Five new arrivals that are set to take the Serie A by storm

A whole host of new signings along with the old stars such as Francesco Totti promise to make this year’s Serie A a treat for fans (Getty Images)

All these years, Italy has played feeder to other more prominent leagues in Europe, namely the Premier League and La Liga. Having helplessly watched players come and go, the Serie A is set to come to life this season with a host of top signings.

Not long ago, Serie A clubs AC Milan, Internazionale and Juventus used to rule the roost in Europe and the Francesco Totti-led AS Roma had a vigour of their own. But as it stands, there has been a huge dip in the standards of the league which is reflected in their European performance with the treble winning 2010 Inter Milan side being an exception.

The likes of Andriy Shevchecnko and Kaka left Milan, followed by Inter losing their prized assets in Wesley Snejder, Samuel Eto’o and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who formed an integral part of the treble-winning side. One of the top defenders in the world in Thiago Silva, too headed for greener pastures and a heftier paycheck.

Serie A has never been known for record signings and the clubs haven’t spent big, settling for mediocrity instead. But, this season has brought with it a breath of fresh air, a new lease of life for the Italy’s top league; well at least that’s the superficial impression that one gets from the outside. There are signs of the Serie A regaining its lost sheen.

Though the Serie A lost some of its biggest assets in Edinson Cavani and Stevan Jovetic for a combined fee of €90 million, the likes of Gonzalo Higuain, Carlos Tevez, Fernando Llorente and Mario Gomez have more or less made up for it for a much lesser €65 million. As Gazzetta Dello Sport put it magnificently- that’s replacing 216 goals with 640 and a profit of something close to €30 million.

Here’s a look at the signings that have the potential to set the Serie A alight: