As the curtain draws on the domestic football season, Serie A 2021-22 should be remembered for lots of positive reasons.
Yes, the standard is not currently the stellar offering it once was – and if anyone disputes that then consider the fact that only one Italian side (Atalanta) made the quarter-finals of the two main European competitions (Champions League and Europa League).
Furthermore, last summer saw a number of key departures from the Italian top-flight with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Antonio Conte, Romelu Lukaku, and Gianluigi Donnarumma among those seeking pastures new.
However, putting all that to one side, this was still a campaign which comprised many Serie A 2022 highlights and the fact the standard dropped slightly meant a plateau which led to greater entertainment.
Certainly, the SBOTOP Serie A 2022 betting odds could hardly separate the two Milan giants as they headed into the final day with AC Milan pipping Inter to end up as champions – a first Milan title for 11 years and a first ever piece of silverware for manager Stefano Pioli.
And then there was the last day drama to stay up which led to the amazing sight of virtually everyone on the Salernitana bench looking at their phones rather than the contest in front of them as they survived at the expense of Cagliari who bowed out after seven successive seasons.
Of course, Serie A will still attract talent.
For starters, it seems that French midfielder Paul Pogba will return to Turin and Juventus this summer, a club where he played his best football between 2012 & 16 and a scene which will probably allow him to thrive given it’s a far less demanding environment than where he is coming from.
Speculation has also begun about Angel Di Maria moving to Italy from PSG and a possible Lukaku return, while the newly-crowned champions or Juventus have been linked with River Plate midfielder Enzo Fernandez.
The 21-year-old Argentine has reportedly agreed to join the Rossoneri in the summer.
Milan will also immediately invest the money made from the offloading Jens-Petter Hauge to Europa League winners Eintracht Frankfurt by signing Renato Sanches from Lille, according to reports.
And what of Alvaro Morata who has spent the last two seasons on loan at Juve and now seem keen to make the move permanent?
Again, if reports are to be believed, Juventus have seen a bid of €20-M rejected by Atletico Madrid, with the Bianconeri having the option to make the Spain forward’s loan permanent for €35-M but perhaps unwilling to pay quite that much.
We know that Paulo Dybala is leaving Juve once he becomes a free agent on June 30 but chances are he will stay in Italy with Inter CEO Beppe Marotta publicly stating he hopes the talented forward opts for the Nerazzurri.
They appear to be the frontrunners for his signature, although Roma are also interested.
Back to Juventus and, following their first trophyless season since 2011, the ‘Old Lady’ of Italian football are on the lookout for reinforcements with both Pogba and Di Maria among their primary targets.
As soon as this week could be decisive for the signature of both stars, reports La Gazzetta dello Sport.
And don’t expect Inter to stand still either given that they have just lost another of their best players in Ivan Perisic – a third signing from Serie A in six months for Spurs now managed by Conte following the recruitment of Rodrigo Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski in January.
All in all, Serie A still has plenty going for it even if it is not what it was – a statement given weight this week when Milan chief executive Ivan Gazidis spoke of the need to have a sustainable model for European football.
He praised the work Milan have done in going from near bankruptcy in 2018 to Scudetto winners in 2022 and outlined how other clubs should use their journey as blueprint to success.
He is right. When the one-time Arsenal man arrived in the Italian capital, they were soon subject to a ban from European competition for failing UEFA’s financial fair play regulations which limit the losses clubs are allowed to make.
The final word should go to the CEO of the newly-crowned champions.
Gazidis seems in it for the long haul with focus on the building of a new stadium to replace the grand but crumbling San Siro in 2027.
He and Milan are on a ride to somewhere new, with a young team and a plan to match the Premier League juggernauts. Whether Serie A’s finest can catch up fully is a big ask under the current structure. But either way, the Italian top-flight competition should remain entertaining next term.
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