Mid-August is the key passage of the summer transfer market: first you work to try to please the coach by doing the bulk, then you go in search of that single, great market coup capable of knocking out your rivals and shifting the balance of the championship. There is time until 23pm on August 31st, for the moment let's see how the big names in Serie A have behaved.
JUVENTUS VOTE 7,5
It's true: without Pirlo, Vidal and Tevez it will no longer be the same team, but Marotta still managed to land four important shots in the early stages of the transfer market: Mandzukic, Zaza, Dybala and Khedira. As fate would have it, the latter was injured (we'll see him again in a couple of months), but the grafts were top notch. And then with Tevez's farewell the young talent Vadala was taken, while with Vidal's 40 million entered the coffers, not bad at all. In the global evaluation (let's not be fooled by the fact that the signings arrived in the early stages of the transfer market and that the fans would like one shot a week), half a point less because the bianconeri got bogged down in the search for the number 10 so much claimed by Allegri: from Goetze to Draxler, from Oscar to Isco passing through Cuadrado and finally Eriksen. Many names, but for now no fantasist. The risk is that of buying just to buy or not being able to satisfy Allegri. A less complicated situation for the other target on the transfer market: if the deal seems off for Siqueira, Alex Sandro seems closer, and in any case someone will arrive on the left.
ROME VOTE 7,5
Up until a few days ago, the square was in an uproar because "real" purchases were late in arriving. Within a few hours, however, the Giallorossi first wore Dzeko and then Salah (both scoring in the 6-4 friendly against Sevilla), a one-two worthy of a great boxer. With Iago Falque and without forgetting Totti (even Gervinho has returned to play as he knows) Garcia has a super attack at his disposal, in addition to the redemption of Nainggolan and the additions of Digne on the left and goalkeeper Szczesny. Not to mention how much Roma could collect from the outgoing market: between Bertolacci (20 million), Romagnoli (25 million), Destro (10 million, almost done with Bologna) and Yanga-Mbiwa (valued at 10 million), Sabatini could succeed in the feat of bringing home 65 million for four players who weren't considered starters anyway.
MILAN RATING 7
Half a point more deserves the latest arrival, Romagnoli, immediately protagonist in his first outing in the Rossoneri jersey. Mihajlovic (in fact he too is an excellent "signing") wanted it, Galliani finally satisfied him. He paid a lot for him, of course, but the 25 million are still spread over five years. In the light of what we have seen so far, another excellent addition was that of Bacca (in the net in the second derby of the season against Inter in Reggio Emilia), quick, fast and with a great eye for goal. After a not easy start, Bertolacci also let loose, while Luiz Adriano showed good things even in the defensive phase. A further reinforcement could arrive in midfield (Mihajlovic would like Soriano, his former player at Sampdoria, who has a clause of only 10 million), but the real coup (the great dream of the Rossoneri fans) has a precise name and surname: Zlatan Ibrahimovic . Long and complex negotiation, which will drag on until the last hours of the market. His agent Raiola said: "A transfer of Ibra is excluded, it's too important for PSG": more or less the same words of the summer of 2010 before Galliani went to pick him up in Barcelona.
NAPLES VOTE 6,5
A courageous market for De Laurentiis who, having said goodbye to Benitez, decided to rely on Sarri, arriving from Empoli, who showed beautiful and fun football in the suburbs, and who will now have to pass the test of the large square and a stadium boiling like the San Paolo. Sarri wanted to entrust the keys to the team to a "his" player, Valdifiori, who was also called upon to demonstrate that he deserved a heavy shirt in a very demanding city. Excellent shot Allan, one of the best midfielders of last season, a certainty having put Reina back in goal, to evaluate the grafts of Hysaj (also ex Empoli) and Chiriches in defense. The big blow was to resist temptations and hold back Higuain, who forms a respectable trident with Insigne and Gabbiadini. A good shot is missing in defense, but the name is already there: with Maksimovic the agreement has been found, now it remains to convince Urbano Cairo who is asking for 20 million for the centre-back.
INTER VOTE 6
An average between the potential (7) and what has been seen on the field (5). Mancini trembles, he wants more to see Inter from him. In the first outings, the new additions were not very convincing, even from the 40 million Kondogbia coach it was legitimate to expect something more. The defense must be registered, the midfield as well, and in attack it is not enough to focus only on Icardi's vein. The 4-4-2 with which Mancini faced the Trofeo Tim in Reggio Emilia seemed like a controversial choice towards the club, like saying "since I don't have the players I want, I can only field a basic module", with Kovacic and Hernanes improvised lateral and clearly out of role. Mancini had asked for Felipe Melo, now one step away from renewing with Galatasaray, and would like one between Criscito and Clichy for the left wing, as well as Perisic for the attack, expected for over a month. But the negotiation with Schalke is also slow, despite the 17,5 million collected from the sale of Shaqiri. That's why Ausilio is probing the Perotti track with Genoa, the first alternative to satisfy a far from satisfied Mancini.
LAZIO VOTE 5
You look at Lazio's probable formation for next year and you see that there aren't any new starters. The bets are going well (from Morrison to Kishna via Milinkovic-Savic) but the de facto team is last year's. With a Mauri left without renewing his contract. Lotito's market is a big question mark, in the hope that the various Candreva, Felipe Anderson and Djordjevic make as much as last year, and that Biglia decides to sign the renewal rather than pack his bags.
