Rating Every Serie A Team’s Mercato – The Calcio Consultant

The silliness is over, and we can finally just focus on the football. No more who’s going where, just who’s in what team (writes Frank Crivello).

But while we are waiting for the clubs to resume play, and to have something to take your minds off the Azzurri’s “Mess in Madrid,” let’s have a look at how every team did.

In this instalment, we’ll look at each team’s key gets and losses, summarize how everyone did, and give every team a rating on a scale of 1-10: 1 being Giampiero Ventura’s tactics in Spain; 10 being Andrea Belotti’s overhead kick against Sassuolo.

ATALANTA

• Key Gets: Martin De Roon, Josip Ilicic, Riccardo Orsolini
• Key Losses: Andrea Conti, Frank Kessie
• Atalanta’s Mercato was: about bracing for departures. You don’t exceed everyone’s expectations, finish in a European place, and not have the vultures circling. In this case, Atalanta held on to more than expected. In addition to that, they got Josip Ilicic from Fiorentina at a bargain rate. Orsolini joined on loan, but it’s a great opportunity to further his career after playing impressively at the U20 World Cup.
• Rating: 7.5

BENEVENTO

• Key Gets: Danilo Cataldi, Andrea Costa, Pietro Iemmello
• Key Losses: None
• Benevento’s Mercato was: about giving themselves a chance, and they didn’t quite do that. They didn’t really lose anyone of note, but the additions don’t suggest they’ll survive this season. Cataldi came over on loan, and Costa offers some experience for the defense. Iemmello got on a decent run of goals for Sassuolo in second half of last season, and could present the occasional problem. Overall though, nothing suggests they’ll be able to fight their way out of a quick drop.
• Rating: 4.5

BOLOGNA

• Key Gets: Rodrigo Palacio, Andrea Poli, Saphir Taider
• Key Losses: Anthony Mounier
• Bologna’s Mercato was: not particularly special. Poli brings a strong work ethic and just couldn’t get on the pitch at Milan. Rodrigo Palacio is at the tail–end of his career; how much will his arrival impact on the partnership established by Mattia Destro and Simone Verdi? Taider is also a small upgrade to the Bologna midfield. Mounier was not much of a loss, as he’s a player on the downswing of his career.
• Rating: 5

CAGLIARI

• Key Gets: Leonardo Pavoletti, Gregory Van Der Wiel, Marco Andreolli, Luca Cigarini
• Key Losses: Marco Borriello, Nicola Murru, Bruno Alves
• Cagliari’s Mercato was: intriguing. It is last chance saloon for Van Der Wiel, and the Sardinians purchased him accordingly. Cigarini has a lot of experience and came over on a free. The defense had to be revamped after conceding 76 goals last season, and there’s hope that Andreolli can lead that back line. Losing Borriello will hurt, as he was very productive last season, but the hope for Cagliari is that Pavoletti is a plug–and–play signing.
• Rating: 6.5

CHIEVO

• Key Gets: Manueal Pucciarelli, Nenad Tomovic, Gianluca Gaudino
• Key Losses: Nicolas Spolli, Mariano Izco
• Chievo’s Mercato was: frugal. The Flying Donkeys profited in the market thanks to their sale of Roberto Inglese to Napoli (who Chievo have on loan from the Partenopei). Pucciarelli may thrive in this system, as the attacking players around are much better than what he worked with at Empoli last season (Empoli still owns him). Gaudino is a product of Bayern Munich’s youth academy — it’s interesting to see a club like Chievo land him. Looking forward to what he’ll do on the peninsula.
• Rating: 5

CROTONE

• Key Gets: Marcello Trotta, Marco Tumminello, Leandro Cabrera
• Key Losses: None
• Crotone’s Mercato was: unconvincing, at least if they are to stay in Serie A for a third season. Diego Falcinelli – in theory – is a loss, but he was loaned to them by Sassuolo last season. Replacing what he accomplished in Crotone’s survival run will be a challenge. They hope they strike gold again with either Trotta or Tumminello, two young attacking players with promise. Cabrera arrived for free and the hope is he’s a good central defensive partner for Federico Ceccherini.
• Rating: 3

FIORENTINA

• Key Gets: Giovanni Simeone, Marco Benassi, Valentin Eysseric
• Key Losses: Nikola Kalinic, Federico Bernardeschi, Borja Valero
• Fiorentina’s Mercato was: worse than what the key gets and losses show. Also gone are Josip Ilicic, Matias Vecino, and Ciprian Tatarasanu. The additions are decent and La Viola will take some time to come together. Still, with the Della Valle family willing to listen to offers to buy the club, the resulting activity “watered down” the team to make it more attractive to buy. I’ve been saying Fiorentina are in for a struggle this season, but they have the talent to make a late–season climb.
• Rating: 4

GENOA

• Key Gets: Ricardo Centurion, Gianluca Lapadula, Andrea Bertolacci
• Key Losses: Giovanni Simeone
• Genoa’s Mercato was: a bit of a letdown. Not that the Grifone were going to attract anyone significant, but I did hope for a Simeone/Lapadula partnership; it would have been quite entertaining. Ivan Juric’s men are braced for consolidation. Andrea Bertolacci returns on loan, and his first stint at the Marassi was reason why he was able to make a big move. Genoa fans will hope he can recapture that form.
• Rating: 4.5

HELLAS VERONA

• Key Gets: Thomas Herteaux, Alessio Cerci, Martin Caceres
• Key Losses: None.
• Hellas Verona’s Mercato was: the stuff of teams that survive the quick drop. The three key gets are all veterans, and Verona mixed them with young talents like Seung-Woo Lee, Moise Kean, and Daniele Verde. The start to the season hasn’t been the greatest for Hellas Verona, but once the talent can come together, this looks like a side that should survive comfortably.
• Rating: 7

INTER MILAN

• Key Gets: Matias Vecino, Milan Skriniar, Borja Valero
• Key Losses: Ever Banega, Christian Ansaldi
• Inter’s Mercato Was: about building a team to fit Luciano Spalletti’s tactics. The additions certainly will help that, as well as new full backs Joao Cancelo and Dalbert. They worked a little later than their city rivals, but they assembled a strong squad in the end. Perhaps more importantly, Ivan Perisic is still there.
• Rating: 7.5

JUVENTUS

• Key Gets: Blaise Matuidi, Benedikt Howedes, Federico Bernardechi
• Key Losses: Leonardo Bonucci, Dani Alves
• Juventus’ Mercato was: disappointing, when you consider they threw their weight last season and plucked players (Higuain and Pjanic) from rival clubs (Napoli and Roma). There isn’t a wow factor with any of the arrivals. Matuidi is a box to box type midfielder, and might step into Sami Khedira’s role permanently at some point of the season. Howedes is a good defender, but I have concerns that his presence stunts Daniele Rugani’s growth. Bernardeschi – and Douglas Costa for that matter – give the Old Lady some depth in the wide areas.
• Rating: 6.5

LAZIO

• Key Gets: Nani, Lucas Leiva
• Key Losses: Keita Balde, Lucas Biglia, Wesley Hoedt
• Lazio’s Mercato was: about profiting from last season. They clearly did that with the key losses, with a small transfer fee and loan combining for the arrival of Nani and Lucas. More was needed considering they have Europa League on their slate, and we’ll see how much stock they put into that competition. Nani and Lucas at least offer some experience and should contribute.
• Rating: 5

MILAN

• Key Gets: Leonardo Bonucci, Frank Kessie, Lucas Biglia
• Key Losses: Juraj Kucka, Carlos Bacca, M’Baye Niang
• Milan’s Mercato was: about resurrecting a fallen giant. The new owners threw the money around and practically assembled a new squad. Bonucci was an unfathomable get considering he was with rivals Juventus. The Rossoneri added 11 new players, but more importantly got Gianluigi Donnarumma to extend his contract. There’ll need to be a grace period for all the players to come together, but Milan were the clear winners in the Serie A transfer market, and likely all of Europe.
• Rating: 10

NAPOLI

• Key Gets: Adam Ounas, Mario Rui
• Key Losses: None
• Napoli’s Mercato was: nothing, and in a good way. The Partenopei are one of the only teams who didn’t need to do anything in this window, but keep the players who were so pivotal to their Champions League position last season. Napoli fans are excited by the prospect of Ounas, and Mario Rui will be familiar with Maurizio Sarri’s tactics from their time together at Empoli. We could nitpick and say that they’ve not addressed defenders and goalkeeping, but Napoli should score enough goals where those ‘concerns’ may not matter.
• Rating: 7

ROMA

• Key Gets: Lorenzo Pellegrini, Aleksandar Kolarov, Patrick Schick
• Key Losses: Antonio Rudiger, Mohammed Salah, Leandro Paredes
• Roma’s Mercato was: what Roma fans should expect from Monchi. Parted with players, purchased others, and at a significant financial gain for the club. Pellegrini and Gregoire Defrel follow Coach Eusebio di Francesco from Sassuolo, and each should contribute. Aleksandar Kolarov is off to a nice start in his new home. Patrick Schick ends up being the real win here — a striker with a great future, originally courted by Juventus, then Inter. Rick Karsdorp and Cengiz Under are also on board, and each promising talent. Another big win for them was keeping defender Kostas Manolas, long thought to be out the door, who may end up signing an extension. Profited nicely from the sales of Rudiger, Salah, and Paredes.
• Rating: 7.5

SAMPDORIA

• Key Gets: Gaston Ramirez, Duvan Zapata, Ivan Strinic
• Key Losses: Luis Muriel, Milan Skriniar, Patrick Schick
• Sampdoria’s Mercato was: under the radar good. Samp cashed in on Patrick Schick for more than originally planned, as well as Muriel, Skriniar, and Bruno Fernandes. They replaced them with capable talents, including the aforementioned key gets. A further win for the Blucherati was hanging on to midfielders Lucas Torreira and Karol Linetty. Samp have set themselves up to contend for a European place.
• Rating: 8.5

SASSUOLO

• Key Gets: None, unless you count Diego Falcinelli returning from his loan
• Key Losses: Lorenzo Pellegrini, Gregoire Defrel
• Sassuolo’s Mercato was: all about avoiding being blown up. With Pellegrini and Defrel off to Roma, the Neroverde did well to hang on to the rest of their nucleus. Matteo Politano, Andrea Consigli, Domenico Berardi, and Francesco Acerbi all remain. Falcinelli returning from loan gives Sassuolo an able striker and a capable three man attack with Politano and Berardi. Fans might have wanted another arrival or two, but this is a team that can pester the bigger names.
• Rating: 5.5.

SPAL

• Key Gets: Marco Borriello, Felipe, Federico Viviani
• Key Losses: None
• SPAL’s Mercato was: about setting up for survival. Getting Borriello means SPAL have their 15-16 goal striker that can help. Felipe offers experience for the defense, and Viviani is battle-tested in this league. The additions put the new boys in position for survival, and after two match weeks are already paying dividends.
• Rating: 6.5

TORINO

• Key Gets: Cristian Ansaldi, Salvatore Sirigu, Nicolas N’Koulou
• Key Losses: Davide Zappacosta, Marco Benassi
• Torino’s Mercato was: about shoring up the defense. Sirigu is an experienced goalkeeper and will prove all season to be an upgrade over Joe Hart’s disaster a season ago. Getting N’Koulou on loan from Lyon gives the Granata a tough central defender as well. Ansaldi was a necessary add after Torino sold Zappacosta to Chelsea. M’Baye Niang also arrives to give them another option attacking the flanks. Biggest win though? They still have Andrea Belotti. Urbano Cairo has held firm on his requirements for a sale, and no team could meet it.
• Rating: 8

UDINESE

• Key Gets: Valon Behrami, Maxi Lopez, Bram Nuytinck
• Key Losses: Cyril Thereau, Thomas Herteaux, Felipe
• Udinese’s Mercato was: head-scratching. Maybe the Pozzo family care more about their ownership of Watford in the Premier League? Nonetheless, a lot of experience went out the door at the Friuli in those key losses, and the gets aren’t necessarily inspiring. Behrami and Lopez are experienced but can they really give what the departed players were capable of? A team that made some strides when Luigi Del Neri took over last season might find themselves in a bit of trouble. They’ll lean on their young nucleus a lot this season.
• Rating: 3