The Three Worst and Best Deals of the Summer in Serie A | OneFootball

Just as Serie A is about to embark on a busy stretch that could shape up the rest of the season, and with teams already looking ahead at the January window, it’s time to put a pin on the summer session and take stock of the most glaring flops and the biggest bargains.

Worst Signings

Douglas Luiz

At least Juventus didn’t have to shell out €50M on the nail thanks to the inclusion of two youngsters who weren’t ready to contribute at this highest level, albeit intriguing. Thiago Motta is no shmuck, and, the crowd clamoring for more minutes for him was quickly silenced by his first few dreadful performances. Perhaps it’s just a matter of conditioning and adaption, but he’s looked like a fish out of water in a team that’s trying to be both automatized and free-flowing in its ensemble. Other than a few fancy touches and passes, he’s done more harm than good. He might be a little too anarchic to fit into the coach’s design. The next run of games without Teun Koopmeiners, where he could play as a no.10 and stay away from his box, might already be crucial for him.

Matias Soulé

It has become manifest that Roma signed him in advance to replace Paulo Dybala early. In hindsight, they should have waited to pull the trigger until they were certain La Joya would leave. His price tag wasn’t sky-high, but he wasn’t cheap either. Plus, they had other players waiting in the wings if they missed out because of the timing. Even in their new era, it’s preposterous to have somebody so pricey riding the pine. He’s been far from his peak Frosinone days in his first two months in the Italian capital, perhaps sensing the mistrust around him. The initial tactical confusion and now the scheme after the coaching change didn’t help him. It’s not unusual for players who thrived with high usage in a minnow to suffer once they get to a bigger team that has more mouths to feed, but he’s been almost listless.

Emerson Royal

Milan needed a right-back, and they would have been in trouble without an addition since Davide Calabria hasn’t been able to stay healthy. They got their top option after a long negotiation that didn’t really affect his price tag. They were way off if they hoped to bring in somebody who could be at least half as impactful as Theo Hernandez in the final third, which would have made their scheme less lopsided toward the left flank. He’s been shaky defensively too, which could have been his saving grace.

(Dis)honorable mentions: Andrea Colpani, whose stock has plummeted in the span of a few months and has misfired a Fiorentina; Tijjani Noslin, who hasn’t found his role at Lazio; Thijs Dallinga, who came in with a lot of hype primarily due to the impeccable track record of Bologna director Giovanni Sartori but has been very tentative and has been vastly outplayed by Santiago Castro; Marin Pongracic, who was sound at Lecce but was a gross overpay.

Best Additions

Nuno Tavares

He’s taken Serie A by storm with his muscular runs and precise dishes from the left flank, providing a host of assists already. He has room to grow as a finisher too, as he gets into the teeth of the defense with ease. Lazio guessed right when they took a chance on him. He hadn’t fared convincingly in his most recent spells and dealt with a few injuries; otherwise, he wouldn’t been available at such a low price. They’ll pay €5M plus a sizeable resale clause, which isn’t a problem if they keep ahold of him for a few seasons. They had needed a quality left-back for years.

Pierre Kalulu

Juventus spent the summer chasing after Riccardo Calafiori, whom Bologna probably would have never sold to them after they poached Thiago Motta, and Jean-Clair Todibo, who’s having a hard time at West Ham, in a big-money deal that might have precluded them from bagging Teun Koopmeiners. They found a diamond in the rough for a lot less in the end. Milan soured on him because of his continuous injuries last season and decided to go in a different direction. The Rossoneri would have been better off committing on him as a right-back and spending elsewhere, but that’s neither here nor there. Activating his €14M option to buy is a no-brainer.

Mateo Retegui

It took Atalanta no time at all to bounce back from the Gianluca Scamacca blow and find an apt replacement. His first Serie A campaign was okay but nothing to write home about. He had bagged just seven goals and was slowed down by an ankle injury. He has already matched his previous haul. It turns out that he just needed to play in a more offensive-minded team to fill his boots. He’s not as flashy, gifted, and technical as the former Sassuolo star, but he’s super effective in the box. He couldn’t have found a better side to exploit and enhance that.

Honorable mentions: Artem Dovbyk, Alessandro Buongiorno, and Scott McTominay, who were expensive but have been worth every penny; Alvaro Morata, whose purchase didn’t break the bank thanks to the release clause and has been a great leader; David de Gea, who’s somehow brilliant despite a year out of football, and Albert Gudmundsson, whose chase took patience and cold-bloodedness, but he’s a difference-maker; Saul Coco, as it wasn’t easy to fill Buongiorno’s boots at Torino, Nico Paz, Verona’s Casper Tengstedt and Daniel Mosquera combo, and Sebastiano Esposito.