Atalanta has been one of the hottest teams in Italy for the last two seasons. Usually hovering around the middle of the table, the Bergamo team have brought the heat with defensive intensity and offensive flair to work their way into the top four and consistently qualify for the Champions League. Maintaining this kind of pace for a team of its size is rare, but Atalanta is once again poised for another strong season with Gian Piero Gasperini.
Atalanta ready for another exciting season
Transfers out
Teams the size of Atalanta tend to decline due to transfers. Players shine and move to other traditionally “bigger” clubs. Atalanta had some of that this season, but not in a very damaging way.
The biggest transfer is that of Cristian Romero, who is now part of Tottenham Hotspur. The young Argentine central defender is a force on defense and was key for Atalanta last season. Tottenham have brought in a player capable of any challenge and willing to face it both for his toughness and for his intelligence. He will be missed at Gewiss Stadium.
The second loss was goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini. Like Romero, he also moved to Tottenham. He started most of Atalanta’s league games last season, appearing in 25 games.
These were Atalanta’s two main defeats, but they recovered very well.
Transfers in
To replace Romero, Atalanta brought in Merih Demiral from Juventus. Although he has spent part of the last few years on the sidelines due to injury, the Turkish international is a force to be reckoned with. In his best form and when healthy, Demiral is a fantastic center-back capable of stopping the best forwards. Players also tend to get in shape pretty quickly with Gasperini, and this can definitely be the case for Demiral. He will form an excellent double hit with Rafael Toloi.
Young Matteo Lovato was also hired to shore up the depth of the central defense after a strong season with Hellas Verona.
Juan Musso arrives to replace Gollini. Musso has starred for Udinese for a few years now, but many of his performances went unnoticed due to the overall quality of his team. On paper, this was an excellent replacement, as many can argue that Musso is more talented. Atalanta made the play quickly and it will benefit the squad enormously.
Atalanta’s squad and expectations
Outside of the aforementioned transfers, Atalanta has kept the vast majority of its core together.
These include Serie A stars such as Duvan Zapata (whom Atalanta has no intention of selling), Luis Muriel, Robin Gosens, Ruslan Malinovskyi (Serie A leader in assists for the 2020/21 season), Remo Freuler, Marten de Roon and more. . Josip Ilicic was ready to go, but it also looks like he will stay.
Still, the team is not much different from last season. Atalanta finished in third place. The robust attack game will be key once again. Gasperini’s squad plays with all guns blazing, and Atalanta is the full embodiment of this. Expect them to lead Serie A in goals once again, as they compete fiercely for another spot in the top four. After experiencing the Champions League last season, they can also push for another run.
Although Juventus disappointed in Serie A last season, they are still the team to beat. Inter Milan won the Scudetto, but this transfer window has been decimated. AC Milan, however, seems quite improved. Atalanta will likely fall into the category that includes Napoli, Roma and Lazio, but should lead that group in the search for the top four.
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