5 Serie A stars Premier League teams should target
Francesco Acerbi-Sassuolo
Serie A doesn’t only have offensive players who could make an impact in the Premier League. It has its share of world-class defenders too. Sassuolo’s Francesco Acerbi might not quite be a world-class player, but he could do a job for quite a few Premier League clubs.
The former Milan defender has found a home at Sassuolo and is performing at a high level for them. He’s been one of the best defenders in Serie A on the season per Whoscored.com with an average rating of 7.38 in 13 league starts. He’s been rock solid in defense all season long.
He isn’t the most physically imposing defender along the back-line but he makes up for it with his cerebral approach to defending. What he lacks in physicality he more than makes up for in brain power. He is one of the best interceptors of the ball in all of Serie A and often is able to win the ball without needing to really commit his body to a challenge.
He might not be quite good enough for a top-four Premier League side but any team short of that mark would do well to acquire him in January. He wouldn’t be a flashy signing, but he’d step right into the starting 11 for a number of Premier League clubs to help their defenses stop leaking goals. He is one of those players that would be an underrated signing that turns out to be worth quite a few points as the season progresses.
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