After a summer defined by coaching change and the loss of a key player, Parma opened 2026/27 with an attacking rebuild. Star striker Mateo Pellegrino departed for Fiorentina, and the forward line that carried the side last season was comprehensively reshaped. Carlos Cuesta — the young Spanish coach who previously served as Mikel Arteta’s assistant at Arsenal — was forced to start over in attack. A return of just one point from the opening four league matches, leaving Parma eighteenth, has already raised the relegation alarm.
Technical Leadership & Coaching Profile
Manager: Carlos Cuesta
Cuesta took charge of Parma in 2025/26, succeeding Fabio Pecchia, but his first full season has begun disastrously. After four league matches, Parma have one draw and three defeats, scoring twice and conceding six. The only bright spot was a 1-1 home draw with Monza. Elimination by Cremonese in the second round of the Coppa Italia has deepened the early gloom.
Cuesta’s tactical identity comes from his time as an assistant at Arsenal, particularly the systematic use of set-pieces and throw-ins. Serie A data last season showed Parma were the team most frequently throwing the ball into the box, and also led the league in the proportion of long throws. Yet when a side lacks creativity and finishing in open play, the marginal benefit of set-piece weapons is heavily diluted.
Tactical Philosophy
Cuesta abandoned the 3-5-2 he primarily used last season in favour of a 4-3-3 in pre-season. That shift was driven in part by the characteristics of his new signings: El Bilal Touré and Davide Romero are both better suited to operating in a front three within a back-four system.
The 4-3-3 is built around rotations in midfield. Malong Keita operates as the deep-lying playmaker, Adrián Bernabé pushes forward from a left-of-centre midfield position into the space between the lines, and the arrival of Giovanni Fabbian (on loan from Fiorentina late in the window) adds further forward-running threat from midfield. In attack, Touré is the only certain starter — capable of playing as a centre-forward or drifting to the left — while Romero is the direct replacement for Pellegrino, even though the Argentine stands just 179 centimetres tall, a fundamentally different profile from his predecessor’s target-man style. Simone Lontani, an academy product, was promoted directly to the first team by Cuesta, starting and scoring twice against Catania in the Coppa Italia to prove he deserves trust.
Preferred Formations
4-3-3 / 4-3-2-1 (flexible depending on the attacking personnel).
Strategic Transfer Activity
Parma’s summer window followed a clear dividing line: large-scale reconstruction in attack versus emergency patchwork in defence at the last moment.
The attacking operation was largely completed before the season began. Touré arrived from Atalanta and Romero from Argentine side Tigres, both tasked with filling the void left by Pellegrino. The emergence of academy youngster Lontani provided an internal solution up front. The defensive problem, however, was only confronted before the window closed: Australian international Circati’s move to Benfica forced Parma into a late loan for Brazilian centre-back Diego Carlos from Fenerbahçe.
More frustrating for the management was midfield. Nicolussi Caviglia required surgery for pubalgia and faces a long absence, forcing Parma into an emergency loan for Fabbian from Fiorentina as a replacement.
Summer Major Transfer Influx
| Player | Position | Former Club | Fee Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| El Bilal Touré | Forward | Atalanta | Undisclosed |
| Davide Romero | Forward | Tigres | Undisclosed |
| Giovanni Fabbian | Midfielder | Fiorentina | Loan (with buy option) |
| Diego Carlos | Centre-Back | Fenerbahçe | Loan |
| Giovanni Daffara | Goalkeeper | Juventus | Undisclosed |
| Ousmane Diallo | Winger | Borussia Dortmund | Undisclosed |
| Simone Lontani | Forward | Academy promotion | — |
The First-Team Roster
Goalkeepers
Edoardo Corvi (#—) : Corvi became the starting goalkeeper after Zion Suzuki’s move to Aston Villa, starting the first two league matches. His performances have been solid without being spectacular, though he made several important saves against Juventus.
Giovanni Daffara (#—) : The young goalkeeper signed from Juventus stated at his unveiling that “my idol has always been Buffon.” His competition with Corvi has been described by goalkeeping coach Pavarini as “healthy,” but Corvi remains first choice in the short term.
Defenders
Enrico Delprato (#—) : Captain and defensive leader, operating at right-back in the back four. Fantacalcio analysis lists him as one of Parma’s two “certainties,” praising his “guaranteed passing grade and occasional bonus points.”
Diego Carlos (#—) : The Brazilian centre-back on loan from Fenerbahçe brings extensive experience from Sevilla, Aston Villa and Como. His arrival was a direct response to Circati’s departure, and he is expected to provide “solidity, personality and quality” to a young defence.
Mariano Troilo (#—) : The young Argentine centre-back was the first-choice partner before Diego Carlos arrived. His rate of development will determine the ceiling of Parma’s defence.
Emanuele Valeri (#—) : The primary option at left-back, responsible for transitions on the flank in the 4-3-3.
Sascha Britschgi (#—) : The Swiss defender was listed by Fantacalcio as a player to “avoid,” with warnings of “potential sub-par grades and rotation risk.”
Midfielders
Malong Keita (#—) : The Belgian midfielder is the first choice in the deep-lying role, tasked with screening the defence.
Adrián Bernabé (#—) : The Spanish midfielder is Parma’s creative core, listed by Fantacalcio alongside Delprato as one of two “Top” players. His set-piece delivery is also a key weapon.
Giovanni Fabbian (#—) : The Italian midfielder on loan from Fiorentina provides an immediate replacement for the long-term absence of Nicolussi Caviglia. His forward runs add an attacking dimension to midfield.
Cristian Ordóñez (#—) : The young Argentine midfielder has been given consecutive appearances early in the season, showing decent physical duels.
Forwards
El Bilal Touré (#—) : The most important signing of the summer, described by Fantacalcio as “a gamble that could prove genuinely interesting.” Touré’s spell at Atalanta was not a success, but Parma offers him a platform to prove himself again. Goal.com analysis noted he is “the only player certain of a starting place,” whether as a centre-forward or on the left wing.
Davide Romero (#—) : The Argentine signed as Pellegrino’s replacement. Goal.com‘s assessment: “A different profile, 179 centimetres tall, but a genuine centre-forward, and Cuesta plans to use him in that position.” Ahead of the Juventus fixture he stated, “We want to play our own football.”
Simone Lontani (#—) : An academy product promoted to the first team by Cuesta after scoring twice against Catania in the Coppa Italia. He displayed maturity beyond his years when discussing personal goals: “I know I’m young, this is my first senior experience. I just need to keep my head down and work.”
Nesta Elphege (#—) : Played a backup role behind Pellegrino last season, and Romero’s arrival further compresses his minutes.
Ousmane Diallo (#—) : The 19-year-old Spanish winger signed from Borussia Dortmund was listed by Fantacalcio as an “interesting gamble,” largely because he is classified as a midfielder rather than a forward.
Leadership Group & Squad Regulations
Club Captain: Enrico Delprato
Delprato is the undisputed leader of Parma’s back line, having worn the armband in all four league matches. Fantacalcio analysis described him as “a player Cuesta will never leave on the bench.” During the transition period following Circati’s departure and with Diego Carlos only just arriving, Delprato’s leadership is critical to the defence’s stability.
Homegrown Quota Check
Lontani’s emergence is a direct product of Parma’s academy. His brace in the Coppa Italia prompted Cuesta to “immediately decide to bring him into the first team.” In addition, the arrivals of young players such as Mikolajewski (born 2006) and Diallo (born 2007) continue Parma’s youth-focused squad-building strategy.
Financial & Contractual Health
Financial Balance Overview
Parma’s salary structure is among the lowest in Serie A and across Europe’s major leagues. According to Transfermarkt, Parma’s 30 players carry a total salary outlay of €24.1 million, the fourth-lowest among the four major leagues, behind only Union Berlin, Pisa and Lecce. Compared with last season’s €28.9 million, Parma have cut their wage burden by around 17%, largely thanks to the departures of high earners such as Man, Cancellieri and Vogliacco.
Manager Cuesta’s annual salary is just €900,000, placing him at the bottom of the Serie A coaching salary table, though still above peers such as Grosso, Di Francesco, Nicola, Zanetti and Runjaić.
Contract Red Alerts
Buyout decisions on loan players will be a key financial checkpoint at the end of the season. Fabbian’s loan includes a buy option, and if his performances meet expectations, Parma must assess whether activating it is worthwhile. Diego Carlos’s loan similarly involves an end-of-season decision — the Brazilian is already 33, and his salary demands may not fit Parma’s sustainability model.
The Academy Pipeline & Loan Tracker
Breakout Talents to Watch
Simone Lontani is the most direct product of Parma’s academy in 2026/27. His brace against Catania in the Coppa Italia was not merely a personal milestone — it forced Cuesta to reassess the depth of his attacking rotation. At his unveiling, Lontani stated: “My personal goal is to stay at Parma as long as possible and give everything for the club.”
Set-Piece Specialists & FPL Cheat Sheet
Penalties: TBD (no fixed taker established early in the season)
Direct Free-Kicks: Bernabé / Hernani
Corners & Crosses: Bernabé / Valeri
Long Throws: Valenti (the player with the highest frequency of throws into the box in Serie A)
Final Outlook: Navigating the Tactical Horizon
Parma enter 2026/27 in a state best described as a structural rupture in attack. Pellegrino’s departure took away not only goals but an entire attacking logic built around a target centre-forward. Touré and Romero are two fundamentally different types of forward, and after four league matches Cuesta is still searching for a way to make them coexist.
The data is brutal: two goals in four matches, an average of 0.5 per game, among the lowest in Serie A. More concerning is Parma’s conversion rate — 32 shots with only 12 on target, and a gap between expected goals and actual goals that hints at a systemic deficiency in finishing.
The defensive situation is marginally better than the attack, but Circati’s departure exposed the reactive nature of Parma’s transfer strategy. Diego Carlos’s arrival is an injection of experience, but whether the 33-year-old Brazilian can adapt to Cuesta’s demands for building from the back remains uncertain.
Cuesta’s set-piece system is one of Parma’s few certainties. Last season’s data proved that Parma’s investment in throw-ins and set-pieces translated into actual shooting output. If creativity in open play remains scarce, set-pieces will become Parma’s most reliable source of goals in the relegation battle.
The next fixtures — at home to Genoa, then away to Inter and at home to Torino — will constitute Cuesta’s first judgment window. If Parma cannot take at least four points from those three matches, the management’s patience with the young Spanish coach will rapidly run out. Parma’s season may already be written before October arrives.
