14 Aug 2025 08:12:56
Has anyone seen ‘young lad from Parma’ play? Physically he looks like he can handle pl, just wondered if anyone could describe what kind of defender he is and whether he is ready to play in this squad?
14 Aug 2025 08:30:00
Check Sacchi comments on him -
“Liverpool would make a great signing, and he could thrive in the Premier League, " said Italian legend Arrigo Sacchi, writing in his Gazzetta dello Sports column. "It’s a shame he’s eluding the big clubs in Serie A. On the one hand, the news makes me immensely happy, and on the other, it makes me a little angry.
“Let me explain – I’m happy that an Italian player is receiving praise from a major club like Liverpool, but I wish AC Milan or Inter, Juventus or Napoli were competing for his transfer, not a foreign club.
"I'm told Italian teams don't have the same financial resources as English clubs. Absolutely true, but I add - why hasn't the football product been exploited here like in England? Why is it so complicated to buy a €40m defender for an Italian club, and yet Liverpool doesn't flinch?
‘’We’ll see if the deal goes through, but in any case, I feel like the Reds would make a great coup by securing this boy, whom I followed with curiosity and interest in the second half of last season. ’’ Confident in Leoni’s ability, Sacchi went on to say ‘’Some, regarding his potential move to Liverpool, object to this young man who’s only made 17 Serie A appearances so far. Are those too few? No, because on those 17 appearances, Leoni has demonstrated the ability to go far. If somebody is good, if someone has their head in the right place, it’s immediately obvious. A person can have 200 Serie A games under their belts and still not possess the qualities Leoni has possessed in his first season as an adult. ’’
"Leoni is only 18, and I’m told he’s a decent guy, hard-working, humble, and very determined. Character is crucial in a footballer’s career, as is temperament. I’m convinced he’ll be the linchpin of the Azzurri (Italy national team) defence for a long time. "
14 Aug 2025 08:36:35
Mot there’s a good podcast on him on Redmen Tv by Adam Summerton.
He says no doubts he has the ability, mentality and physicality to play in premier league but only concern would be the step up to a club of Liverpools stature.
Where only him doing it will give the answer.
14 Aug 2025 08:38:07
Also touches on Chiesa staying to help integrate him into the squad which would make him the worlds most expensive babysitter.
14 Aug 2025 08:54:24
140k a week to baby sit JK23!
14 Aug 2025 09:08:49
From what I can tell watching footage and reading everything I can on him he is fast, strong, excellent in the air, great with duels on the ground and in the air, can step out with the ball from defence, but he also plays in a team that is not dominant in possession and has not exhibited much of an ability to pass the ball forward consistently, though this is probably because of instruction and circumstance rather than any true deficiency on his part. His statistics in terms of duels won were higher than Ibou's last year (granted he plays in Serie A), and he ranks very highly among center backs in Europe in terms of interceptions. He's already built like a center half who can play in a top league at his age, so that's promising, he more than held his own against Lukaku last year. From what I can tell he seems to lack elite pace and has a tendency to dive in to tackles a bit too often, but I'm sure the latter can be coached.
14 Aug 2025 09:24:10
Wow. 40 million on a teenager who has only played 17 games in the Italian league? Im sure the guys holding the purse strings at the club have done their due diligence but it also brings back haunting memories of Lazar Markovic.
14 Aug 2025 09:35:38
Sacchi's seal of approval? That's good enuff for me.
14 Aug 2025 09:47:11
Thanks for replies, sounds like we might have a promising long term prospect on our hands!
14 Aug 2025 12:05:41
40m euros or £26m.
14 Aug 2025 13:11:14
nah, young fullah. temper expectations, let him grow.
when was the last great 18 year old CB in the prem, let alone in their first season moving from Italy?
let the lad grow.