Italian football is known for its culture and tradition and everyone has a favourite Calcio memory. From Diego Maradona leaving defences for dead in the cauldron of the Stadio San Paolo in Naples to Paolo Maldini bringing the ball out of defence with all the technique of a Champions League winning playmaker at Milan. So many players in Serie A history have played out long-lasting careers, playing well into their 30s and even their 40s, often growing better with age.
Maldini, Alessandro Del Piero, Francesco Totti, Gigi Buffon, name just a few, and it is this consistent line of evergreen talent which makes the game in Italy so unique. There is something special about Serie A, thanks to the passion of the fans and the tactical approach on the pitch. Developing later had its pros and its cons for the Italy national team, il Azzurri, but those players became more rounded as a result of their prolonged education.
Recently, though, Calcio has lost some of its magic. Fewer top players spend their primes in Serie A than in the 1980s and 90s, and the nation’s top clubs like Juventus, Inter and Milan, who have all conquered Europe in their time, have been through tough times in the last decade or so.
There are some genuinely talented young players in Serie A right now, capable of going for the long haul like those before them. Some are still at an early development stage, but others are ready for the big time. Here are five players clubs should take a serious look at this summer.
#1 Franck Kessie – Atalanta
Linked with Chelsea in January, 20-year-old Ivorian Franck Kessie is one of the most talented young players in Europe, let alone Italy. As a powerful central midfielder, Kessie is quite unique in that he has footballing brains to go with his brawn. He’s 6’ – so not the tallest – but his physical strength means he lends himself to being more of a play-breaker, but that doesn’t tell half of the story with this impressive talent.
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It may be a cliché, but Kessie really does have a great touch for a big man and is about much more than just breaking up play. Despite having different traits to Paul Pogba physically, he is a similar player in a technical sense, with a phenomenal passing range, great close control when dribbling, and an eye for goal, having netted six goals in 20 Serie A games this season.
Atalanta have been something of a surprise package to many onlookers this season, currently sitting in fifth place and an outside bet for a Champions League place. But the truth is they have been building towards this for a long time, with a team brimming with young talent, many of whom have come through their own youth academy.
Whatever happens to the club, they’ll find it tough to keep Franck Kessie beyond the end of the season.
#2 Andrea Belotti – Torino
Another player who has already been linked with Europe’s elite is Torino forward Andrea Belotti. World class players have not been in short demand for Italy over the years, but one position they have perhaps fallen down in, particularly in recent times, is up front.
With Del Piero, Totti and Andrea Pirlo, as well as current stars like Giacomo Bonaventura and Lorenzo Insigne, quality attacking midfielders have come through in abundance. But since Luca Toni, there has been a lack of quality strikers. Belotti could be the next man to finally pick up the baton.
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When a player performs as he has this season, without playing for one of the best teams in the league, rumours will start and not stop. Torino are a top half team, on the fringes of the European chase, and one of the best attacking sides in Serie A, thanks in no small part to Belotti’s 17 goals.
The 23-year-old is an emphatic finisher, but there are doubts as to whether he would thrive in England, for example. The same stereotypes about the intensity of the Premier League come up, in part because Belotti doesn’t possess the pace or strength that is said to be a necessity to play there, but he is one of the cleverest finishers around.
A move to Milan, which has also been speculated, would be a real statement of intent for the Rossoneri as they look to bring the glory days back to the San Siro and would suit him down to a tee.
#3 Keita Balde Diao – Lazio
When people think of La Masia, Xavi Hernandez, Andres Iniesta and Lionel Messi come to mind. The backbone of Barcelona’s dynasty over the last decade came from their fabled youth system, but in reality, the impact the Blaugrana have had on the game is much greater and spreads far wider than the Camp Nou.
Many talented players weren’t quite that talented, and there is no shame in that. Some of those have left for pastures new and found a route to the top elsewhere. Lazio’s 21-year-old striker Keita Balde Diao is one of them. Now a regular in the Roman side’s starting eleven, the Spanish-born Senegal striker is becoming a key man as his club chase qualification for European football next year.
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Keita was on the fringes of the team as they finished third, and qualified for the Champions League, in 2014/15, but is now helping lead the charge.
Typically, with any Masia graduate, Keita is technically excellent, but he has pace to burn and impressive upper-body strength too. Staying at Lazio, for the time being, would not be the end of the world, but he certainly has the talent for bigger and better things with Manchester United recently linked.
#4 Giovanni Simeone – Genoa
Looking at his surname, it would be easy to think of Gio Simeone as a tough tackling central midfielder just like his father, now Atletico Madrid boss Diego. But the 21-year-old is beginning to carve out his own path as a diminutive striker at Genoa.
He hit the headlines in his own right earlier this season when he scored a brace in a 3-1 home victory against champions and current league leaders Juventus and now has ten Serie A goals to his name. His club are in 16th place right now, and excellent performances could well be the difference between survival and the disaster of relegation.
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But looking closely at Simeone’s burgeoning career, it is easy to see how he has made such an impressive impact. This is only his first season in Europe, having arrived from River Plate in the summer, and it is already hard to see him remaining at Genoa beyond the end of the season, let alone in the long run.
Simeone is quick, but his best trait is the fiery competitive nature his father was so famous for. Diego has never hidden his desire to coach Inter, another of his former clubs, and it wouldn’t be worth betting against a family reunion at the San Siro at some point in the future.
#5 Federico Bernardeschi – Fiorentina
Saving the best until last, Fiorentina midfielder Bernardeschi is probably the biggest Italian player of interest for clubs ahead of the summer. The 23-year-old, who can play in the middle and on the right, as well as further forward, has been linked with Juventus and Arsenal most recently.
If you needed a quick reminder of Bernardeschi’s qualities, you need look no further than the stunning free-kick he scored in the Europa League against Bundesliga side Borussia Monchengladbach last week. While he isn’t blessed with pace, his close control and first touch, as well as his ability from dead balls, really are worth taking note of.
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Modern football is ever-changing, and Bernardeschi is a player for the current era. He is neither a traditional winger or central midfielder and instead thrives playing in the space between the opposing midfielder and fullback, operating in a new position known as the ‘inverted winger’.
Though he has all the traits to make it as a playmaker, he has an element of defensive stability about him, too. His positional sense is excellent and he tracks runs very well, making him an ideal candidate to help shore up Arsenal’s midfield at the Emirates Stadium as well as adding to their impressive attack.
Fiorentina are underachieving this season, sitting eighth, and sooner or later, il Azzurri’s next big hope may have to leave the Stadio Artemio Franchi to make the next step in his career.
