Money is tight in Serie A and, as the January transfer window get’s ready to creak open, the big clubs have their finance men working furiously to see if they can eke out some funds to strengthen their manager’s hands.
Spending in Italy has been modest in recent years and, while the moneybags Premier League looks ready to splash the cash again and the Saudi Pro League flexes its muscles, the Serie A clubs will keep a tight hold of the purse strings.
This is a pivotal moment in the campaign with a two-horse race for the Scudetto and a six-way battle for the remaining two Champions League spots.
As things stand, it’s Inter Milan, Juventus, AC Milan, and Bologna in the top four, with Napoli and Roma among the chasing group. There may be some small scale deals to be done, but any team wanting to spend will need to shift players on to make room and raise the cash.
Minor tweaks at Inter
I Nerazzuri are four points clear at the top of the table, and they are priced as low as 1.19 to win the 2024 Scudetto. At SBOTOP odds of 4.70, Juventus are in pursuit, and the Bianconeri will hope to keep hold of its best players and see a return to form of star striker Federico Chiesa to try to push Inter to the wire.
Simone Inzaghi’s title favourites are streets ahead in terms of quality in the squad, and the head coach will try to add some cover during the window.
When he has used squad players in European competition they have struggled. The second string was 3-0 down in a Champions League match against Benfica, so the boss brought on his big guns and Marcus Thuram changed the game as Inter fought back to draw 3-3.
According to the Italian media, Inter have agreed a deal the bring Club Brugge wing-back Tajon Buchanan to Milan as cover for Colombian star Juan Cuadrado, who is sidelined for at least two months with an Achilles injury.
In other Serie A 2023 news, it seems that Inter’s Chilean striker Alexis Sanchez is on the radar of the Saudi Pro League.
2023 champions Al Ittihad are reported to be interested in signing the former Arsenal striker and, currently sitting in sixth position, new manager Marcelo Gallardo will be keen to make his mark after the departure last month of Nuno Espirito Santo.
At 35 years of age, Sanchez has bags of experience and a hugely impressive track record. He scored I Nerazzurri’s leveller against Benfica but, increasingly, he is a player who waits for squad rotation and a chance to shine in cup competitions.
Gallardo has already spoken to the Chilean hitman since he would be a big hit in Saudi, and there may well be legs in this one. He rejoined Inter last summer as cover for Thuram and main man Lautaro Martinez, but Sanchez might well be tempted by one more payday.
He has struggled with injuries and would have to be used carefully, but there is little doubt that he still has magic in his boots.
Napoli’s Class of 2023 is breaking up
Napoli are down in seventh place and a full 17 points off the summit, and they trail the top four by four points. The latest Serie A 2023 betting odds say I Partenopei will finish in the Champions League places and, if they do, and maybe even pick up some cup silverware that would represent a good season after their 2023 Scudetto triumph.
At the start of the campaign, there was hope in Naples and on the Azzzurri coast that the club could put up a fierce defence of their title, but it simply hasn’t materialised and the departure of centre-back colossus Kim Min-Jae is one of the reasons why.
And this could be another tricky window for Napoli, who are likely to see at least one more big name exit.
Macedonian midfielder Eljif Elmas is due to travel to Germany on Wednesday to take a medical with Bundesliga giants RB Leipzig, and that departure would put more pressure on Piotr Zielinski and Stanislav Lobotka, who are pretty much ever presents in the middle of the park.
And then there is the case of striker Victor Osimhen. He has just signed a new deal which takes his contract with Napoli to 2026, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he will stay in Naples until then since it just gives the club more security in terms of his value.
The Nigerian, named African Footballer of the Year for 2023, scored 31 goals in all competitions last term. And, at 24 years of age, he is one of the hottest properties on the planet.
He was one of Arsenal’s top targets but Mikel Arteta, the Gunners boss, has said he is ready to shelve the club’s interest after making contact with Osimhen and his representatives.
Napoli fans won’t rest easy until February.
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
●●●
CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE FOOTBALL STORIES & ODDS
Stay updated with everything sports and betting.
Follow us on social Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
