It’s no secret that a move to Italy can be just the tonic that struggling Premier League players need. Long seen as hostile territory for English players, the Serie A has recently helped the likes of Wojciech Szczesny and Edin Dzeko relaunch their careers, and looks to be helping Manchester City wantaway Joe Hart in much the same way.
Could more players follow them down the road? Our transfer pundit Guglielmo Cannavale thinks so, claiming that there are huge bargains to be had by combing the benches of England’s elite.
The biggest seller could well be Manchester United, who have a lot of excess stock to offload. A number of players have lost Jose Mourinho’s confidence, namely Morgan Schneiderlin and Memphis Depay, both very much in Juventus’ sights. Beyond being scouted by the Old Lady, he has also been tailed by Roma and AC Milan.
Matteo Darmian’s situation is a little different, seeing as he could turn things around an earn a starting berth at Old Trafford. That said, he has expressed his desire to move to Inter Milan before, and remains one of the Nerazzurri’s priorities going into the nexty transfer window.
Signings aren’t the only option: a player who rivals the above in terms of minutes played is Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who cost the Old Trafford side 40m in summer, only to be lined up only on occasion, and often on the wing. Could he be loaned out, seeing as the Red Devils don’t want to sell? Marcos Rojo could be another giveaway, seeing as the Special One wants to revolutionize his back line.
Inter’s quest for full-backs and center midfielders has led them to consider Liverpool man Lucas (also liked by Milan), whose deal expires next summer. Pablo Zabaleta is another name that has often been linked to the Nerazzurri, as well as Roma.
London could well be a very rich mine for Italian football: though his agent recently denied it, Lucas Perez isn’t in Arsene Wenger’s good books, and is unlikely to play even when he recovers from his injury. Inter are also very enthusiastic about him, as well as Napoli.
Chelsea’s Oscar and Fabregas have long been mentioned (though Coach Conte has often denied they'll leave) with the Brazilian linked to Inter and a client of Kia Joorabchian… himself an advisor to the Nerazzurri. Beyond that, Branislav Ivanovic has also appeared on Juventus’ radar, only to turn them down.
West Ham, for their part, have the much-discussed Simone Zaza (about whom Napoli sent emissaries to London recently) as well as former Sampdoria man Pedro Obiang.
Either way, it could be a very busy winter indeed on the Anglo-Italian axis.
