Pat Gullaci kicks off Outside90’s two-part series of Serie A youngsters to look out for in the 2015-16 season.
The recently ended season was a successful time for young talent in Italy with quite a few players becoming key figures for their respective clubs.
Here, we take a look at some youngsters who could be set to take an even bigger step up.
Jose Mauri (19, midfielder, AC Milan)
The young Italo-Argentine enjoyed a strong 14-15 campaign with relegated Parma, featuring 32 times and scoring twice, notably against Juventus where they were able to produce the upset of the season thanks to Mauri’s only goal in the 1-0 win, which he described as “the happiest day of my life”. An ever-present figure in Roberto Donadoni’s Parma side last season, Milan were quick to snap up the youngster on a four-year contract once he became available.
Paulo Dybala (21, attacker, Juventus)
Dybala is perhaps the player with the most expectation among the crop of talent in Serie A this season. Another Italo-Argentine, Dybala was signed for a whopping €32 million plus €8 million in add-ons by champions Juventus from Sicilian side Palermo. When asked about his heavy price tag, Dybala insisted he is not affected, stating: “I’m not thinking about it, I want to improve a lot and show my worth.”
Dybala arrived in Italy already with heavy expectation, signing for over €12 million. Proclaimed as the ‘new Sergio Aguero’ by the often erratic Palermo president Maurizio Zamparini back in 2012, Dybala has lived up to expectation so far, scoring 13 goals and creating 10 assists last season to catch the eye of Juventus, who were looking for a replacement for the since-departed Carlos Tevez. The two are very similar. Both are hard-working attackers with great ability to control the ball in close. And how is this for a stat: Dybala created the most crossing opportunities among forwards across the top five European leagues last season (188), his partner in attack, another newcomer, Mario Mandzukic has scored more goals with his head than his feet (36 goals). This could become one of the most fruitful partnerships in world football.
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Federico Bernadeschi (21, attacker, Fiorentina)
A player who could certainly take many by surprise, Bernadeschi is a very, very good young attacker. Some may have only heard of him during the past week – he scored two goals in 11 minutes for Fiorentina against the might of FC Barcelona in a friendly on the weekend. Bernadeschi spent much of his young career on loan at Crotone in Serie B where he appeared 39 times, producing 12 goals. Last season, he featured seven times in Serie A, scoring once for Fiorentina. Carrying the number 10 on his back, the young Italian will hopefully see many more opportunities with Paulo Sousa’s side.
Davide Zappacosta (23, defender, Torino)
In a terrific piece of business from Torino, Zappacosta was acquired in a deal that also brought talented midfielder Daniele Baselli for a total of €10 million. He will carry a bit of pressure this season with the job of replacing Matteo Darmian, who has left for Manchester United. The 23-year-old is a hard-working full-back who can also play further forward as a right-winger. He first caught the eye for Avellino in 2011 and has since made steady progression. Zappacosta is a player who features regularly for Italy U-21 team. Torino looks to be the perfect move for the Frosinone-born defender as he seeks to become one of the Azzurri’s first choice fullbacks.
Danilo Cataldi (20, midfielder, Lazio)
A player who was underutilised at the UEFA Euro U21 championships in June (where Italy was eliminated in the group stage), Cataldi is an extremely talented midfielder who is often compared to Juventus playermaker Claudio Marchisio due to his long-standing links with the club and playing traits. Cataldi made his Serie A debut for Lazio last season back in January and featured quite regularly from that point, adding three assists and managing an average pass succession rate of 85%.
Stefano Sturaro (22yrs old, midfielder, Juventus)
Sturaro is someone who, if he plays his cards right, could become a Juventus midfielder for a very long time. Lacking options in midfield last season after injuries often kept out Andrea Pirlo, Kwadwo Asamoah and Romulo, Juventus sought help from the young Sturaro who was on loan and making big strides at Genoa. His six month period towards the end of the season turned out to be very worthwhile for Juventus with Sturaro making his debut in the crucial Champions League semi-final second leg against Real Madrid. Sturaro made a match-saving interception after a James Rodriguez header seemed destined to end up in the net. With Arturo Vidal gone, Juventus will be looking towards a new midfield aggressor and Sturaro is just the player to bring added grunt while also possessing solid ball skills.
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Alessio Romagnoli (20, defender, Roma)
If you have been following the transfer market so far this off season, Alessio Romagnoli’s name would come at no surprise. The 6’2” centre-back was on loan at Sampdoria last season where he featured 30 times. AC Milan have been big admirers since, with new manager Sinisa Mihajlovic wanting to bring the defender back under his leadership. Milan are desperate for the youngster and are rumoured to have offered upwards of €25 million for his services. Arsenal are another club looking to make a move. If Roma manage to keep hold of him, he could form a strong partnership in defence with Kostas Manolas.
Daniele Rugani (21, defender, Juventus)
Rugani is arguably Italy’s best young defender. A product of Juventus’ youth system, Rugani was always a class above moving through the ranks in Turin and has always been seen as one for the future. However, in 2015-16, he takes on more responsibility and will look to break into an extremely strong Juventus defence, quite possibly the best in Europe, such is the faith the Italian champions have in Rugani to bring him back and make him a part of the first team. The 21-year-old has spent the last few seasons on loan at Empoli where he has made great progress, with 78 caps and maintaining his spot in the Italy U-21 starting lineup. Another department where Juventus often have injured players, Rugani can take his game to a very high level this season if afforded enough playing time.
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