Legendary manager says 18y/o Liverpool new boy is better than some 200-game stars

A legendary manager has detailed his belief that teenage Liverpool new boy Giovanni Leoni – after his signing was confirmed by an insider – will be an international linchpin ‘for a long time’ and already has better qualities than some 200-game stars.

The Reds have already had a very busy summer transfer window. They have spent more than £250million, with big names such as Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike joining.

In all, six players have been signed by Liverpool this summer, but they’re on the hunt for two more.

Defenders Giovanni Leoni and Marc Guehi are the latest players on the radar at Anfield.

Progress has been made towards both, with Fabrizio Romano revealing that Leoni’s deal is now agreed, stating the fee will be around €35million (£30.2m).

Former Italy manager Arrigo Sacchi has described the impact the 18-year-old Leoni can have.

Writing in Gazzetta dello Sport, he said: ‘We’ll see if the deal goes through, but in any case, I’d say the Reds would be making a great move by signing this young man, whom I followed with interest and curiosity in the second half of last season.

‘I’m convinced he’ll be the lynchpin of the Azzurri defence for a long time.

‘Some, regarding a possible transfer to Liverpool, object that this young man has only made 17 Serie A appearances so far. Aren’t those few? No, I reply. Not few, because on those occasions Leoni has demonstrated the qualities needed to go far.

‘If someone 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 displayed in his first season as an adult. Talent knows no age.

‘Let’s also give him the opportunity to make mistakes. At eighteen, some mistakes are expected and can be forgiven. And in any case, Leoni won’t make many. He’s a tough guy who’s already learned the fundamental lesson, keep your head down and work hard.’

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Sacchi angry at Leoni move

Sacchi did reveal that he’s angry, in a way, at the route being taken by Leoni, though.

He said: ‘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 €40million (£34.5m) defender for an Italian club, and yet Liverpool doesn’t flinch?’

In any case, Leoni’s deal confirmation has come soon after it was reported that they had reached a full verbal agreement over personal terms with the Italian defender, after doing the same for England centre-back Guehi.

Liverpool round-up: Reds told how to land Isak

Liverpool last failed with a £110million bid for Alexander Isak, but Keith Wyness has suggested how they might get him.

“The one thing that I think could rescue this, if Liverpool still want him, is a player swap plus the £120m. That, I think, is a doable deal that may work,” he said.

It has been reported that a £120million flat bid is coming for the Newcastle striker.

Meanwhile, Liverpool have decided that centre-back Ibrahima Konate is going nowhere this summer.

Who is Giovanni Leoni?

By Samuel Bannister

One of the latest big defensive prospects in Italian football, Leoni has worked his way up through the ranks and already has one season of Serie A action behind him by the age of 18.

Born in the Italian capital, he was raised as a Roma supporter. But he never joined his hometown team’s academy, since his family relocated to Padua when he was five years old.

Vigontina were his first youth club, before he developed with Cittadella and ultimately joined Padova as a 12-year-old.

Leoni made his Serie C debut in March 2023, becoming Italy’s youngest professional footballer that season at the age of 16 years and three months.

When he was 16 and at Padova, Leoni named Virgil van Dijk as one of his idols, explaining: “I take inspiration from Van Dijk and [Chris] Smalling” (who was then at his favourite club, Roma).

“His passion is the English championship, he wants to play there one day,” someone close to Leoni said in 2023. “He loves Van Dijk and wants to become like him.”

He made three Coppa Italia appearances for Padova in the first half of the following season before setting out on a loan spell with Sampdoria, stepping up to Serie B in the process and helping his new side reach a play-off spot.

Leoni was an unused substitute in the preliminary round of the play-offs, which Sampdoria lost, and barely two months after his move was made permanent, he was being transferred again.

This time, it was a step up to Serie A for the youngster, still only 17 at the time he was acquired by Parma (his 18th birthday wasn’t until December). Coincidentally, he made 17 appearances in his first Serie A season.

While he statistically doesn’t stand out too much yet, Leoni’s potential makes him attractive to a number of clubs. He has an imposing figure at 6ft 5in, which he makes the most of in aerial duels.

But he also possesses good traits with the ball at his feet and can slot in on the right-hand side of a centre-back department.

That has usually been within a back three so far, but given his ability to play in the middle of that kind of backline, he should be able to adapt to a back four as well. In fact, he was trusted to be at the heart of Parma’s defence in games against the likes of Napoli and Lazio towards the end of the 2024-25 season.

Parma’s head coach at the time, Cristian Chivu, earned a step up to Inter over the summer. And after taking the job, the former Ajax, Roma and Inter defender backed Leoni for a bigger destiny as well, stating his expectations of Leoni becoming a full international for Italy on a regular basis.

So far, Leoni has represented his nation at under-18 and under-19 level. He was named in Italy’s preliminary squad for the under-21 European Championship this summer as well, but didn’t make the final cut.

His trajectory is certainly an upwards one, though, and after the incremental increases in quality he has shown so far, the big boys are now circling.