Perhaps I’m posting this article in haste and prematurely, but the writing looks to be on the wall that Cuti is off to “not-so” greener pastures after one breakout season with Atalanta. But what a breakout it was for him! Serie A defender of the year, winning the Copa America with Argentina, and overall just growing into his game immensely since the start of the year- it was only a matter of time before the big guns of the sport came calling after him.
I just didn’t expect it to happen so soon. I figured Atalanta would hold onto him for at least one more season, but when the likes of Tottenham are throwing around 55M euros (after you bought the player for less than 20M), its hard to say no. It’s better to move on from a player a year too early rather than a year too late, so I can understand why Atalanta is looking to cash in now (I can understand it and still hate it!).
So what’s next? It would be very irresponsible to go into the season with Toloi, Djimsiti, Palomino, and Sutalo as the only options at centerback. At the very least one would be a necessity, and I could argue that two would be needed – given Sutalo’s more difficult transition to first team football. I’ve identified five players, while none can replace Romero, can at least give La Dea a chance of molding another elite centerback. Remember, no one had high hopes for Romero at the start of the season, and boom one year later – he’s on every elite team’s wish list. It says a lot about Atalanta’s coaching and tactical player development, so no one should really be shocked if Atalanta is able to turn out another stalwart.
The Youngster: Piero Hincapie, CA Talleres (19, $8.80M Valuation)
Romero wasn’t the only defender to put on a stellar maiden voyage in the Copa America. In comes Piero Hincapie (no relation to George), who at under 20 is already a first team staple in Argentina at CA Talleres – and is now a key cog in Ecuador’s starting XI. The young lefty name is already being thrown around by a bunch of big European teams, including Bayern, Lazio, and even shady reports saying Atalanta. But the kid looks destined for big things. He’s incredibly calm on the ball, not afraid to push forward, and is a good decision maker (don’t watch the last ten minutes of the Argentina/Ecuador match in the Copa though!).
Serie A Poaching: Gleison Bremer, Torino (24, $11.00M Valuation)
Bremer gets lost in the shuffle often, given how woeful Torino have been the last few seasons, but there’s a lot of quality in his game. Already comfortable in a back three, if Bremer indeed stays with Torino it could be time for his breakout in a Juric-coached squad that synergizes rather than destroys. Regardless of the coach, Bremer has already shown his worth. Last year was a quietly excellent season for the Brazilian who finished very high in a slew of defensive ratings:
– Successful Pressure Rate, 8th
– Interceptions, 2nd (1st among CBs)
– Tackles + Interceptions, 3rd
His aerial game could use a little bit of work, but with time and more positional training his big frame could make him a beast to go up against in the air. I fully expect him to be a dynamo under Juric, but I’d much rather see Juric’s teacher take him under his wing.
Untapped Juve Potential: Merih Demiral, Juventus (23, $30.80M Valuation)
Atalanta already had strong links to Demiral early this transfer window, and it makes a whole lot of sense for the two to be linked. A Juventus player who has had trouble with consistency, and putting all of his raw skills together in one clean package…. who does that sound like? If Romero wasn’t the first name that came to your mind, let me know, cause then we have someone else we need to scout!
Hearing Demiral’s name doesn’t reverberate like a Christmas bell, perhaps because we already know what the end product is of a raw defender putting it all together in Romero. While difficult, we shouldn’t let Romero’s excellence get in the way of devaluing Demiral – whether we don’t think lightning will strike twice or we don’t think Demiral’s ceiling is as high as Romero’s. Regardless the Turkish international is still incredibly young, oozes skill, and while he has had some nasty injuries has never really had a chance to flourish at Juventus given the options at centerback ahead of him. The price tag is a little higher, but I don’t see it as the worst thing in the world if Atalanta takes a flyer on Demiral and can pull the wool over Juventus’s eyes again – it would be worth trying it just for that!
The Wildcard: Jefferson Lerma, Bournemouth (26, $16.5M Valuation)
So hear me out on this one. Yes I know Lerma is technically a midfielder, but one quirky yet enticing thing Gasperini’s about system is the uniqueness of the centerbacks. Pressing machines, aggressive, and not afraid to get forward are all traits that fit well at Atalanta, and Lerma possesses all of those skills. Perhaps a bit too aggressive (Lerma led the EPL and the Championship the last two years in yellow cards), Lerma has a streak in him that would work really well in a man to man defensive setup.
And while some of his cards and aggression are to make up for game awareness hiccups, drilling him into a system could be perfect for honing his game awareness. Not overly tall, he can still jump a mile and is very good in the air with an incredibly quick first step to boot. As you may say about an old house, “it has good bones,” and while Lerma is nothing close to old, he has good bones (or skills) that can be molded into a good football player, and perhaps a really unique hybrid CB/MF that would only work under Gasperini.
Argentine Flavor: Marcos Senesi, Feyenoord (24, $20.90M Valuation)
Senesi was heavily linked to La Dea last year, and in my estimation has done nothing to hurt his chances for an eventual move to Italy, Spain, or England. To me he’s a lot like Hincapie just five years more experienced: he’s good on the ball, can make runs, lefty, but he’s just more seasoned and can slot into a system right away without going through any growing pains. Of all these options, Senesi makes the most sense to me. He doesn’t hurt you with a lack of pace, he’s aggressive, and what he has that Romero doesn’t is more offensive flair. A good passer of the ball, to go with a very good long range shot for a CB, Senesi may be able to teach Toloi and de Roon a thing or two about hitting the target from distance! Senesi hasn’t left my mind since last year, and I think he would be quickly able to slot into Romero’s middle spot (and spell Djimsiti on the left).
Again, I hope I’m writing this article in vain, and all this Tottenham has just been one big April Fool’s joke in July. Nonetheless, it is always good to start thinking about the future, because we all knew this day would come with Romero – we perhaps weren’t prepared to confront it so quickly. Let’s keep one hand crossed that Romero stays, but ensure that the other hand is still making phone calls to try and land us the next Cuti Romero. Regardless of what Cuti does he’ll always be Atalantini, and I’ll be cheering for him hard regardless of his destination to show Atalanta players have the chops to play anywhere. As always Forza Dea, old and ones to be!
