Analyzing the transfer business of the top Serie A clubs
Serie A was widely considered the best league in the world from the 1980s to the early 2000s. Since then, the drop in levels has been extraordinary as Juventus have cantered to 9 straight Serie A titles. Last season too, the Old Lady triumphed in the league but they were never really very convincing.
The likes of Lazio, Inter Milan and Atalanta did their part in creating an exciting title race, but in the end, Juventus, powered by the goals of Cristiano Ronaldo persisted. It was also a year of exciting football and loads of goals and helped Serie A shed the title of being boring and ultra-defensive.
This year's Serie A promises to be very open and Juventus chances of retaining the title will depend on the transfer business of the other clubs in the league.
We look at the giants in the Serie A and their transfer dealings in the summer transfer window.
Juventus - The Italian champions are in a bit of a mess. Last season, they often depended on Ronaldo and Dybala to carry them to the Serie A title, and in general, looked lost at times. They shed some of the old limbs at the club, selling Gonzalo Higuain and Blaise Matuidi to the MLS.
Miralem Pjanic was the subject of a controversial swap deal with Barcelona with Arthur Melo coming to Turin. He, along with loanee Weston McKennie, will infuse some youthful energy into the midfield.
Dejan Kulusevski returns from his loan and will be eager to show why he's touted as one of the best young players in the world. Juve has also signed one of their former players Alvaro Morata to add depth to the frontline.
It will be interesting to see how the new (and vastly inexperienced) manager Andrea Pirlo manages to piece these players together.
Inter Milan - This seems like the season Inter should be mounting a proper challenge for the Serie A title and they have strengthened accordingly. The best signing the club has made is that of Achraf Hakimi, who fits Antonio Conte's formation perfectly. Aleksandar Kolarov has been brought in to provide backup at CB and LWB, while Matteo Darmian replaces the departing Kwado Asamoah.
The signing of Arturo Vidal on a free and the return of Radja Naingollan from loan adds steel and muscle in the team's midfield. The squad has been strengthened properly and there is no excuse for Inter not to mount a proper title challenge.
However, Conte is known to lose the plot and undo all his good work if things aren't going right, and the club could sabotage themselves if things don't go according to plan.
AC Milan - Under Stefano Pioli, AC Milan has looked impressive and they have added to their squad with some good signings. Boyhood Milan fan and Serie A's brightest young talent, Sandro Tonali, has been acquired as has young Norwegian winger Jens Petter Hauge.
To replace the outgoing Lucas Paqueta, Brahim Diaz has been brought in on loan from Real Madrid. Diogo Dalot also joins the club on loan to provide competition at right-back.
Led by the ageless Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Milan has improved massively. They had a strong end to last season and will be looking to return to the Champions League this season. While challenging for the Scudetto might be out of reach, Milan can pose a considerable threat to other teams in cup competitions and the Europa League.
Napoli striker Victor Osimhen was the most expensive transfer of the window. The club also signed Tiemoue Bakayoko to replace Allan in midfield. Roma has signed defender Marash Kumbulla and forwards Pedro and Borja Mayoral.
Lazio's only major signing was Andreas Pereira from Manchester United while Atalanta signed the likes of Aleksey Miranchuk and Sam Lammers.