AVANTI RAGAZZI!!! The Serie A Prospect Handbook

By: gianfranco z | August 23rd, 2007

Without further adieu here is my Prospect Handbook for the 2007-2008 season. Now I’ve compiled two lists of Foreign and Italian prospects who are on Serie A rosters as I write this. But things can change, players can be sold, loaned, Francesco Coco may be cured of herpes, I mean a lot can happen with youngsters. Here’s how it works, players are divided into their respective positions and I just list them in a very complex calculated formula (not realy). Its 50% celing (potential, projection) and 50% progress (what they have accomplished already). Of course there will be more to disagree with me then to agree with me, but in all honestly everyone knows we can debate stuff like this until the cows come home. At the end I will rank the top clubs and shed some insight. Only rule is players have to be younger then 25 years of age, and I’ll tell you right now Fabio Quagliarella is not on this list as I consider him to already have shed the “prospect” status along with Giorgio Chiellini since they both have featured for the full national team. Aquilani yes I know he has been on the full national team but after missing most of last season I kept him on this list, but as we all know, in short time he will shed prospect status and be a full fledged star. There are other withdrawals from the list as I will note, mostly because this is for STRICTLY PLAYERS on SERIE A ROSTERS, so dont freak out with Giuseppe Rossi is not on there.

Foreigners

Defenders

1.Cristian Zapata (Udinese, Colombia) 20 years old
2.Anthony Vanden Borre (Fiorentina, Belgium) 19
3.Felipe (Udinese, Brazil) 22
4.Aleksandar Kolarov (Lazio, Serbia) 21
5.Leandro Grimi (Siena/Milan, Argentina) 22
6.Abdoulay Konko (Genoa, France) 23
7.György Garics (Napoli, Austria) 23
Honarable Mention - Mobido Diakite (Lazio, France 20), Rincon (Empoli, Brazil 20), Ondřej Mazuch (Fiorentina, Czech Rep. 18)

Midfielders

1.Marek Hamsik (Napoli, Slovakia) 20
2.Valon Behrami (Lazio, Switzerland) 22
3.Yoann Gourcuff (Milan, France) 21
4.Mourad Meghni (Lazio, France) 23
5.Reto Ziegler (Samdoria, Switzerland) 21
6.Zdravko Kuzmanovic (Fiorentina, Serbia) 19
7.Boško Janković (Palermo, Serbia) 23
8.Luis Jimenez (Ternana/Inter, Chile) 23
9.Viktor Budianski (Ascoli/Udinese, Russia) 23
10.Fernando Tissone (Atalanta, Argentina) 21
honarable mention- Emil Hallfredsson (Reggina, Iceland 23) Walter Gargano (Napoli, Uruguay 23), Ezequiel Llama (Catania, Argentina 21) Jose Montiel (Reggina,Paraguay 19)

Forwards

1.Ezequiel Lavezzi (Napoli, Argentina) 22
2.Edison Cavani (Palermo, Uruguay) 20
3.Pablo Osvaldo (Fiorentina, Argentina) 21
4.Asamoah Gyan (Udinese, Ghana) 21
5.Papa Waigo N’Diaye (Genoa, Senegal) 23
6.Reginaldo (Parma, Brazil) 24
7.Karamoko Cisse (Atalanta, Guinea) 18
Honorable Mention- Takayuki Morimoto (Catania, Japan) 19, Eder (Empoli, Brazil 20), Stephen Makinwa (Lazio, Nigeria 24)
****Alexandre Pato (Milan, Brazil 17) not on the list due to arrival in January, and most likely a loan

Italians

Defenders

1.Domenico Criscito (Juventus) 20
2.Marco Motta (Udinese) 21
3.Marco Andreolli (Roma/Inter) 21
4.Francesco Pisano (Cagliari) 21
5.Andrea Raggi (Empoli) 23
6.Michele Canini (Cagliari) 22
7.Lorenzo De Silvestri (Lazio) 19
8.Angelo Ogbonna (Torino) 19
9.Alessandro Potenza (Fiorentina) 23
10.Marco Rossi (Parma) 19
honarable mention- Bastrini (Sampdoria,20), Dellafiore (Palermo,22), Molinaro (Juventus,24) Coda (Udinese,22), Marzoratti (Milan/Empoli,20), Ferronetti (Udinese,22), Cossentino (Palermo 18)

Midfielders

1.Alberto Aquilani (Roma) 23
2.Antonio Nocerino (Juventus) 22
3.Luca Cigarini (Parma) 21
4.Riccardo Montolivo (Fiorentina) 22
5.Daniele Dessena (Parma) 20
6.Claudio Marchisio (Juventus/Empoli) 21
7.Pasquale Foggia (Cagliari) 24
8.Aleandro Rosi (Roma) 20
9.Daniele Galloppa (Siena) 22
10.Ignazio Abate (Empoli) 20
Honarable mention- Paro (Genoa,24), De Ceglie (Juventus/Siena,20), Padoin (Atalanta,23), Barilla’ (Reggina,19), Candreva (Udinese,20) Soddimo (Sampdoria, 19)

Forwards/Fantasistas

1.Alessandro Rosina (Torino) 23
2.Giampaolo Pazzini (Fiorentina) 23
3.Sebastian Giovinco (Juventus/Empoli) 20
4.Raffaele Palladino (Juventus) 23
5.Fernando Forestieri (Siena/Genoa) 17
6.Salvatore Foti (Sampdoria) 19
7.Arturo Lupoli (Fiorentina) 20
8.Robert Acquafresca (Cagliari/Inter) 19
9.Rey Volpato (Empoli/Juventus) 20
10.Antonio Floro Flores (Udinese) 24
****Giuseppe Rossi not on the list since he is playing in La Liga, Okaka Chuka not on the list playing in Serie B this term, Daniele Cacia not on the list due to not joing Fiorentina until January.
Honarable Mention- Michele Paolucci (Udinese, 21) Alessandro Matri (Cagliari, 23) Samuel Di Carmine (Fiorentina, 18), Nicola Pozzi (Empoli, 21), Daniele Paponi (Parma, 19)

Club Rankings
1.Fiorentina
2.Juventus
3.Parma
4.Roma
5.Udinese
6.Empoli
7.Sampdoria
8.Palermo
9.Atalanta
10.Cagliari

Well there you have it ladies and gentleman, the prospect handbook, now you can debate and scream at me through the computer all you’d like, I hope you all enjoy

Forestieri