Serie A 25-26: One new summer signing to watch from every club

Como – Jesus Rodriguez

Como signed 16 players this summer, offloading 13 senior players. A big summer of change as Cesc Fabregas’ side seek to expand upon their strong return to Italy’s top flight last season. Whilst Alvaro Morata, Maximo Perrone and Nicolas Kuhn all greatly improve the lake-side club’s squad depth, teenage sensation Jesus Rodriguez marks the pick of the bunch. Signed for a club-record €22.5 million from Real Betis, the highly-rated Spanish youngster joined Como despite interest from Premier League side Aston Villa and represents an exciting step forward for the Italian club.

Cremonese – Jamie Vardy

Seriously. Did you expect anyone else? Whilst Davide Nicola’s side have added a number of solid squad players this summer, none has attracted more attention than the club’s move for veteran English forward Jamie Vardy. After his 13-year spell with Leicester City came to an end, the 38-year-old chose to move to Italy. Age is but a number for the experienced attacker, scoring nine goals in the Premier League last season and is ready to show what he can offer Nicola in Cremona.

Fiorentina – Hans Nicolussi Caviglia

An impressive summer for Stefano Pioli’s side saw the Viola add the likes of Roberto Piccoli, Tariq Lamptey and Simon Sohm but one of the most fascinating moves is that for Hans Nicolussi Caviglia. The former Juventus youngster joins Fiorentina on loan with an option to buy (an obligation under certain conditions). Last season, the 25-year-old scored four goals and picked up three assists for a struggling Venezia but is an exciting talent who could fit well into Pioli’s midfield.

Genoa – Valentin Carboni (Loan)

A rough few months for Genoa saw the side complete permanent departures for talented players such as Koni De Winter, Honest Ahanor and Albert Gudmundsson and the club signed little in the matter of replacements. Genoa signed seven players on loan, the most exciting of which being Valentin Carboni – Inter’s 20-year-old Argentine attacker. Last season, Carboni joined Marseille on loan before a cruciate ligament tear in October kept him out for the remainder of the campaign. Now, the youngster will have fuel to his fire and could shine amongst a lacklustre Genoa.

Hellas Verona – Gift Orban

Nigerian striker Gift Orban joined Verona this summer on loan with an option-to-buy, after Bundesliga outfit Hoffenheim needed to cut their bloated squad ahead of the new season. The 23-year-old spent the last two seasons with Lyon and Hoffenheim but failed to truly break into either team’s starting XI. Last campaign, Orban scored twice in three games for Lyon at the start of the season before moving to Germany in January, where he scored four goals in 13 Bundesliga appearances. With the forward likely to play more minutes in Verona, he could finally get the chance to show what he can do.

Inter – Petar Sucic

With the exception of deadline day loan signing Manuel Akanji, all five of Inter’s summer signings are 23 or under. Whilst Ange-Yoan Bonny and Luis Henrique offer exciting depth for the Nerazzurri up front and on the right flank, Croatian midfielder Petar Sucic is the pick of the bunch. The 21-year-old joined Inter from Dinamo Zagreb and has already settled into Cristian Chivu’s midfield, showing maturity beyond his years. This is only the start for Sucic, who could become an important player in Lombardy, and follows a storied history of talented Croats playing in blue and black.

Serie A New Signings to Watch: Ricci, Hojlund and Openda could be key in Scudetto race

Juventus – Lois Openda

If I were to pick the new Juventus signing to watch prior to deadline day, I would’ve made the argument that Canadian forward Jonathan David is the most promising and exciting of the new Bianconeri stars. However, the club’s deadline day move for highly-rated Leipzig forward Lois Openda cannot be underestimated. The Belgian joins on loan with an obligation to buy under certain conditions and sees a proven goalscorer (with 20+ goal seasons in Ligue 1 and Bundesliga) arrive in Turin to complement the likes of David.

Lazio – N/A

When the summer started, things were looking up for Lazio. Maurizio Sarri returned to the club to replace Marco Baroni as head coach but Claudio Lotito’s club faced a transfer embargo that hindered plans over the summer. The Biancocelesti completed five signings, yet all were permanent acquisitions of players who spent last season on loan in the Italian capital. Therefore, there is not really ‘one-to-watch’ from Lazio and it will likely be a tough season for Sarri’s side.

Lecce – Riccardo Sottil (Loan)

Lecce narrowly avoided relegation last season, finishing in 17th place, just three points above Empoli and the relegation zone. Fiorentina winger Sottil joins on loan and provides the club with a player who has Serie A experience. Despite only being 26, Sottil was Lecce’s oldest singing of the summer window and therefore the club will be hoping that the winger can help to guide and work with the younger players.

Milan – Samuele Ricci

The signings of Christopher Nkunku and Ardon Jashari were Milan’s two most valuable summer acquisitions but it is Samuele Ricci, who joined the Rossoneri from Torino for €23 million, who is perhaps the most exciting. The 23-year-old midfielder offers the perfect balance between building for the future and signing players familiar with Serie A. Ricci is one of just two new players that Milan signed from within Italy and the midfielder could be an important part of the Rossoneri for years to come.

Napoli – Rasmus Hojlund

Napoli produced an emphatic summer – signing legendary midfielder Kevin De Bruyne alongside the likes of Noa Lang, Sam Beukema and Miguel Gutierrez. However, it is the Neapolitan side’s move for Manchester United outcast Rasmus Hojlund that piques my interest the most. With Romelu Lukaku out through injury, Napoli had to move for a new striker and opted to sign Dane Hojlund. The forward will be looking to put his disappointing time in Manchester behind him and has no better opportunity to return to form than with a high-flying Napoli in need of a centre-forward.

Parma – Carlos Cuesta (Head Coach)

Okay now perhaps this is cheating but Parma’s most exciting summer acquisition has to be head coach Carlos Cuesta. The 30-year-old became Serie A’s youngest head coach in the last century after he left his role as one of Mikel Arteta’s assistants at Arsenal to return to Italy. The bright young coach was hired to replace Cristian Chivu and the future looks bright with a talented young coach at the helm – and one who has grown under the wing of one of the world’s top coaches.

Pisa – Lorran

Teenage Brazilian sensation Lorran is the pick of the bunch after an impressive summer for Pisa as they prepare to fight for Serie A survival. The 19-year-old midfielder joined from Brazilian side Flamengo on deadline day, completing a loan move with an obligation-to-buy if the teenager plays at least half of Pisa’s matches and the club stays in Italy’s top flight. The Brazilian has been described as a mix between Lucas Paqueta and former Chelsea man Oscar and could be an exciting watch for Pisa this season.

Roma – Wesley

Another Brazilian and this time one that Roma fought hard to acquire, despite interest from other top clubs. Right-back Wesley signs from Flamengo and has already proven his worth to the Giallorossi within just two games. The Brazilian scored the club’s winner in their 1-0 opening game victory against Bologna and looked highly promising during pre-season.

Sassuolo – Aster Vranckx (Loan)

Former Milan midfielder Vranckx joins Sassuolo on loan with an option-to-buy from Bundesliga outfit Wolfsburg. Despite his spell with the Rossoneri not working out, the midfielder has been developing well since then – earning nine caps for the Belgian national team and looking solid in his games with the German club in the past two seasons.

Torino – Zakaria Aboukhlal

Torino lost two of their best players this summer in Vanja Milinkovic-Savic and Samuele Ricci, who joined Napoli and Milan respectively. Despite this, Urbano Cairo’s side made some fascinating investments, with none more promising than 25-year-old winger Zakaria Aboukhlal, who signed from Toulouse for €8 million. The pacy former PSV winger joins the Turin side off the back of an impressive 2024-25 season, where the Moroccan international scored seven and assisted four in 26 Ligue 1 appearances.

Udinese – Nicolo Zaniolo

Udinese become the latest Serie A side to gamble on former Roma man Zaniolo, who was at one point considered to be the future of Italian football. After a poor spell in Turkey with Galatasaray, and two underwhelming loan spells with Fiorentina and Atalanta, Zaniolo returns to Italy and will be determined to salvage his career. The 26-year-old joins on loan with an option-to-buy and will therefore have every incentive to impress.