🇮🇹 The five most exciting January signings in Serie A | OneFootball

Another January transfer window in Italy has now concluded but not without some interesting additions across the board.

We look at the most exciting signings from the month.

Mario Mandžukić (Milan)

Signing a veteran free agent on a short-term deal is really worth getting worked up about?

Well, if you are a Milan fan then yes it is. The Croatian’s acquisition could be the difference between winning and losing a Scudetto this season.

Between illness and injury, the Rossoneri’s main man in attack, Zlatan Ibrahimović, hasn’t always been available and the alternatives to the Swede don’t inspire a great deal of confidence.

They needed a reliable goalscoring presence for the run-in who knows the league well and Mandžukić, with 31 Serie A goals across four years at Juventus, fits the bill perfectly.

He will be called upon for key moments and the 34-year-old is rarely found wanting in that regard.

Bryan Reynolds (Roma)

European football has already been taken by storm by one full-back from Major League Soccer.

And what Alphonso Davies has done at Bayern Munich on the left flank, Roma will be hoping Reynolds replicates on the right.

The 19-year-old arrives with a massive reputation and the Giallorossi have pulled off a serious coup in signing him.

Juventus appeared clear frontrunners at the start of the month to seal his signature but their rivals have beaten them to the punch and the USA youth international could be a star in the capital for years to come.

Along with the return of the Pharaoh, Stephan El Shaarawy, it has been a very good month for Roma indeed.

Joshua Zirkzee (Parma)

There were a lot of clubs from across the continent banging Bayern Munich’s door down this month to take Zirkzee on loan.

Somewhat surprisingly, it is the Serie A strugglers who have won that race for one of the Bundesliga’s brightest young prospects.

Zirkzee has shown in flashes with the Champions League winners what he is capable of but opportunities were, understandably, always going to be limited there.

Parma are in real danger of going down this year and the main reason for that is their abysmal attack, which has contributed just 14 goals in 20 games – the worst in the league by some distance.

The Dutchman has a tough task on his hands but if he can reignite the Ducali’s frontline, they will have renewed hope in their survival fight.

Rolando Mandragora (Torino)

Parma aren’t the only team struggling to beat the drop who made a potentially game-changing signing.

On deadline day, Torino went to city rivals Juventus in seeking assistance in their fight to stay up and landed midfielder Mandragora on an 18-month loan deal that will be made permanent if the Granata stay up.

That is something that is now a lot more likely with the addition of some real class to their midfield which, coupled with the return of Daniele Baselli from long-term injury, means Davide Nicola’s team is suddenly looking a lot better.

The 23-year-old has been an impressive figure at Udinese in recent years and has looked revitalised since overcoming his own injury issues.

This deal, coupled with the arrival of striker Tonny Sanabria (who in typical Toro fashion tested positive for COVID-19 during his medical), could be to Torino what Mandžukić is to Milan – the difference between everything or nothing.

Kevin Strootman (Genoa)

And concluding the list with another player who could keep a team in the division, we have Genoa’s move for Marseille outcast Strootman.

The Grifoni may already have been good enough to secure survival given the state of some of the teams below them but this looks like a move which pushes them to salvation.

Although the Dutchman has had his struggles with some horrific knee injuries, he is still just 30 and an extremely intelligent and reliable performer when available.

For a six-month move in adding some real star power and Serie A quality to a problematic position, Strootman should excel at the Marassi.

If the Rossoblu do indeed stave off relegation concerns, this signing could be a big reason why.