Italian Calcio is growing again. This is, in a few words, the message sent by the Serie A teams during the 2013-14 summer transfer window. An interesting research by the Italian economic newspaper Italia Oggi shows that investments (338 million euros) have finally surpassed revenues from the sale of players (€315 M), with still more than a week to go before the transfer market session ends on 2 September. In addition, a big part of these revenues have been reinvested in top players, who will surely increase the technical level of the Italian top league.
Several teams have spent considerable amounts of money for players such as Mario Gomez (Fiorentina- €15,5M), Llorente and Tevez (Juventus- free transfer and €9M respectively), Strootman (Roma- €16,5M) and Higuain (Napoli- €37M), just to name the most significant.
Serie A champions Juventus have spent €32M, whilst collecting “only” €21M. The Milanese teams have been relatively tranquil, as Milan is still waiting to know their Champions League fate (an elimination to PSV in the playoffs would cost around €30M of lost incomes), whilst Inter is amid an organizational revolution, with Indonesian billionaire Thohir about to take over the club from the Moratti family.
The Rossoneri spent €16M and sold players for €5,7M, whilst the Nerazzurri (the most in need of new players between the two) spent €32,8M and cashed in €7,5M. The most active team is by far Aurelio De Laurentis’s Napoli: the Azzurri sacrificed last year’s “capocannoniere”, Uruguayan star Edinson Cavani, but reinvested all the €64,5M they got from Paris Saint Germain (and more), putting up a team to be watched out for both in the Serie A and the Champions League.
Udinese: a winning case study. Finally, when talking about player transfers in Italy- aka “Calciomercato”- a special mention always goes to Udinese. Each year the less known and promoted “bianconeri” reinvent their team by selling their best players for often above-market prices, and invest relatively low sums in unknown young talents from around the globe who will be developed and eventually sold to the highest paying team (+ €12,1M in this transfer session). This strategy has allowed Giampaolo Pozzo’s club to be the only team in Italy able to close each of the last nine (9!) transfer sessions with a positive balance sheet, without however sacrificing on-field results (5th 3rd and 4th were Udinese’s final rankings in the last three Serie A seasons). For every Alexis Sanchez leaving, there’s always a Luis Muriel ready to take his place. Jadson, Ivan Kelava, Frano Mlinar, Orestis Karnezis: who will be next?
