The five best Serie A transfers of the season so far

Carlo Garganese

• Updated: 10 Jan 2023 12:22 GMT
• 4 min read

The 2022-23 season has been a brilliant one so far when it comes to signings that have exploded at their new clubs.

One player in particular has stood out above all of his peers but there have been many other summer arrivals who have shone in Italy’s top flight.

Many of these don’t even make our list, including the likes of Giacomo Raspadori, Armand Lauriente, Bremer, Andre Onana and Boulaye Dia.

DONE DEALS: January 2023 transfer window in Premier League

Here are our five best Serie A transfers of the season so far.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Dinamo Batumi to Napoli)

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has not only been the best player in Serie A this season, but one of the best players in all of Europe.

The Georgian winger arrived from Dinamo Batumi last summer for just €10 million and his value is already 10 times that amount now.

An unstoppable dribbler, Kvaratskhelia tops the charts of almost every attacking category in Serie A this term. He has the most dribbles, most chances created, most key passes, most man-of-the-match displays.

His six goals and five assists have been key to taking Napoli to the top of Serie A. He has eight goals and eight assists in all competitions and he has taken Napoli into the Champions League last 16.

Kim Min-Jae (Fenerbahce to Napoli)

Kim Min-Jae has proven to be just as much of a bargain for Napolo as Kvaratskhelia.

Min-Jae signed for Napoli from Fenerbahce for €18 million this past summer as a replacement for Kalidou Koulibaly, who left after eight years to join Chelsea. Kim had huge boots to fill as Koulibaly had been the most consistent centre back in Serie A during his eight years at the club.

But South Korea star Kim has been an absolute revelation since arriving from Fenerbahce, and Napoli haven’t missed Koulibaly at all.

A monster in the air, he has the most aerial challenges in Serie A, the third most interceptions and the fourth most ball recoveries. He has also scored two goals and has been the best defender in the league so far. Man Utd are interested in signing him next summer.

Paulo Dybala (Juventus to Roma)

For so many years tagged as the heir to Lionel Messi, Paulo Dybala’s career had been in decline in recent years.

So much so that Juventus opted to release him at the end of last season when his contract expired.

There was little interest from major clubs, which resulted in Roma gambling on a player who has been increasingly injury-prone in recent years.

Despite still suffering from some injuries, Dybala has been Roma’s best player this season and has carried the team.

He has five goals in 10 Serie A starts and seven goals and two assists in all competitions. He also played his part in Argentina’s World Cup success by scoring a penalty in the final shootout.

Ademola Lookman (Leipzig to Atalanta)

Ademola Lookman was tipped for big things as a youngster a few years ago but never quite managed to live up to his potential at Everton, Leipzig and then on loan at Fulham and Leicester.

Lookman has finally had his breakout season since moving to Atalanta for €15m in the summer.

He has been the leader of the team along with Dutchman Teun Koopmeiners, scoring seven goals and assisting one. A versatile and exciting player capable of playing anywhere in the attacking position, Lookman has shone in Bergamo.

Ivan Provedel (Spezia to Lazio)

Ivan Provedel has been the surprise transfer success story of the 2022-23 Serie A season.

Lazio bought him in the summer to be a backup goalkeeper behind big money signing Luis Maximiano. But when Maximiano was sent off minutes into his Serie A debut, Provedel came in and he has never looked back.

Along with Empoli’s Guglielmo Vicario, Provedel has been the standout goalkeeper in Serie A. He has kept nine clean sheets in Serie A. This also earned him a call-up to the Italy national team.