Under the radar: five transfer deals which could surprise in Serie A | OneFootball

It has been a busy winter in Italy’s top division with some big name players coming in or swapping teams. Giancarlo Rinaldi picks out some under-the-radar moves which might make a real difference.

It was easy to draw your eyes towards Kyle Walker, Joao Felix or Randal Kolo Muani this January. They are the kind of acquisitions that naturally attract the attention of pundits due to the big clubs they left behind and their potential to transform their new sides. However, there have also been a lot of other deals which have not been quite as heralded that might also make a dramatic difference.

Jonathan Ikone (Fiorentina to Como) Cesc Fabregas’ side have been the biggest spenders in Italy as they attempt to ensure their sojourn in Serie A is not a brief one. They splashed out in style on the likes of Maxence Caqueret and Anastasios Douvikas but a player more tried and tested in Italy might have escaped your attention. The flying Frenchman never quite delivered for Fiorentina and proved an infuriating figure as he mixed moments of brilliance with disaster. With the Viola seemingly ditching their wingers, he might just thrive at Como. It wouldn’t be the first time a mercurial talent left the Tuscan club and flourished – anyone who remembers Josip Ilicic’s move to Atalanta could tell you that.

Daniel Maldini (Monza to Atalanta) Not so much transformational for the team – which is already performing brilliantly – but more, potentially, for the player. As a major emerging young talent, where better for him to hone his skills than at the Gian Piero Gasperini finishing school? The Bergamaschi have repeatedly shown that they can take a footballer’s skills to the next level and, if they can do it with Paolo’s boy, it would be great news for both club and country. The Scudetto dream may be fading but another Champions League finish looks likely with the gifted attacker in their squad.

Daniel Maldini of Atalanta BC in action during the Coppa Italia, Quarter Final match between Atalanta BC and Bologna FC at Gewiss Stadium on February 04, 2025 in Bergamo, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

Cesare Casadei (Chelsea to Torino) Another move that Luciano Spalletti will surely have been smiling about. Italy needs its young talents to play and there seems little doubt he will get more opportunity with the Granata than he has done with other sides in recent years. He also has the ability to turn his new team from solid mid-table plodders into something a lot more entertaining and dangerous. A real presence on the pitch, it is time for him to start delivering on all the promises everyone knows he has.

Riccardo Sottil (Fiorentina to Milan) The Rossoneri have been praised in many quarters as having smashed the transfer window this January but few have cited this man’s name as proof of that. Erratic for much of his career, there had been signs he was starting to finally produce consistently under Raffaele Palladino before he was declared surplus to requirements. Likely to serve as an understudy to Rafa Leao but he might just explode in his own right under Sergio Conceicao. Once again, that could just about open the doors to the national team.

Michael Folorunsho (Napoli to Fiorentina): A deal was done early due to Viola’s need to replace the unfortunate Edoardo Bove. It already looks to be working out well for the player and club. A fringe figure in Naples, he has dropped straight into the starting line-up and has not looked back. He brings some much-needed strength to the midfield but also has a surprisingly decent amount of skill. He will hope the move can help his push for a place in the national team squad while his new team will see him as a key man in returning them to the cracking form that made them outside bets for the Scudetto.