Serie A’s opening weeks have already produced the kind of players who alter a season’s cast without arriving as its leading names. Some were expected to wait, others came from productive loans or quieter markets, and a few had to take a long route back to the division. Their early contributions have given coaches reasons to persist and supporters new figures to follow through the autumn.
Alessandro Romano has made an immediate impression at Cagliari. The 2006-born midfielder, developed by Roma, announced himself with the fierce strike that secured victory in Parma. He had made two senior appearances for Roma last season before spending time on loan at Spezia, but has now become a regular in Fabio Pisacane’s midfield rather than a young player being eased in around it.
Napoli have also found an early answer to competition on the right in Alessandro Favasuli. The 2004-born former Fiorentina player arrived after an influential spell with Aquilani’s Catanzaro, where he supplied five assists and scored twice as an unquestioned starter. He knew in the summer that Napoli’s options would be numerous, yet he has worked his way into the picture and came close to scoring against his former club at the Franchi.
At Fiorentina, a Torino loanee has retained his place on the left side of the attack despite the club’s busy transfer window. He has remained trusted under both Grosso and Vanoli, created a goal against Pisa in the Coppa Italia and brought imagination to league matches. The first goal has not yet arrived, but his position has survived the early reshuffling around him.
Routes back to the foreground
Frosinone’s goalkeeper has taken a particularly unusual path. Known as Batman, the 2004-born player began in midfield before his constant jumping drew a suggestion that he should try goalkeeping instead. It has proved a decisive switch. Born in Alatri, close to the Stirpe, he helped carry Frosinone into Serie A through his saves and has continued to stand out in the top flight, including an outstanding display against Como.
Frosinone’s return has also brought Antonio Raimondo back into focus. Four years had passed since his previous Serie A experience, two uneventful appearances for Bologna, the club where he was developed. Loans at Ternana, Salernitana and Venezia gave him the games and the hard edges that had been missing. Since joining Frosinone in the summer of 2025, he has become the centre-forward entrusted with both the physical work and the finishing. His two-goal displays against Fiorentina and Venezia have underlined that role, while last season’s 11 goals remain a target he may yet surpass.
David Romero has given Parma another forward reference after Mateo Pellegrino’s sale to Fiorentina. Like Pellegrino, he arrived in Italy from Argentina, but Romero brings a different profile: less fixed inside the penalty area, more willing to drift between lines and carry the ball into space. The 2003-born striker had reached double figures for Tigre across the Superliga and Copa Sudamericana last season, and his goals against Como and Genoa suggest that his finishing has travelled with him.
Genoa, meanwhile, have turned to Milutin Osmajic, a striker whose record had become remarkably consistent. The Montenegro international scored either eight or nine goals in each of the past four seasons between Preston and Vizela. His first two Serie A goals, against Como and Parma, did not bring results, but they have kept him on the same steady path towards double figures.
A family warning and a Milan return
Gustavo Varela’s rise at Monza has a family story behind it. In November 2024, Alverca faced Benfica B in a match that put Gustavo, then 19, against his father Fernando, a 38-year-old central defender. Fernando had warned that his son could receive an elbow if he tried to get beyond him. Gustavo’s side won that day, although he did not score, and the confrontation ended without a clear family victor.
In Italy, however, Varela has begun to score regularly. He struck on his debut against Inter after getting beyond Akanji, added another against Udinese, and then ended his wait for a first decisive contribution with two goals against Sassuolo, a brace worth three points. Monza’s belief was built on the 24 goals he scored over two years for Benfica B and Gil Vicente, and the early evidence is that the club have found a forward prepared for the physical demands of the division.
Alphadjo Cisse has returned to Milan with similar momentum. Those who followed Catanzaro last season had already seen his ability: six goals and a driving presence between midfield and attack before a lengthy injury lay-off. Back at his parent club, he has made the most of his opportunities, scoring powerful efforts against Torino and, more significantly, Juventus. Milan have not acquired a finished player, but the opening stretch has shown why Cisse is being treated as a rough diamond rather than merely another young option.
The championship is still too young to make final judgements, yet these first chapters matter. They shape selections, shift expectations inside dressing rooms and force established names to look over their shoulders. For the players who arrived without the loudest introductions, the task now is to make their first surprise last beyond the first month.
