Where to begin? The top team signing arguably the best players from the two runner ups in league title race, or the biggest transfer fee ever for a player that had been signed free, or the fact that Inter showed Milan what can happen when you have new owners? There were so many fascinating story lines during the summer in Serie A that I’m struggling to decide where to lead off.
 

To make things easier let’s start with Juventus, who started the summer with one goal in mind- build a team good enough to win the Champions League before Buffon retires (and also to win an unprecedented sixth league title in a row). The bianconeri quickly signed a proven wing back in Dani Alves to go with Alex Sandro, giving them two players to make their 3 5 2 more dynamic in Europe. They then followed the blueprint from last summer- sign the replacements for the blue chip players leaving ahead of time.  

Last year the bianconeri quickly signed Dybala and Khedira, which was then followed by Tevez and Vidal’s departures. Juventus took a similar approach this summer with Miralem Pjanic, who even forfeited the part of the exit clause that was owed to him to facilitate his transfer to Turin. But Pjanic’s transfer ended up being just an appetizer for the big move up Marotta’s sleeve- paying Higuain’s gargantuan 90 million exit clause.
 

I have to be honest, that move really surprised me- Higuain cost more than double Dybala’s transfer fee, and unlike the former Palermo striker you can’t say that Higuain’s value will increase or even remain stable. While many believe that Juventus wanted to send a strong message to Roma and Napoli by signing some of their top players, I think this had more to do with fact it’s very hard to get players of Higuain and Pjanic’s calibre to play in Italy especially at those wages.

 

Juventus also made some excellent moves for depth by bringing back Cuadrado, who was a vital player for them both in Serie  A and the Champions League, as well as signing the highly rated Pjaca to help replace Morata. The signing of Benatia led to speculation that Rugani could leave, but Barzagli’s advanced age and Chiellini’s recent injuries made depth at center back a priority. While Witsel would have been a very nice cherry on top of the sundae (and would have been a great insurance policy on Khedira and Marchisio) it’s hard to deny that Juventus has a better team today than this time last year- especially when you consider Dybala will be a year better.  

Napoli recovered from losing Higuain to their biggest rival by following their blueprint- sign young players with some experience who have great upside. Arkidiusz Milik (born in 94) scored two goals in his debut at the San Paolo, while Marko Rog (’95), Zielinski (’94) and especially Amadou Diawara (’97), who had been linked to Bayern Munich and some PL clubs, will bring great depth to Napoli’s midfield a season after Sarri almost ran Allan, Jorginho and Hamsik into the ground.

Considering how well Sarri developed Jorginho, Hysaj and Koulibaly last season it’s very likely Napoli’s current manager will be able to do the same with the new crop of youngsters. Napoli also bolstered their defence by signing two of the most underrated centre backs in Serie A with Lorenzo Tonelli and Nikola Maksimovic.
 
 

While Roma did lose Miralem Pjanic, they still boost a very impressive midfield after retaining Radja Nainggolan and now that Kevin Strootman finally appears healthy. In addition the giallorossi resisted Liverpool, Milan and Leicester’s advances for Paredes who arrived in Italy as a trequartista but flourished playing the trequartista role on loan at Empoli. Roma is still reaping the rewards from their excellent January transfer window- Perotti and El Shaarawy form a very intriguing attacking trio with Salah when Spalletti opts to use a false nine.
 

Roma made numerous additions to the defence- Bruno Peres has already shown that he can bring many of the same attributes that made Maicon so valuable in his first season in Italy’s capital. While Roma waits for Rudiger to recover from his ACL surgery, the giallorossi are hoping that Vermaelen can stay healthy and that Juan Jesus returns to the form he showed two seasons ago.

 

Hopefully this will be the last transfer window that Milan spends hunting for bargains. The rossoneri missed an opportunity to get Paredes when Roma was about to redeem El Shaarawy’s rights, and then had to settle on Sosa and Mati Fernandez to bolster a midfield in serious need of an overhaul. Milan hopes to have found a long term partner for Romagnoli in Gustavo Gomez.
 

But sometimes the best deals are those that you don’t make and Bacca rewarded Milan with a hat trick in the first match of the season against former coach Mihajlovic. Milan also wisely kept Niang and Suso who could bring the assists Bacca needs to maintain his impressive scoring average in Serie A. 

Inter did show Milan what can happen under new ownership. The Suning group completed the purchase of the nerazzurri in the first few weeks of the transfer window and this allowed them to make some significant moves. While landing Gabigol and Joao Mario is very impressive considering the number of suitors involved, it’s even more remarkable when you consider that Inter acquired them while also keeping all of their best players- Icardi, Handanovic, Miranda and Brozovic.  

While Gabigol and Joao Mario were substantial investments, Inter was also able to sign Banega on a free transfer (arguably the most impressive move of the summer when you consider how hard it is to bring players of his calibre to Italy with no Champions League) and acquire versatile fullback Ansaldi for a very good bargain. Inter however lived up to their nick name of “Pazza” (crazy) by replacing Mancini with Frank De Boer, who had no connection to Serie A, just two weeks before the season started.


 

Let’s look at the other teams with a quick lightning round. While Torino rightfully got a lot of praise for signing Ljajic, Iago Falque and Valdifiori their new coach Mihajlovic will have to reinvent the defense after losing Maksimiovic, Glik and Bruno Peres- there is now doubt Joe Hart will have plenty of chances to shine for the granata.  

Lazio may have finally found a good partner for De Vrij by signing Bastos from Rostov, the biancocelesti are also banking on Ciro Immobile going back to his old form as he tries to help replace Miroslav Klose. Fiorentina cashed in on Marcos Alonso and is hoping that continuity in Paulo Sousa’s system will ensure that Bernardeschi and Tello can take a step forward. Chievo made one of the best signings of the summer in Serie A by signing former Palermo goalkeeper Sorrentino who should help ensure Maran’s team avoids relegation with ease.