Most of the smaller Serie A sides reshaped their squads during the summer, bringing in intriguing new players or completing telling deals that will be key to determining the hierarchy and the outcome of the season.

Cagliari: Marco Palestra

The Sardinians took a couple of early blows but eventually bounced back with a few fundamentally sound contributors like Sebastiano Esposito, Michael Folorunsho, and Andrea Belotti. The Atalanta loanee has big shoes to fill, as Nadir Zortea was tremendous last season, but his early showings are promising. After all, he comes from an elite school, and he hasn’t fully emerged yet only because of the fierce competition.

Como: Jacob Ramon

The Lariani have added a ton of eye-popping talent from abroad. The Real Madrid product and Jesus Rodriguez have had the swiftest transitions, earning prominent roles right out of the gate and faring well. The center-back marred an impressive start with a silly and harsh red card in the final minutes of the Genoa game, which was costly. Still, he boasts an exciting combination of size, technique, grit, and charisma.

Cremonese: Federico Baschirotto

He’s not a starlet like a few others who made the list, but his acquisition was noteworthy. The Grigiorossi sent a loud message by poaching one of the stars of another relegation struggler. Plus, he could easily be at least a reliable deputy in a much bigger Serie A team. They aren’t messing around and don’t want to sweat it out this campaign. The reservations about the roster fitting their new coach’s style were vanquished by onboarding a host of rugged but energetic veterans, with a touch of youthfulness, like, for instance, Filippo Terracciano, Jeremy Sarmiento, and Mikayil Faye. Jamie Vardy being the cherry on top is a little smoke-screen-y, but he’s a bonus, as they don’t actually need him to carry them.

Genoa: Valentin Carboni

The Argentine was ready to take off last season after a good loan spell at Monza, but he lost a year as he tore his knee shortly after joining Olympique Marseille. Despite their efforts to increase their offensive firepower, the Liguri aren’t the most proactive or aesthetically pleasing side, which isn’t a great place for an attacker to thrive. Though, he just needs minutes. His class and upside are evident anytime he handles the ball. Inter will be hoping he definitely blossoms, as he’d spare them some money.

Lecce: Francesco Camarda

The Salentini didn’t change their MO despite pocketing a large windfall from the Nikola Krstovic sale, going young and/or unproven to replenish their roster. The Milan loanee will have to scratch and claw for minutes, competing with Nikola Stulic, but he’ll have the chance to prove his worth in Serie A after being electrifying every time the Rossoneri called his number.

Parma: Gaetano Pio Oristanio

The Ducali have a few options, as they have been pillaged by top sides and used their resources to acquire a few alluring foreign talents. Neither of them is off to a brilliant start, as Christian Ordonez and Oliver Sorensen haven’t compensated for the departure of Simon Sohm at this stage, and Abdoulaye Ndiaye and Mariano Troilo have gotten sparse opportunities. Unsurprisingly, their two most experienced newcomers, the other being Patrick Cutrone, have made the biggest impact. They have yet to unleash him fully, but the former Venezia man stood out with his athleticism, shooting, and playmaking in a challenging situation last year. He is poised to take a step forward with better personnel around him and a more courageous strategy.

Pisa: Calvin Stengs

The Nerazzurri will have to wait for their additions to find their footing. Most joined late after subpar summers that force them to play catch-up from the physical standpoint. However, successfully luring a skilled forward who isn’t playing on bigger stages solely because of injury is an accomplishment in itself. They certainly need all the help they can get up front.

Sassuolo: Jay Idzes

The Emilian outfit took a while to get going on the transfer market, perhaps anticipating some big sales that ultimately didn’t happen. In the end, they assembled a well-rounded and high-quality squad that should enable them to return to the level they were at before being stunningly relegated from Serie A due to a series of unfortunate events. They have a few candidates, but the Indonesian defender is probably pound-for-pound the most gifted newcomer and the one with the best chance to be one of their new technical leaders.

Torino: Kristjan Asllani

He didn’t fully pan out at Inter, although he had a pillar ahead of him, and it’s tough for everybody to flourish with spotty playing time and perhaps not perceiving a lot of confidence from the coach. Instead, he has looked totally at ease and has started pulling the strings from the get-go with the Granata, showcasing the command and passing chops that had brought him to San Siro in the first place.

Udinese: Nicolò Zaniolo

The Friulani stuck to their guns despite losing some cornerstones, trusting the growth of their other players and purchasing some solid and not unknown youngsters and veterans who were already familiar with Kosta Runjiac. The mercurial Italian ‘fantasista’ was the only detour from such a fairly safe strategy. The curiosity lies in whether he’ll hit it off with the coach, who butted heads and discarded some men last season, and if, after several failed stints, he has found the right place for him to prosper. It doesn’t hurt that, while they could use some pace and creativity, they are in no way dependent on his performances.

Verona: Giovane

They were the busiest Serie A club down the stretch, gambling on several players who had fallen out of favor in their previous clubs due to injury or whatnot. They have an almost entirely new XI, which is a big risk. However, if they hit on three or four of their signings, they might be better than last season. Gift Orban showed well in his lone appearance, while the Brazilian forward has been their driving force for their first three rounds. Having the whole summer to get acclimated surely helps. His touch and slipperiness are manifest. He moves like a young Lautaro Martinez. He’ll be one to watch if he also becomes clutch in the box.