The race begins again. The Series A 2025 / 26 opens its doors in late August, with the transfer market ready to enter its hottest phase. The risk of confusing the first two matchdays with luxury friendlies is strong, but it's important to remember that points count from the start, regardless of the heat and ongoing negotiations. Cutting the ribbon, as usual, will be the Italian champions Napoli, busy with the away match in Reggio Emilia against the newly promoted Sassuolo (18pm, in conjunction with Genoa-Lecce), while in the evening (30pm) it will be the turn of Milan-Cremonese and Roma-Bologna. We spoke with Roberto Beccantini, a longtime figure in Italian sports journalism and a leading voice in interpreting the nuances of a complex championship, filled with unknowns like never before.
Roberto Beccantini, exactly three months have passed since May 23rd, when Napoli won the Scudetto. How do we start again?
"The transfer window being open until September 1st forces vague predictions and 'somewhat random' squads. Napoli's top spot is threatened by Lukaku's injury and Inter's hunger. After that, it's a real tuna trap."
The majority points to Napoli as the big favorite: do you agree?
Yes. Although the dual track (league plus Champions League) represents a massive undertaking, and Lukaku's loss is a significant variable, especially after the sales of Raspadori and Simeone. Vesuvius is grumbling: Conte lost Kvaratskhelia in January, yet Okafor was "enough" for him. True, but only partially: the Georgian still left him with 16 appearances, 5 goals, and 3 assists. Not to mention the 18 games more than Inzaghi's Inter. Should the squad's weight or the coach's influence be prioritized? The debate is open. Guess what, given that at the slightest stumble, one runs to Gianluca Di Marzio, I'd say the players.
Inter have some unknowns, starting with Chivu. Where do we place them in a hypothetical starting lineup?
"Close to Napoli. Yes, Chivu is an unknown quantity, but Bonny (a Thuram-like player) and Pio Esposito are valuable reinforcements for the attack. And Sucic, in the middle, has already shown he has talent. Luis Henrique hasn't done so well on the flank. Calhanoglu's confirmation is crucial. Simple objectives: lower the average age, find alternatives to the fixed 3-5-2. On the other hand, watch out for the Club World Cup tensions: they could weigh down both Inter and Juventus."
Speaking of Juventus, it's also a work in progress: do you think it can compete at the highest levels?
He faces yet another revolution: from Giuntoli's quick turnaround to Comollì's algorithms. The season revolves around Bremer's recovery, Yildiz's skill, and the top three center-forwards between David, Kolo Muani, and Vlahovic. Milik's disappearance is farcical, the Vlahovic case borders on paranoia. And which Koopmeiners will emerge from the rubble? A playmaker is missing, and the flanks are in a state of fog. A work in progress, guaranteed by Tudor's confirmation, "saved" by Conte and Gasp's rejections. On paper, it doesn't look like a Scudetto title yet.
Then there's Allegri's AC Milan: could they be the unstoppable force in the title race, especially given their lack of European commitments?
"It can, yes. For the club's history, the absence from European competition is a serious flaw; for the record, and for the goals of revenge, it's a precious crutch. Allegri is risking everything. Reijnders was the best: sold. Theo, a troublemaker, yes, but with a ball and chain, one of the best: sold too. Modric's 40 years, Leao's dreams, Ricci's playmaking, the war for Jashari, and the balance between the departments: so many gambles. The issue of the center forward remains: from Vlahovic to Hojlund to Boniface. Oh well."
Atalanta-Juric, Roma-Gasperini, Lazio-Sarri: different scenarios, plenty of curiosity...
Sarri knows the market, and that's an advantage (despite the market being stalled). Juric in Bergamo and Gasperini in Trigoria are, on the other hand, extreme, if not downright extremist, choices. Lazio has no cup competition, Atalanta has no Champions League, Roma has no Europa League: these are not trivial details in the management of human, educational, and environmental resources.
Next week will bring an end to a market full of cases: how will the Donnarumma soap opera end?
Technically, it's inexplicable. Unless you give in to the foot fetishists (Luis Enrique). Contractually, the 2026 deadline ties the goalkeeper and his agents' demands to the company's strategy. And vice versa. With one crucial distinction: the Qatari owners are so rich they indulged in losing Mbappé on a free transfer. Gigio has been warned. They say he's overstepped his bounds: and when he dumped AC Milan, the offers he received weren't exactly cheap. In my opinion, he'll end up in the Premier League, assuming his agents lower their commissions.
This is a story that also concerns the national team, which will see the beginning of the Gattuso era in September: is the World Cup possible or must we resign ourselves to yet another flop?
A World Cup is possible, of course. Never forget the playoffs, however disastrous they may have been (I'm thinking of Ventura's Sweden, Mancini's Macedonia). It's up to Gattuso. The problem isn't the manager. The problem is the depth of the catchment area. And then, be careful: a third consecutive exclusion would confirm a trend, it would no longer be a coincidence. Chiesa's goal in the Premier League, in Liverpool-Bournemouth 4-2, moved us, it shook us. But he scored it as a substitute. Will he return to the starting lineup at Anfield? And will Leoni? And Raspadori at Atletico? Because yes, long live Erasmus: as long as they play.
