arkadiusz Milik will reportedly train on his own until January, after rejecting late moves to Fiorentina and Valencia.
Adam Ounas has arrived at Cagliari after his move from Napoli. They’ve netted the 23 year-old on loan with an option to buy and the winger has revealed he spoke to former Partenopei teammate Rog before deciding to join the Casteddu.
Meanwhile, Verona surprised many as they signed Nikola Kalinic from Atletico Madrid on a permanent deal.
Kalinic has already played in Serie A with Fiorentina, Milan and Roma and will likely need little time to settle.
After all that, can you see any difference with the top two at the summit this term?
Of course not!
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