The new Serie A season will soon be upon us and there will be familiar names to consider when you assess the SBOTOP betting odds.
Naturally though, there’s only one place you can start – the serial Italian champions – even though it’s all change in Turin.
Juventus, of course, have parted company with Maurizio Sarri and welcomed back Andrea Pirlo, who won four Serie A titles as a player with the club.
He was named as their under-23 boss at the end of last month but within a week the ‘old lady’ were out of the Champions League and Pirlo was the senior manager after the club sacked Sarri, despite winning the Serie A title in his first season in charge.
How that relationship unfolds between serial winner yet inexperienced manager will be fascinating, the champions are said to be in negotiations with Paris Saint-Germain for midfielder Leandro Paredes. The 26-year-old Argentina international is no stranger to Serie A, having already played very briefly for Chievo, then Empoli and Roma.
And they have also been strongly linked with another midfielder in the form of Schalke man Weston McKennie.
The American has been the subject of frenzied speculation for months now, with Hertha Berlin and Southampton among the potential suitors.
But it now seems Juve are close to sealing a one-year loan deal with an option to purchase McKennie for €18 million.
In truth, Inter Milan should have won Serie A last season.
They may have only been one point adrift in the final standings but Juve eased up after the title was won.
Furthermore, Inter failed badly in the final third of the campaign after being neck and neck with them for much of the campaign following a summer in which they spent big and followed it up with not insignificant January recruits.
Their failure to lift the Europa League last week was further proof of Antonio Conte’s limitations without money, even though it seems his request for even more financial backing has been heeded and he will still be in charge next term.
The club though has been linked with Max Allegri, the man who succeeded Conte at Juventus and improved them by some considerable way.
Napoli missed out on a Champions League spot but did manage to reach the Europa League and win the Coppa Italia en route and their initial aim will be to return to the domestic top four.
Boss Gennaro Gattuso has signalled his intentions by capturing club-record signing Victor Osimhen, although key to any progress could be whether they retain the services of Kalidou Koulibaly – a much in-demand centre back according to many sources.
Across the city, Milan will be in the Europa League next term and, despite suggestions to the contrary from his agent, Zlatan Ibrahimovic should be on board for another season.
The veteran striker, in his second spell with the club, joined the Rossoneri in December after leaving LA Galaxy and made a telling contribution as he found the target 10 times in 18 Serie A games.
His presence and influence, just as much as his goals, lifted the club to a sixth-place finish and some memorable Serie A highlights.
I’ve not mentioned Roma, Atalanta or Lazio yet – the former two clubs who have achieved against the odds, the latter a side which appears to be treading water and am not expecting to progress quickly.
With Milan seemingly sniffing around, Atalanta will be keen to get a deal done for Lokomotiv Moscow creative midfielder Aleksei Miranchuk.
Roma have been linked with a host of players including striker Krzysztof Piatek, Arsenal full-back Sead Kolasinac and, possibly, Sami Khedira as part of a swap deal for hitman Edin Dzeko.
Meanwhile, Lazio will primarily hope to recapture the form they had before Covid-19 halted football.
They endured a dire run of form when football resumed in late June – winning just two of their last seven – and dropped to fourth, eight points adrift of the summit.
After reportedly missing out on a number of top targets in recent weeks, most notably David Silva from Manchester City, a few new faces of genuine quality would give everyone at the club a lift.
Given coach Simone Inzaghi has helped the club compete with much bigger-spending rivals is laudable but now they need to up their game.
Being in the Champions League will be enormously beneficial with new avenues to further increase revenue, not just from UEFA, but also shirt sponsorships.
It certainly promises to be an interesting final few weeks of the Serie A transfer window.
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