Juventus shook up the Serie A landscape this January. The Old Lady made several big moves during the winter window, headlined by their massive signing of star striker Dusan Vlahovic, in their bid to break into the top four.
Speaking of the top four, champions Inter made a couple of shrewd moves to help them preserve their lead, but the teams directly below them did not bring in reinforcements, which could prove costly.
Meanwhile, the two Roman clubs, Roma and Lazio, had differing winter windows which could see them go in different directions in the table.
Read on as SBOTOP recaps the winners and losers in Serie A after the closing of the winter transfer window.
Winner: Juventus
The Old Lady of Turin clearly needed a makeover. Juventus are way down in fifth in the standings, out of title contention for the second year in a row and in danger of missing the Champions League for the first time in over a decade.
And so the Bianconeri made a bunch of big moves this January, none bigger than their €75 million signing of Fiorentina striker Dusan Vlahovic. It is the most expensive signing a Serie A club has ever made during the winter transfer window.
The 22-year-old Vlahovic is currently the co-leading scorer in Serie A with 17 goals and immediately fills Juve’s biggest need after Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure: a reliable goalscorer. In fact, the Serb will wear Ronaldo’s famous No 7 shirt.
But that’s not all Juve did. They also cleared out a trio of players, with forward Dejan Kulusevski and midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur both going to Tottenham and midfielder Aaron Ramsey joining Scottish champions Rangers on loan.
And to help fill the void left by Bentancur and Ramsey, Juve brought in defensive midfielder Denis Zakaria from Borussia Monchengladbach. The 25-year-old Swiss was highly sought-after among Europe’s elite, so his £7m price tag could end up being quite bargain for the Bianconeri.
With Vlahovic on board and ready to make more Serie A 2022 highlights, coach Massimiliano Allegri now has the striker he needs for Juve to make a run at the top four in the second half of the season.
Loser: Fiorentina fans
While Juventus fans are no doubt hailing the Vlahovic signing, Fiorentina fans are absolutely livid that another one of their heroes has left for one of their fiercest and most hated rivals.
It was just a couple of years ago that Federico Chiesa also left Florence for Turin, a move which earned him the ire and vitriol from the Viola faithful. And now, Vlahovic has made the same move, to the predictable fury of Fiorentina fans.
Fiorentina have done some good business reinvesting some of the Vlahovic fee to sign Lille’s Jonathan Ikone and Brazilian centre-forward Arthur Cabral as they look to continue their battle for a European spot.
But it will take a bit more for Fiorentina fans to forgive the club for their decision to sell their best player once again to one of their biggest rivals.
Winner: Inter Milan
The Serie A 2022 odds already had leaders Inter Milan favoured to defend their title, and the Nerazzurri made themselves even better this winter. That’s after they landed left wing-back Robin Gosens from Atalanta on a €25 million deal.
Gosens, who was also linked with a move to Newcastle, has been one of the best attacking wing-backs in Europe for the last few years (19 goals and 13 assists in Serie A from 2019-2021).
The German has been sidelined for most of the season with a thigh injury, but he is fit now and should fit perfectly in Simone Inzaghi’s 3-5-2 system.
Inzaghi also brought in veteran striker Felipe Caicedo on loan from relegation-threatened Genoa. The two worked together in Lazio, where Caicedo scored at least eight Serie A goals in three straight seasons from 2018 to 2021.
The 33-year-old figures to add even more depth to an Inter forward line that already includes Lautaro Martinez, Edin Dzeko, Alexis Sanchez, and another former Lazio forward, Joaquin Correa.
Losers: Napoli and AC Milan
While Inter improved by adding another dangerous attacking piece to their arsenal this winter, their biggest title competitors this season – Napoli and AC Milan – both decided to stand relatively pat.
Napoli’s only notable move was to bring in young Manchester United defender Axel Tuanzebe to replace the departed Kostas Manolas.
Meanwhile, Milan brought in teenage striker Marko Lazetic, who is unlikely to make much of an impact this season. They were also linked with Lille centre-back Sven Botman, but that move never materialised due to the French club’s high asking price.
With no significant additions to their squads this January, it will be that much more difficult for Napoli and Milan to mount a serious title challenge against champions Inter.
Winner: Roma
After Vlahovic and Gosens, Roma’s Sergio Oliveira could end up being the most impactful Serie A signing of the winter window. The Portuguese midfielder – on loan from FC Porto – has already made his presence felt in Rome, as he’s scored two goals and provided an assist in his first three games for the Giallorossi.
Oliveira’s arrival provides Jose Mourinho with a much-needed third option in midfield besides Jordan Veretout and Bryan Cristante, which could prove crucial later in the season.
And speaking of options, Ainsley Maitland-Niles – on loan from Arsenal – also gives Mourinho a versatile option to play either full-back or wing-back.
Loser: Lazio
Rome’s other club, Lazio, didn’t bring in any impact signings this winter despite their clear need for reinforcements.
Coach Maurizio Sarri has done well to keep his side up in eighth and within sight of a European spot. But it remains to be seen how long he can continue to rely on such a limited group of players, a handful of which are well over 30 years old.
Lazio have finished ahead of their city rivals Roma in each of the last two seasons, but with no new faces in January, that streak could be set to come to an end this year.
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