Next generation of Italy talent ready to step in, but Chiesa burned his final bridge

MILAN – Italy’s national team is bracing for another generational reset after missing a third consecutive World Cup, and the pipeline of emerging talent has never looked more urgent. While Gennaro Gattuso’s successor remains unnamed, the next Azzurri coach will inherit a cohort of Under-21 stand-ins who have already forced their way into senior club rotations and are now knocking on the senior door.

AC Milan left-back Davide Bartesaghi, fresh from scoring against Sassuolo at San Siro, headlines a group that includes Fiorentina’s Cher Ndour, Paris FC winger Luca Koleosho, Atalanta’s Honest Ahanor and Brentford right-back Michael Kayode, the latter already capped at senior level. Behind them, Liverpool centre-back Giovanni Leoni and Milan-owned striker Francesco Camarda saw their breakthrough seasons curtailed by injury, yet both remain central to the federation’s long-term plans.

The same cannot be said for a cluster of players who once promised to be the core of the rebuild. Nicolò Zaniolo, Tottenham’s Destiny Udogi, Torino’s Cesare Casadei, Milan defender Matteo Gabbia and Fiorentina’s Nicolò Fagioli have all seen their development plateau; at 26, Gabbia is now considered outside the youth bracket. Even Napoli’s Antonio Vergara, thrust into the spotlight only after an injury crisis under Antonio Conte, made his Serie A debut weeks before his 23rd birthday, highlighting how late opportunities have become for Italy’s fringe prospects.

As the Nazionale pivots, veterans Leonardo Spinazzola and Matteo Politano are expected to make way, especially if the 3-5-2 shape survives the coaching change. The most seismic exit, however, could be Federico Chiesa. The Liverpool winger, set to turn 29 in October, reportedly rejected multiple call-ups from Gattuso and, after failing a fitness test in the last window, returned immediately to England rather than remain with the squad. Unlike Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Mattia Zaccagni and Guglielmo Vicario, who stayed on to support the group, Chiesa’s decision is being viewed inside the federation as a definitive break. With chronic injury issues limiting his availability, sources close to the FIGC say the former European champion has likely worn the Italy shirt for the last time.

Whoever takes the reins next will therefore lean on a new wave untainted by the failures of the past cycle. The task is stark: restore pride after a historic absence from global football’s biggest stage, and do it with players whose best days are still ahead of them.

SEO keywords: