It’s been a long time since Serie A was the league to go to for ridiculously expensive deals. While there are still some anomalies, even Italy’s wealthiest and most successful clubs are being compelled to become more shrewd and frugal with their spending and scouting.
As a result, people in the boardroom who have far more influence over transfers than the coach himself are coming under increasing scrutiny. Teams like Bologna and Atalanta have grown quite adept at acquiring players at a low cost who quickly appreciate in value, which is why several of their acquisitions are prominent on this list.
At the same time, AC Milan and Inter generally don’t spend money without thinking about it anymore, meaning they unearth a few gems here and there. The following 10 players are our picks for the 10 best Serie A signings this season, in no particular order.
10 best Serie A signings of the 2023/24 season
Marcus Thuram – Inter
It is incredible how frequently Inter’s president (formerly CEO) Beppe Marotta is able to sign players without having to pay a transfer fee; this summer, they signed Mehdi Taremi and Piotr Zielinski without having to pay a single cent in transfer fees.
Marcus Thuram appears to have the makings of one of his best. The fact that Thuram’s deal with Borussia Monchengladbach was about to expire and would not be renewed was one of the worst-kept secrets in European sport.
More wealthy clubs than Inter were linked, but Marotta managed to get the deal done and it has paid off. The Frenchman got 13 goals and 13 assists in his debut season in Serie A, and produced some seriously impressive moments that made the whole of Europe sit up and take note. Not only has he produced goals himself, he has gotten more out of Lautaro Martinez who strolled to the capocannoniere prize despite tailing off at the backend of the season.
Charles De Ketelaere – Atalanta
After a protracted transfer story, Charles De Ketelaere joined AC Milan in the summer of 2022, and he was under intense pressure right away. After failing to make an impression, the young player was sent on loan to Atalanta for €3 million, with the option to extend the agreement for a further €2 million..
Bergamo proved to be somewhere where the Belgian could shine. With Atalanta playing every competitive game possible in 23/24, De Ketelaere appeared 50 times for La Dea. He grabbed 14 goals and 11 assists, meaning it was a no-brainer for Atalanta to make the deal permanent. He is instantly worth a lot more than they have paid and they now have a confident, talented and versatile 23-year-old in their attack.
Benjamin Pavard – Inter
Beppe Marotta signs excellent players for less than you may assume when he doesn’t sign them for nothing.With just a year remaining on his Bayern Munich contract, Inter signed Benjamin Pavard for just €30 million, but his market value is now €50 million.
They have an outstanding defender who can do it all, and even if you ignore the fact that they now possess a highly valuable asset from which they stand to gain financially.After settling in slowly due to an injury upon arrival, Pavard emerged as an indispensable member of Inter’s back three. This season, he played 31 games, and in 24/25, he will play even more.
Isak Hien – Atalanta
It isn’t normal for a January signing to get into a list like this, but Isak Hien has proved to be a very good opportunistic move from Atalanta. The Swedish defender was at Hellas Verona when the season began but the Gialloblu seemed to adopt a policy of accepting any bid for any player in January.
Arriving for €8.5m, Hien quickly became one of Gian Piero Gasperini’s favoured starters and he ended up playing 26 games for La Dea, the majority of which were from the start. There is no reason to think he won’t be one of the pillars of the team next season and given he is 25 years old, Atalanta stand to earn a lot more than they paid in the future if he moves on.
Yann Sommer – Inter
It’s another of Beppe Marotta‘s free transfers. This one is slightly less impressive when you consider that Yann Sommer is 35 years old, but he has done exactly what Inter needed. Having sold Andre Onana to Manchester United (another player who arrived for free), Inter needed a first-choice goalkeeper.
Without the opportunity to sign a younger, long-term replacement for Onana, the Nerazzurri opted to bring in Sommer which proved to be a seamless transition. He is good with the ball at his feet and has so much experience which undoubtedly played a part in them cruising to the Serie A title. This free transfer bought Inter time to plan who the long-term goalkeeper will be.
Christian Pulisic – AC Milan
Following his dismal Chelsea tenure, Christian Pulisic was mostly written off by the public. You can understand why expectations were much higher than what he was able to achieve in the Premier League, given that they paid €64 million for him.
Milan lost out on a chance, therefore they gambled €20 million on the American in need of a right winger. If they wanted to, they could definitely sell him this summer for about double that much. He has contributed 11 additional assists and 15 goals in all competitions, giving Milan some much-needed structure.
Given Milan were very poor for a lot of the campaign, to have put up those numbers is really impressive.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek – AC Milan
There are more players that Milan signed from Chelsea besides Pulisic. Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s decision to leave Stamford Bridge on yet another loan appeared unlikely, however the Rossoneri persuaded him to relocate abroad in exchange for €18.5 million.
Similar to Pulisic, he has gained more worth after just one season as a result of his outstanding play. Loftus-Cheek started off deeper but later moved into the attacking midfield role in Stefano Pioli’s 4-2-3-1 formation. He scored ten goals in both the Europa League and Serie A, demonstrating that he had truly found his scoring touch. Paulo Fonseca will develop around this athlete and is excited to coach.
Giovanni Fabbian – Bologna
While Bologna is improving steadily, Atalanta is rightfully the Italian team that receives the most recognition for acquiring players at a low cost and developing them into much better players. That will be the way the Giovanni Sartori link operates.
After going through the academy, Giovanni Fabbian made the bold decision to quit Inter, and Bologna took a chance on the midfield player for under €5 million. Despite only starting 29% of the games, the 21-year-old really settled during the campaign and was soon recognised as a key contributor. With five goals and two assists at the end of the season, you would expect Vincenzo Italiano to use him more frequently the next season.
Riccardo Calafiori – Bologna
Bologna‘s second entry on the list, Riccardo Calafiori is quickly becoming a major star. He left AS Roma as a right-back who wasn’t quite making the grade and came back from Basel as a commanding, modern centre-back. He has then come on leaps and bounds during the season and is receiving huge attention for his performance in the Italy Men’s National Team defence against Albania at Euro 2024.
Bologna only paid €4m for Calafiori and they stand to make a huge capital gain on the 22-year-old. He looked set for Juventus but if he keeps impressing at Euro 2024, more clubs will come in for him and the price will rise. Bologna have played a blinder.
Duvan Zapata – Torino
An example of Atalanta selling a player makes it onto the list, with Torino doing well to acquire Duvan Zapata and get a tune out of him. Signing a then-32-year-old striker from team not much higher up in the league is a risk, as there must be a reason why they are willing to let him go.
Zapata was never going to be competing with the league’s best strikers because Torino doesn’t score many goals as a club, but he still managed to play 37 games, record 13 goals and five assists in Serie A, and add another goal in the Coppa Italia. Atalanta did receive two of those appearances and one of those goals prior to their August departure.
That’s very amazing for someone who has just battled injuries at 33 years old. Even though he signed a loan, it will only cost €5.6 million to make it permanent.
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