Well that didn’t take too long did it? Only days after Timothy Castagne’s move to Leceister City, Atalanta wasted no time finding his replacement with a loan deal and option to buy for only 3M euros for Valencia’s Cristiano Piccini. As everyone gets in on the action of Valencia’s unfortunate fire sale, Atalanta have seemingly bolstered a spot of much needed depth after the loan deal of Roma’s Rick Karsdorp fell through (frankly I much prefer Piccini to Karsdorp after learning about the character and makeup of each player). Perhaps a little bit of a reclamation project given he hardly played last year due to a ruptured kneecap, Piccini probably is not expected to replace Hans Hateboer in the starting XI, but should be a nice secondary option with very similar attributes to the Dutchmen. Height, speed, work-rate and perhaps better ball skills than Hans, staying healthy will be the key for Piccini to be a quality depth player in the Atalanta squad.
While the Piccini signing is needed and welcoming, it still leaves a question mark on who can come into the fold to give Robin Gosens an occasional rest. Timothy Castagne was a perfect supersub given he could play on both flanks, but Piccini is really only adept on the right side. And while he is a strong backup and a much needed reinforcement (especially with the rumors of Bellanova going on loan to Parma), it doesn’t fill the need Atalanta needs on the left hand side. Cyzborra is now gone on loan to Genoa, leaving only Arkadiusz Reca to back-up Gosens (who was on loan at SPAL last year, and is unclear whether he’ll even be featuring for La Dea).
Irregardless of the question marks on the left side, Piccini is still a smart piece of business. Atalanta are in no position to permanently buy him if he can’t overcome his injuries and get back into form, plus they pick up a player with Champion’s League experience who can enter in a pinch and not be overwhelmed by the big stage. In the end, not a sexy move by Percassi and company, but one that was absolutely essential to ensuring a well-rounded, depth laden club that can continue to compete on multiple fronts. Welcome to Bergamo Cristiano, and here’s to success and you coming over to La Dea on a permanent basis!
