A lot was made of Livorno’s transfer plan before the beginning of the season, which heavily consisted of bringing in talented youngsters on loan, who despite their talent were unproven.
Even though it is still far too early to tell if they have been a success or not, it certainly is a good time to have a look at their progress in an Amaranto shirt so far.
Arguably the best signing of the summer was that of Francesco Bardi, who is one of four youngsters on loan from Inter. The Italian U21 international is seen as a future Italian number one when Gianluigi Buffon retires and it’s easy to see why he is thought of so highly.
The Italian was born in Livorno and grew up in their youth system until moving to the Nerazzurri in 2011, but after spending last season on loan with Novara he has returned to his hometown team, albeit only on loan.
Even at the tender age of 21 he is quickly becoming a vital part of Davide Nicola’s team; earning them some crucial points already this season, most noticeably away to Genoa, where he made an outstanding save in the last minute to earn them a point.
If the Amaranto are able to stay in Serie A this season they will certainly look to re-sign him on loan, although a lot will depend on where Inter see him in their future plans.
Ibrahima Mbaye isn’t too far behind Bardi for the prize of best summer signing, making the left wing-back position his own this season. He is also on loan from Inter and has impressed so much that Livorno president Aldo Spinelli has said that he wants to keep him on a co-ownership deal. Although, again this would depend on if they stay in Serie A.
Bardi – Livorno
His athleticism and versatility (he is able to play on both the right and left flank) make him another key component in this team along with Bardi.
Two of the biggest disappointments for the Tuscan side this season has been the form of Alfred Duncan and Marco Benassi. Duncan helped the Amaranto gain promotion to the top division last season and despite interest from the likes of Sunderland in the summer he decided to go back on loan to Livorno.
The Ghanaian started the season well and looked as if he was continuing on his form from the previous season. However, in the last few months he has dropped out of the starting eleven and when he has played he has struggled. This was evident in the match against Inter just before the international break where he couldn’t keep up with the pace of the game and spent most of his time chasing shadows.
He still has plenty of time to turn his season around and Nicola will be hoping he can as the Ghanaian international has enormous potential.
Benassi was arguably the worst signing this summer as he has struggled to make any impact on the team, only making two appearances in the league this season.
The Italian looked as if he could be a potential star after he made his debut against Pescara for Inter last season. His ability to break up play and then start it again made him a hot prospect but he has found playing minutes hard to come by in Tuscany.
Nicola will be hoping that Bardi and Mbaye can keep up their great starts to the season as they continue to fight for Serie A survival. He will also be hoping that Duncan and Benassi can turn their fortunes around and live up to their potential.
