For years we have been questioning the use of Italian players in our top teams and for years we have been divided on the concept of talent and above all where it has ended up. It is impossible, without breaking the rules of free movement of workers in Europe, to set rules for the composition of the lists or even on the use of players (according to nationality) more stringent than this. Maybe something more can be done, perhaps with incentives. But the underlying issue remains. With the internationalization of the market and with the benefits of the growth decree, our Serie A continues to attract more and more foreign players.
There is a matter of convenience that we absolutely must not underestimate. At equal (hypothetical) value, abroad there are more favorable prices. And in addition there is also the issue of tax exemption which cannot but have an impact.
The fact is that even in this market session – according to transfermarkt data – the number of (permanent) operations carried out with non-Italian clubs is higher (even if only slightly) than those made with home clubs: 64 to 62. And the movement of money is also higher: 483 million euros left Italy, 425 remained. And this is only with regard to transfers – as mentioned – permanent. And by Italy we naturally also mean transfers from B or C which obviously have a relative weight.
The situation changes slightly – indeed – if we also take into consideration loans, given that they have been widely used during this market session, with different formulas.
Transfers from abroad increase by about 20 units, while internal movements almost double (reaching up to 105). So the overtaking is there, provided that there is not too much outlay of money. And in fact the economic situation remains the same: 463 million euros spent on transfers (including loans) between Italian clubs. 505.7 million euros spent on operations with foreign clubs.
The gap is wide and clearly invites us to reflect, to make the first considerations. First of all, it is a question of price. Probably the Italian players, who are better known, who can be seen more closely, who are known everything about, have higher valuations. And this holds back many teams that, having financial resources that are not unlimited, prefer to go fishing abroad. Maybe looking for the player in leagues that are not necessarily top, to try the new talent or the new market crash. In short, it is difficult that this could be Italian.
In addition, there is the issue of the growth decree, which has been discussed for a long time but which has not yet found a path to travel together without controversy. On one hand, there is the need for the National team to have ready players, who can have international experience and who are able to compete with their opponents with more weapons, on the other hand, the clubs that do not want to lose a competitive advantage that makes them more effective on the market, especially when it comes to great players.
All this leads to an increasingly lower Italian presence in our Serie A. The data is perhaps not the most appropriate, but it can still give us an order of magnitude. This year, 66.3% of the players in the rosters of Serie A teams are foreigners. Last season, Serie A ended with 59.22% of foreigners in the rosters. The numbers at the end of the season are very high: the players taken into consideration are 829 (inside there are all the players called up for the season) and therefore the number can be watered down.
This year’s data is on 585 players. Udinese 30 out of 33) Lecce (27 out of 33) and Verona (27 out of 38) are the teams with the most foreigners. At the top of the Italian rankings is Monza (20 out of 28), followed by Cagliari (13 out of 26) Empoli (13 out of 28) and Napoli and Atalanta (11 out of 24 and 11 out of 26).