Summer 2021 was one of the most furious and entertaining transfer markets in recent history. In deals that saw both Ronaldo and Messi change teams, to PSG ignoring FFP, to Lukaku thumbing his nose up at the recent Scudetto winners, it will be hard to top the drama in forthcoming years. Heck even Atalanta made it onto the transfer scene, rubbing shoulders with Tottenham; twice; and landing one of the most highly rated prospects in Europe. Regardless of where you turned, there was a story to keep you entertained – even if it may have taken two months to get from start to finish.
The sheer quantity of deals that Atalanta inked this summer suggests the club’s intention’s going forward. To sum it up, it’s encouraging. The club brought in six reinforcements, while only sending out two players that could have expected to see a reasonable amount of playing time. Atalanta definitely solved it’s depth issue, and can hopefully overcome a midseason funk that relied on a razor thin lineup. Now with a squad that feels much less shaky going into dual competition mode, the story becomes how quickly and well the team can gel together.
A Quick Rundown
For a list of all of Atalanta’s loan moves, I highly recommend going to Atalanta’s website which does a great job of listing out each move, including youth players.
Atalanta’s additions could comprise an entire back four defensive setup, along with a defensive midfielder, which shouldn’t come to anyone’s surprise given the potent attack that stayed intact over the summer. In fact, La Dea crossed off what most would consider its glaring holes going into the new campaign:
– An upgrade at goalkeeper
– Competently replace Cristian Romero
– Depth for an overworked midfield pair
– Depth at wingback
Ultimately it’s hard to nitpick at anything Atalanta did this summer. The club tripled its investment in Romero in less than a year, supplemented the wing with one of the only humans in Italy that may be faster than Hateboer (Zappacosta for those playing at home), and completed one of the savviest signings of the summer with Teun Koopmeiners. Actually, the only nitpick may be how long the Koopmeiners drama drug out – but at a 14M price tag it was worth the wait.
Losing players like Cristian Romero and Pierluigi Gollini is a little hard to swallow – from the fan’s point of view – but from a sporting point of view it makes perfect sense. Demiral and Lovato both have the tools to continue blossoming their plus raw tools, and with the emergence of Palomino so far this season, Atalanta hasn’t missed a step in its defensive play. Add to that one of the best shot stoppers in Serie A, and the defense shouldn’t miss a beat.
The Best Signing – Teun Koopmeiners
This one goes without saying. The young Dutchman came over from AZ at a price 6M less than most pundits were forecasting, and has all the tools to spell the double pivot – and perhaps more importantly prevent Mario Pasalic from ever seeing playing time in defensive midfield! In fact, Koopmeiners ceiling is high enough that if everything breaks right he’ll eventually slot into a starting midfield slot, and become the team’s primary freekick and penalty taker. If he becomes Marten de Roon with a killer ball Serie A will have to be on high alert!
The Darkhorse Signing – Davide Zappacosta
Zappacosta’s signing came about out of necessity more than anything, but it still can turn out to be one of the best under-the-radar signings this window. With Hateboer out for several months, there was no way that Atalanta was able to go into the season with only one wingback capable of playing the right wing – enter Zappacosta. Not only can the ex-Chelsea man play on the right side, he is comfortable with a back three, knows Serie A from his spells with a variety of clubs, and he can play on the left in a pinch. His speed could be a true x-factor, and Maehle’s starting position isn’t firmly fortified, giving Zappacosta the opportunity to knock him off his perch. And lest we forget, Atalanta was able to steal Zappacosta from under the nose of Fiorentina, a net-net victory.
The Signing For The Future- Matteo Lovato
Matteo Lovato is most likely Gasperini’s 5th choice at centerback, which isn’t a bad thing for the young ex-Hellas Verona player. With a back three defensive setup, the 21 year old will still get plenty of time to show his chops this year, while not being forced to anchor a defense. In addition, he already comes with the tactical knowledge of the Gasperini system thanks to his time with Ivan Juric. If Giorgio Scalvini is the real deal, can you imagine a backline being anchored by them in two or three years time if both hit their peak?!?
The In-Retrospect Signings: Merih Demiral and Giuseppe Pezzella
Hindsight is always 20-20, so it serves no one to view these signings as redundant. However with all that has come to light since Demiral and Pezzella signed with the club over a month ago, one does wonder how much playing time they’ll actually receive.
With Demiral, it made perfect sense at the time to bring in the Turk from Juventus. Romero was off to Tottenham, and Demiral’s peak outcome is the next Cristian Romero – so the transfer felt natural. Yet, no one would’ve expected Jose Luis Palomino to play like his pants were on fire the first two matches of the year – effectively pushing Demiral to first option off the bench. It remains uncertain how much playing time Demiral receives this year, and in fact the less he get’s the better, because that only means Palomino is playing consistently excellent football.
Pezzella falls into a similar category after the signing of Zappacosta. All four healthy wingbacks are capable of putting in a shift on the left, and Pezzella may be the odd man out. Especially when Hateboer comes back, it becomes a challenge to think how Giuseppe receives meaningful playing time, which is unfortunate for a youngster who really needs match time to grow his game.
In an incredibly busy window Atalanta sees six new players comes to the Gewiss. However, the club’s DNA and structure feels largely unchanged. Juan Musso is the only player that is a no doubt starter, affirming that Atalanta’s transfer market was around bolstering up depth – an all important facet of the team that has been missing in recent years.
Ultimately Atalanta feels more equipped to be consistently competitive throughout a long season and push for success in Italy and Europe. La Dea didn’t need to (and can’t) go out and sign superstars, the team structure doesn’t call for it, but rather the finished product just feels more robust now and more resistant to chinks in the armor. In a hyper competitive Top 7 this year, Atalanta looks poised to keep fighting for top spots, and doing so as a collective. Good luck to all the signees, and here’s to hoping they all becomes key figures of the squad this year and in the future! Forza Dea!!
