Under-the-radar youngsters: talents to watch in the new Serie A campaign
Summer football is also a time for new discoveries. Results matter relatively little, the pecking order is still taking shape, and friendlies provide the ideal opportunity to give youngsters minutes, take a closer look at emerging talents and identify potential surprise stars for the season ahead.
Some have already made the most of their opportunities in pre-season, including Oulaï and Valdepeñas at Fiorentina, Fitz-Jim at Torino, and Stankovic and Cissé at the two Milan clubs. Behind them, however, is another group of prospects still some way from the spotlight but already ready to stake their claim with their respective coaches. They have taken very different routes to this point, ranging from Europe's leading academies to Serie B, but they all have the chance to make the coming season the one in which they take the next step.
Como, Cuenca and Lahdo: Fàbregas building for the future
Few clubs have invested as heavily in young talent with an eye to the future as Como. Among the many promising players at Cesc Fàbregas' disposal, Andrés Cuenca and Adrian Lahdo are two of the most intriguing. With three competitions to contend with and greater squad rotation inevitably required, both could get important opportunities over the course of the season.
Cuenca, a Spanish defender born in 2007, came through one of Europe's most renowned footballing institutions. He joined Barcelona's famed La Masia in 2019 and progressed through the club's youth ranks, featuring in three editions of the UEFA Youth League and winning the competition in 2024/25, when he also scored in the final against Trabzonspor. After establishing himself with Barça Atlètic, he also got his first taste of senior football, making his UEFA Champions League debut against Young Boys in 2024. He spent the second half of last season on loan at Sporting Gijón in the Segunda División, where a muscle injury limited him to eight appearances. Meanwhile, he continued to progress through Spain's youth ranks, helping his country win the European Under-19 Championship in 2026.
His development in the Barça mould helps explain why Como decided to invest in him. A technically gifted left-footed centre-back who is comfortable building from the back, Cuenca is strong in the first phase of build-up and versatile enough to also operate at full-back. A profile particularly well suited to Fàbregas' style of football.
Still at the beginning of his senior career, Adrian Lahdo is another 2007-born talent in whom Como have high hopes. A product of Hammarby’s youth system, he has already made his debut in the Swedish top flight and gained his first taste of European football in 2025, making two appearances in UEFA Conference League qualifying. He has also represented Sweden from Under-17 to Under-19 level. Lahdo has already spent six months at Como training with both the Primavera and first team, allowing him to get to grips with Fàbregas' demands. A modern midfielder, he combines impressive ball-carrying ability with a natural instinct for making forward runs.
Two different talents, both at a club that has made youth development one of the cornerstones of its project.
Genoa, Meichtry finding his place in De Rossi's system
Daniele De Rossi has added one of the most exciting young talents to emerge from Swiss football to his midfield. Franz-Ethan Meichtry, born in 2005, arrives from Thun, his hometown club, after a season in which he helped them win a historic league title.
In his first season in the Swiss top flight, he made 35 appearances and scored eight goals, an impressive return for a midfielder. His ability to make off-the-ball runs and get forward into the opposition box is one of the defining features of his game.
There have already been promising signs during pre-season. In the friendly win over Leicester at the King Power Stadium, it was Meichtry who provided Colombo with the assist for the decisive goal in a 1-0 victory. His versatility could help him earn opportunities quickly. In De Rossi's 3-4-2-1, he can operate both in central midfield and out wide on either flank, giving the coach a particularly flexible option.
Lazio, Provstgaard moving up the pecking order as Ratkov looks for opportunities
Oliver Provstgaard is one of the leading figures among Lazio's emerging young players. The 23-year-old Danish defender already has an important season with the Biancocelesti behind him, having made 27 competitive appearances, and heads into the new campaign ready to move further up the pecking order.
A 1.93-metre centre-back with a tall, athletic frame, Provstgaard has combined his progress at Lazio with a growing role on the international stage. Captain of Denmark Under-21s at the 2025 European Championship, he has recently earned his first two senior caps. Alongside Doekhi, he is ready to compete for a place at the heart of Gattuso's defence, and his responsibilities could increase further should Romagnoli leave.
The situation is different for Petar Ratkov. The Serbian striker joined from Salzburg in January but found opportunities limited during the second half of last season: eight league appearances, only two of them starts, for a total of 228 minutes.
This summer, however, has told a different story. With six goals against Flaminia, Avellino, Ascoli and Ostiamare, the 2003-born forward finished as Lazio's leading scorer in pre-season. At 1.93 metres, he provides a strong physical presence up front and offers different qualities to the other forwards in the squad. If he stays, Ratkov could give Gattuso another valuable tactical option.
Monza, Bakoune racing towards Serie A
From progressing through the AC Milan youth system to the opportunity to establish himself at Monza. Adam Bakoune, born in 2006, already has plenty of experience at youth level, with 75 Primavera appearances and another 20 in the UEFA Youth League, a competition in which he also reached the final.
His first season in professional football saw him gradually earn more playing time at Monza in Serie B, making 18 appearances (a total of 771 minutes) and providing two assists. It proved a valuable learning experience ahead of the step up to the top flight. A quick, physically strong right-back, Bakoune's main strengths are his pace, intensity and attacking instincts. Those qualities appear naturally suited to a wide role in Ivan Jurić's 3-4-2-1, where he will have the opportunity to operate up and down the entire flank. A call-up to the Italy Under-21 squad for the friendly against Albania on 8 June marked another step in his steady development.
Cagliari, from Kofler to Mendy: three youngsters ready to emerge
Cagliari have one of the most interesting groups of young players. One name to keep an eye on is Raphael Kofler, who arrived from Südtirol after establishing himself in Serie B at a very young age. At just 20, he already has three seasons in the division under his belt, with 74 appearances and four goals - impressive numbers for a defender born in 2005. Standing 1.93 metres tall, Kofler combines physical presence with excellent reading of the game and the personality to lead the backline, while also being comfortable in possession. His performances for Südtirol have also seen him break into Italy's youth set-up. The step up to Serie A is the latest stage in the rapid progress he has made in recent years.
While Kofler is one to watch in defence, Yael Trepy and Paul Mendy represent the attacking potential coming through Cagliari's youth system.
Trepy, a French forward born in 2006, scored in the historic Coppa Italia Primavera final against AC Milan. When his first real opportunity at senior level arrived, he wasted no time: against Cremonese, he scored on his Serie A debut, joining a select group of Cagliari academy products to find the net on their first appearance in the Italian top flight.
Paul Mendy made an even more spectacular impact. The Senegalese striker, born in 2007, joined Cagliari's Primavera side in 2025 before making his first start in the Italian top flight against Atalanta on 27 April 2026. It took him just 16 seconds to find the net for the first time, setting a new club record for Cagliari's fastest-ever Serie A goal. Seven minutes later, he had already completed his brace. Since the introduction of three points for a win, only Francesco Grandolfo and Lorenzo Venturino have scored more than once in a Serie A match at a younger age. Mendy also became only the third player born in 2007, after Lamine Yamal and Robinio Vaz, to score more than once in a single match in Europe's top five leagues during the 2025/26 season.
Physical strength, pace and mobility make him a forward who still has plenty of room to develop but whose potential is clear. Fabio Pisacane knows Cagliari's youngsters well, and the new season could give Trepy and Mendy the opportunity to turn their eye-catching early exploits into regular roles in the first-team rotation.
Frosinone, Palmisani from Serie C to the national team
Finally, among the youngsters to watch is one who has already been given his chance and made the most of it. Lorenzo Palmisani, a product of Frosinone's academy, returned to the club after a loan spell with Lucchese in Serie C. Massimiliano Alvini handed him the gloves and the young goalkeeper responded by becoming one of the key figures in the club's promotion campaign.
Palmisani finished the Serie B season second among goalkeepers for number of saves and first for save percentage, helping Frosinone secure second place and a return to the top flight. From academy graduate to first-choice goalkeeper in Serie B and then a senior Italy call-up for the friendlies against Luxembourg and Greece - it has been a remarkably rapid rise that now brings him to his biggest challenge yet. Serie A will provide the next test for one of the most exciting young players to emerge from Frosinone's ranks.