Overall mercato and what should be expected from new season...
Just wanted to share my two cents on what happened during this mercato and what should we expect from next season...
Honestly,i didn't expected to be active at all on this mercato mostly because of lack of funds that came from missin Champions League money and previous mercatos wasted money,i didn't thought they would have taken this mercato seriously but surprisingly for me we managed to do some good signings...
Lucumi- A really good signing,a player that has experience in Seria A, reliable and relatively cheap considering the market nowdays.... I see it as a really positive enforcement that will help us a lot!
Vicario- A very smart move from directors,since its a loan with option i think this leaves us time to evaluate the situation better during the season while filling an emergency we had at a very delicate position such as GK
Kolo Muani- I see this sub is very biased towards him,but i think it was the safest options on the market... They totally knew what to expect from him, avoiding another "Openda" situation and getting a striker that in a very possible scenario will score 10-15 goals and be very helpful in tight spaces,against team that defend like crazy towards us he will try to find openings and help others use that space... Heavy price tag that also comes with a rebuild on relationships with a club that is a super power in todays football. Personally i think in overall Kolo will be more helpful for the team than Vlahovic!
Zeki Celik- A fantastic back up and rotation player,came for free and can also cover up LB with amazing grinta and pride, physically fit and still a very smart singing!
Alajbegovic- One for the future,a pure and raw talent,one of those market opportunities you just cannot miss... The future is bright for the kid and im happy we are thinking about new talents too
Ekhator- Personally don't know him at all, hopefully he turns out good and wish him all the best in bianco nero
With mercato coming near the end,we need a pure defensive midfielder, someone that can let Locatelli breathe a bit and think more about building rather than defending... We need a LB but that has been the case for the last 10-15 years, personally I think that we have had worse LB in the past than the pair of Cambiasso and Cabal who are heavily criticized,but this club has an obsession of neglecting the LB role and idk why 😅 I still think a defensive midfielder is more important than the LB right now...
I wanna mention the "new signings",Douglas Luiz and Boga... I really think D.Luiz will be an improvement to the team,he has an eye for vertical passing that will help us a lot and give the team something extra. Boga on the other hand has the experience and ability to help the team when talent is not enough,huge respect for him...
We offloaded Vlahovic that was a "hot topic" during this summer and personally im happy,he had become a burden at this point and he felt like he was always trying to prove its worth to the club,and that really got into his head and didn't let him perform normally...
The loaning of Openda, although a dry loan it gives me hope because at Lyon he can really perform and impress so hopefully if he goes through a good season they will want to keep him..
Finally we let Arthur go!
What still worries me is the Nico Gonzalez situation,i really wished we could have cashed him because i don't see him part of this team at all... Also we still have three players we need to offload although its almost impossible to get bids for Koop,David and Di Gregorio!
I don't expect a Scuddeto race this season,Inter are clear favorites... Marotta showing once again that he is still the best director in Italian football,Napoli has the players but most importantly has the "Corto Musso" mentality this year and I think they will still be the second favorites for the scudetto although it will be very difficult in my opinion... Personally i see Inter taking the lead by a difference and i see a really harsh race between Napoli,Juve and Roma for the second and third place... Como is not a surprise anymore and will be around to make life harder for anyone that plays against them but i think Champions League will take a toll on them this year,that been said 4th place will be theirs... I don't know what the hell is Milan cooking this year,but i see them as a headless chicken for the moment! Maybe im wrong and they are the surprise of this season,but my guts tell me that Milan,Atalanta and Fiorentina will struggle together for the 5th place...
I think we will have a decent run i Europa League,and luck and injuries will decide if we make it into the semi-finals or not, personally think we really have the potential to reach Europa League semi-finals this year..