Milan (AFP)
Serie A fans will be on the cusp of an exciting new season, as a result of the signings made by major clubs during the summer in their attempts to push Milan out of the top.
Agence France-Presse takes a look at some of the important new faces who are able to make their mark in the new season:
Romelu Lukaku (Inter)
The return of the Belgian Romelu Lukaku to Inter was supposed to be part of a large group of signings for the club this summer, as part of its quest to regain the title that it ceded last season to its neighbor Milan.
But his failure to finalize two major deals of equal importance related to Argentine Paulo Dybala and Brazilian Gleason Bremer, who signed with Roma and Juventus, respectively, left the Belgian striker alone in bearing the burden of expectations, and he is returning to the team with the aim of restoring his position after a more than disappointing return to his other former team, Chelsea.
Lukaku scored 64 goals in 95 games for Inter during the two seasons he spent with him, and contributed mainly to leading him to win the Italian league title for the first time since 2010 in 2021 and put an end to Juventus’ dominance of the “Scudetto” for nine consecutive seasons.
Paul Pogba (Juventus)
Like Lukaku, Frenchman Paul Pogba returns to Juventus, the team he excelled in, in order to try to restore his level after a very difficult period spent in the ranks of his new-old club, Manchester United.
Pogba was one of two great players to join Juventus this summer on a free transfer, but the start of a return to the Turin giants, six years after leaving, in order to defend the colors of his former club, Manchester United, has muddied after suffering a meniscus injury to his right knee.
Juventus expected the 29-year-old to be out of action for five weeks, but he will not undergo knee surgery that would have kept him out of the 2022 World Cup.
A club spokesman told AFP that Pogba will undergo a “conservative treatment for five weeks”, and therefore, he will miss the start of the Italian league, but he can return in mid-September.
It is certain that Pogba’s return at his highest level will constitute a great addition to the Juventus midfield, which was his weak point for several seasons.
Georginio Wijnaldum (Rome)
The victory of the first edition of the European “Converse League” competition has restored morale for Roma after many years of disappointments, and with the arrival of Dutch midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum to the capital club from Paris Saint-Germain on loan, the opponents will have to take Jose Mourinho’s team seriously Grandfather as a significant contender for the title.
On the eve of the start of the new season, many made Roma the dark horse of the league after adding to its ranks the experience of the Dutch international, who won the Champions League with Liverpool, who is still at the top of his gift at the age of thirty-one.
Angel Di Maria (Juventus)
Argentine Angel Di Maria formed the second free deal for Juventus this summer alongside Pogba, and he will provide coach Massimiliano Allegri’s team with a lot of offensive addition and will largely compensate for the loss of the efforts of his compatriot Dybala.
Di Maria, who won the Copa America title with his country, arrives in Turin after his separation from Paris Saint-Germain, where the former Real Madrid and Manchester United player won five league titles and the same in the Cup, but he and his companions missed the opportunity to give the French capital club his first title in Champions League by losing the 2020 final to Bayern Munich.
Charles de Kitlar (Milan)
Even on the eve of the start of the new season, the Belgian international Charles de Kitlar was the only big deal made by Milan after spending 35 million euros to join him from Club Brugge, becoming the 21-year-old the second Belgian contract for the title holder this summer after Divock Origi, the next in a free transfer deal.
The striker, who signed a five-year contract with the “Lombardy” club, defended the Belgian national team on eight occasions and won the Belgian League title with his hometown team during the past three seasons.
Milan hope that De Kitlar will provide the necessary boost to their attacking line, which struggled at times last season, especially against lowly teams.
– Paulo Dybala “Roma”
The credit for placing Roma in the dark horse category for the new season is due to its new Argentine player, Paulo Dybala, who came to the capital club for free after the expiration of his contract with Juventus.
Everyone expected that the Argentine would be in the Inter shirt for the new season after Juventus’ decision not to renew him, but Lukaku’s return to the “Nerasori” and the latter’s inability to make room for him in his annual budget, made Rome his new destination after a phone call to coach Jose Mourinho convinced him.
Dybala decided to test his fortunes in Rome and miss the Champions League while also deducting his huge annual salary, hoping to help Mourinho’s team build on his crowning last season’s “Conference League” and rival the trio Milan, Inter and Juventus for the title.
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