Transfer conclusion: How good are the new FCS professionals?

FC Südtirol integrated 9 new players into the squad in the summer. For Federico Davi, who gained match practice in Serie C, and goalkeeper Daniel Theiner, it was a return. The remaining 7 professionals are new to the White-Reds. How are the newcomers doing so far - and who is an asset to coach Federico Valente's team?

Last year, FCS sports director Paolo Bravo made a pretty bad decision with the summer transfers. It took an extensive winter transfer window to get the FCS squad ready for the second half of the Serie B season. Bravo brought in three players, Jasmin Kurtic, Tommaso Arrigoni and Filippo Scaglia, who played a key role in the team staying in the league. How good are the moves Bravo made this summer? First of all: not very good so far. Tor Daniel Theiner (20): The goalkeeper from Merano spent the last few years at Sassuolo, where he was the first goalkeeper for the Primavera team. He has now signed his first professional contract with FCS. However, Theiner is injured (knee) and will therefore have to wait until he can play as the third goalkeeper for the White-Reds in Serie B.

Abwehr Nicola Pietrangeli (23): Brought in as an alternative for central defence, Pietrangeli has only played 97 minutes so far. He did well in his only start (against Sampdoria, of all teams). Nevertheless, he is currently only good enough to be the number 5 central defender. But there is hope for the new signing from Rimini. Andrea Giorgini did not play at all in his first six months. He is now a key player.

Luca Ceppitelli (34): The veteran was brought in from relegated Feralpisalò in the summer as a replacement for Scaglia. So far, Ceppitelli has had a season with ups and downs. He is not yet the stabiliser in defence that was hoped for. Nevertheless, Ceppitelli is indispensable for Valente - also because he has an important position in the dressing room.

Alessandro Vimercati (22): The defender was signed last winter, but stayed with Renate in Serie C (and was often only a reserve there). Bravo actually wanted to loan him out in the summer, but that didn't work out. He is allowed to train and sit on the bench in league games, but is completely left out. Why Bravo signed him in the first place remains a mystery.

Federico Davi (22): 14 minutes is very little for a player who is at home on the wing. But Simone Davi's brother obviously still needs time to adapt to the pace of Serie B. In his position, he is currently the third choice at most, or even the fourth.

mittelfeld Mateusz Praszelik (24): The Pole was the last player to join FCS. Praszelik is on loan from Hellas Verona, but played for Cosenza in Serie B last year. At FCS he has so far been mainly a joker. With Jasmin Kurtic suspended (2 games), his time could now have come. At 24 years old, the talented Praszelik must also have the ambition to be a regular player at some point.

Jacopo Martini (19): The former Inter youth player has played 64 minutes so far. That's not a lot, but Valente has hardly rotated the midfield so far. Martini has good qualities, but has to wait at the back. That's frustrating, but in the long term he has what it takes to gain a foothold in Serie B. Karim Zedadka was unlucky with injuries, but shows promising signs of improvement.

Karim Zedadka (24): Last season, the Algerian was with Ascoli, but FCS signed him from the Luxembourg (!) club Hesperange. He was unlucky that he was injured right at the start of the season. Most recently, he came on as a substitute and proved with his wonderful goal against Cosenza that he is a really fine footballer. He should soon be playing more minutes.

Attack Valerio Crespi (19): The Lazio loanee has been a disappointment so far. Crespi was actually supposed to take the pressure off Raphael Odogwu, but the opposite is the case. Because Crespi is clearly not up to the task, the Italian-Nigerian has to play (almost) all the time. Bravo did not bring in another striker because of the hopes he had in Crespi. That turned out to be a bad decision.

Conclusion Only one new signing (Ceppitelli) is a regular player. That's not a good ratio and more quality was needed, especially in attack. In midfield and defense, the new players have mainly ensured a broader squad. This means that coach Valente can field good players even when the established players are unavailable. Nevertheless, sporting director Bravo was unable to make the big quantum leap this summer.

Serie B Italian	SP	TV	P
1. Venice	25	50:22	53
2. Frosinone	25	46:22	52
3.Monza	25	38:20	51
4. Palermo	25	42:19	48
5. Catanzaro	25	34:26	41
6. Modena	25	33:19	40
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Transfer conclusion: How good are the new FCS professionals?

The 9/2024 Serie B season is 25 games old. Time to draw a conclusion about how FC Südtirol's new signings are doing.

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