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 | Calcio FC WeeklyAnd Cremonese's New Signing Is... |
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Welcome to Issue 2 of Calcio FC Weekly!
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The transfer window has slammed shut - because it never closes gently - and while Serie A clubs may not have spent as lavishly as their Premier League counterparts (then again, who does?) there were several eye-catching signings.
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Jamie Vardy is a Serie A player, Adrien Rabiot and Rasmus Hojlund are back in Italy, Pisa have picked up a World Cup winner and Nicolo Zaniolo has yet another new club!
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On the pitch, Napoli, Roma, Juventus and Cremonese are the only teams with a perfect record in Serie A, while Sampdoria are already sinking in Serie B. Oh yes, and the first international break of the season is upon us.
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Don't forget you can get in touch with us on our socials and at newsletter@destinationcalcio.com
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Here's a taste of what's on the menu today:
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- Jamie Vardy to Cremonese
- Miss of the season?
- Massimo Coda, Serie B record-breaker
- Why do Brazilians struggle at Juve?
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| | | And Cremonese's New Signing Is... Jamie Vardy
What's "chat s**t, get banged" in Italian? It's a question that may soon be very pertinent for Serie A defenders after Jamie Vardy signed for Cremonese on deadline day, a suitably surprising capture for a newly-promoted side whose start to the season has surpassed even their rosiest expectations.
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With two wins in two games, the Grigiorossi join Napoli, Juventus and Roma as the only Serie A sides with a perfect record going into the international break. Esteemed company indeed.
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Now Vardy's arrival will do even more to raise the club's profile than their performances on the pitch and he was greeted by delirious fans at Milan's Linate Airport on Sunday night, when he was asked to sign a tattoo of himself on the leg of one supporter.
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The former England international was introduced as StradiVardy by Cremonese's social media channels, a nod to the city's musical traditions and to one of its most famous sons, the legendary luthier Antonio Stradivari.
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Vardy is unlikely to leave a similar cultural legacy behind when he departs Cremona, but his goals could do the talking for him. After all, he's built his career on finding the back of the net, scoring 200 times in 500 appearances in all competitions during 13 seasons with Leicester City. He famously spearheaded the most unlikely Premier League title triumph in 2015-16, under Claudio Ranieri, and lifted the FA Cup in 2021.
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And even at the tender age of 38, Vardy has lost nothing of his sense for a goal, rattling in nine in 35 Premier League appearances last term, after plundering in 18 in 35 games in the Championship the previous season.
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He is, in short, the kind of player who can still make a difference and while Italian defences are notoriously more difficult to breach than their English counterparts, it would be a surprise not to see the 26-cap former England international among the goals.
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There is a reason why Celtic, Wrexham and at least one MLS club were sniffing around the veteran striker.
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And yet, for all the justified excitement surrounding Vardy's arrival, the signing also raises questions over the direction of travel in Italian football.
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Cremonese's new striker will turn 39 in January, while fellow summer signings Raul Albiol and Luka Modric, who joined Pisa and AC Milan respectively, will be 40 in a few days. Cremonese will be hoping age is just a number as they look to ride the wave of excitement for a while yet.
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In the meantime, mark September 15 on your calendars, as Vardy could make his Serie A debut against Verona and get his own party started.
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| Not Kean On Scoring?
The 2025-26 campaign is only two weeks old but the race for miss of the season may already be done and dusted courtesy of Moise Kean.
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There is missing a sitter and then there is what the Italy international inexplicably achieved in Fiorentina’s goalless draw away to Torino on Sunday afternoon.
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Just in case you too missed it, here is what happened. With little more than 20 minutes remaining and Fiorentina pushing forward, Robin Gosens directed a header across goal.
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The ball evaded Torino goalkeeper Franco Israel’s dive and seemed destined to nestle in the bottom corner just as Kean arrived on the scene unmarked. But instead of letting it bounce into the net, the Fiorentina striker could not get out of the way and was struck in the head instead, with the ball looping over the bar as a result.
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It certainly falls into the 'easier to score' category and SofaScore had it down as an xG of 0.98 - an absolute sitter in layman’s terms.
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La Viola manager Stefano Pioli glossed over Kean’s miss, but admitted his partnership with summer signing Roberto Piccoli, a €25m arrival from Cagliari, was still a work in progress.
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“As for Piccoli and Kean, to play with two forwards like that, their movements and understanding need to be refined,” he told Sky Sports Italia.
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Fiorentina have scored just once in two Serie A fixtures and Kean, who was sent off against Polissya in the Europa Conference League last month, is yet to open his account after scoring 25 goals in all competitions last term. |
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| | Meet Serie B’s New Record Goalscorer
From a striker who can’t find the back of the net, to one who has just become Serie B’s all-time top scorer.
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Massimo Coda’s goal against Sudtirol was his 136th in Italian football’s second tier, taking him one ahead of Stefan Schwoch's mark which had stood since 2008. Coda hit the magic number in Schwoch's hometown of Bolzano.
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The Sampdoria man had in fact scored more Serie B goals than Schwoch even before Sunday, but goals in the play-offs are not considered as they were only introduced at the beginning of the 2004-05 season.
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Coda has found the net 136 times in 316 Serie B matches, at an average of 0.43 goals per game. His most prolific spell came at Lecce, where he scored 42, followed by 31 for Salernitana and 28 for Benevento. He also contributed 16 for Cremonese, 10 for Genoa, and now nine for Sampdoria.
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"Massimo is a great goalscorer," Schwoch said.
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"He has a great footballing ability, sees the goal like no one else, and possesses the clinical finishing we all know he has.
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“But above all, he moves very well and knows how to help the team. He truly deserves this record.
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"As players, we're different; he's a pure centre-forward, while I tended to roam more across the attacking line. But the hunger for goals is the same, and the numbers are there to prove it."
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Coda’s record was the only positive from another dismal performance from Sampdoria, who crumbled 3-1 away to Sudtirol just six days after losing their Serie B opener at home to Modena.
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The Blucerchiati were three down within half an hour as Daniele Casiraghi, Silvio Merkaj and Hamza El Kaouakibi put the game to bed before half-time.
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Two defeats in two games is hardly the positive start Doriani were hoping for after escaping relegation to Serie C at the second time of asking last season, but Massimo Donati remains upbeat.
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"I'm disappointed with how we conceded the goals,” the Sampdoria manager said.
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“Tactically, I didn't see any major issues. We have to reset and start over right away, because there's no other option.
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“The disappointment from this defeat will last a couple of days but then we'll get back to work. We have to be more clinical in front of goal, we gave up some ridiculous goals."
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Donati’s optimism is admirable, but it may not last long at this rate. |
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| | Why Do Brazilian Stars Fail to Shine at Juventus? |
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As Douglas Luiz departed Juventus for Nottingham Forest, he became the latest in a long line of Brazilians to have failed in Turin. Players from the game’s most-celebrated nation rocking up at Italy’s biggest club and failing to leave a mark is nothing new, as Emmet Gates explains.
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| | Lazio Show Maurizio Sarri’s Return Can Be a Success |
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Lazio's dismantling of Verona showed they are coming to life under Maurizio Sarri after six months without a league win at the Stadio Olimpico. Hamstrung by a transfer embargo, in his second spell in the Eternal City, can Sarri rekindle the fire? Alasdair Mackenzie reckons "yes" is the answer.
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| | | Don’t forget, Destination Calcio will be bringing you live Serie B action during every round of the 2025-26 season on DCTV- Click HERE to find out the matches we will be showing across the first few weeks of the season.
- Click HERE for the full 2025-26 calendar.
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| Things you may have missed this week- Goals have been at a premium in Serie A so far this season, with only 41 scored across the first two rounds. According to Opta, that is the lowest figure at this stage of the season since 1999-00, when 38 goals were scored in the first two weeks of the campaign. Calcio really is back.
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Dame Helen Mirren was in attendance at Via del Mare on Friday night as Lecce lost 2-0 at home to AC Milan. The sight of the English actress in the stands quickly went viral, but it was not as surprising as some may think. The Academy Award winner has a home in Puglia and has previously declared her love for all things Salento, including the Giallorossi. “Inside, I feel like I’m from Salento. In fact, I want to say again: ‘Forza Lecce',” she told Italian magazine Oggi last year. |
- Dele Alli was released by Como on transfer deadline day. The former Tottenham midfielder joined the Lariani in January, but made a solitary appearance for the club and was sent off 10 minutes into his debut against AC Milan.
- The Arena Garibaldi in Pisa looked very different from the outside on Saturday night, courtesy of an impressive restyling in time for the Tuscans' first Serie A fixture at home in 34 years. And, to be fair, the refurbishment was long overdue.
- Bohdan Popov can’t stop scoring for Empoli. The Ukrainian broke the deadlock for the Azzurri in their 3-1 defeat by Reggiana on Friday night, becoming the first Empoli player to score in the first two Serie B fixtures since the 2011-12 season. The last one to do so? Francesco Tavano, of course.
- Union Brescia secured the first victory of their short existence, winning 2-0 in Trento courtesy of goals from Tommy Maistrello and Andrea Cisco. The club, formed after FeralpiSalo were moved to Brescia and renamed after Massimo Cellino did not register the Rondinelle for the Serie C season, had lost their opening league fixture 2-1 at home to Union ArzignanoChiampo last week.
- There were, as ever, plenty of impressive tifo displays across Italy this weekend, but few could top this simple message from Genoa fans.
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 | | What we are reading this week|
While Premier League clubs spent over £3bn in the transfer window, the remaining four of Europe's top five leagues were left fighting over scraps. In fact, as James Horncastle argued last week on the excellent Libero podcast, there is no such thing as Europe's five big leagues anymore, there is the Premier League and everybody else. In this excellent piece on The Athletic, Ahmed Walid analyses where clubs outside the Premier League shop. The biggest non-Italian seller to Serie A may just surprise you. |
| | | Watch the Calcio FC podcast on YouTube and listen on Spotify |
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| | Kit of the week
When one thinks of AC Milan, one immediately thinks of red and black. Back in the 1996-97 season, Lotto reimagined the script for the Rossoneri's fourth - yes, fourth - kit. A glorious all black number, with red trims on the collar and on the cuffs, this was the kit nobody knew they needed until it was released. As if seeing Roberto Baggio, Paolo Maldini, George Weah and a young Edgar Davids wearing this beauty wasn't enough, one of its few appearances came at the Sony MiniDisc Euro Sixes, a mid-season six-a-side tournament played at the Amsterdam Arena involving Ajax, Liverpool, AC Milan and Rangers. True collectors' items, the kit and the tournament. Ah, the 90s, what a glorious time.
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A reminder that if you spot a classic shirt while you're at the game or out and about, get in touch on our socials or via email and let us know why we should feature it!
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| | Coffee corner
This week's entry comes from Como, specifically the Stadio Sinigaglia . Yes, I hear you saying, who has an espresso in a football ground? And you are right, it wouldn't be our tipple of choice either. All that being said, there's something quintessentially calcio about a coffee with a football stand in the background, isn't there?
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Got a tip for the best espresso you've had in Florence? Had a memorable cappuccino in Parma? Let us know on our socials or by email at newsletter@destinationcalcio.com! |
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 | | | Where to watch calcio this weekend|
The first international break of the season is upon us, which means no Serie A and Serie B action until mid-September. But if you can't wait that long, don't forget full match replays and highlights of Serie B games are available on the Destination Calcio app and on tv.destinationcalcio.com! |
| Random former Serie A/Serie B footballer of the week
Serie B target men are in the headlines courtesy of Massimo Coda’s record-breaking goal against Sudtirol, therefore it seems fitting to have Daniele Cacia taking up his place in this section this week. We’re in the presence of Serie B royalty here, as only Coda and Stefan Schwoch have scored more than Cacia in the history of calcio’s second tier.
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His 134 goals in 345 games came for Piacenza, Ascoli, Verona, Bologna, Padova, Reggina and Cesena across a 22-year career. They don’t make them like him anymore.
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That is all for this week folks. We hope you enjoyed this latest issue of the Calcio FC Weekly, make sure you hit the subscribe button to have it landing in your inbox every Tuesday and don't forget to get in touch at newsletter@destinationcalcio.com or on our socials! |
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