The Premier League's best signings from Serie A

Riccardo Calafiori and Dean Huijsen are the latest players to make the journey from Serie A to the Premier League, with defender Calafiori signing for Arsenal from Bologna while Huijsen moves from Juventus to AFC Bournemouth.

Here, we look at the best players who have made that same journey from Italy's top flight to England's, since the Premier League's inception in 1992/93.

You can vote at the bottom of this article for who you think has been the best import from Italy. 

Thierry Henry

Perhaps the greatest ever Premier League import, Henry took the league by storm after his arrival from Juventus in August 1999.

The incredible Frenchman took no time at all to settle in England, scoring 17 goals in 31 top-flight appearances in his first season at Arsenal.

In eight full seasons with the Gunners, and a short loan spell in 2011/12, Henry won two league titles - one of them as part of the 2003/04 "Invincibles" side - plus four Golden Boots and two Premier League Player of the Season awards.

In recognition of his achievements, Henry was one of the first two players to be inducted into the Premier League's Hall of Fame.

Mohamed Salah

After a difficult first spell in the Premier League with Chelsea, Salah spent time in Serie A with Fiorentina and Roma, and then came back with Liverpool to deliver incredible performances every season since 2017/18.

In the Egyptian's first season with the Reds, he scored 32 league goals - which was a record in a 38-match campaign at the time - and he has gone on to win every major trophy with Liverpool, including the Premier League title in 2019/20, which ended the club's 30-year drought.

Salah has also won three Golden Boots, one Premier League Player of the Season award, and one Playmaker award for the player with the most assists in a campaign.

Patrick Vieira

One of Arsene Wenger's first signings in 1996, Vieira arrived from AC Milan and helped inspire Arsenal to Premier League glory on three occasions as they went toe-to-toe with Manchester United in one of the Premier League's best rivalries.

Vieira made 279 league appearances for Arsenal, was named the 2000/01 Premier League Player of the Season and won four FA Cups - plus one more when he returned to England in January 2010 with Manchester City.

Like Henry, Vieira has been inducted into the Premier League's Hall of Fame, earning entry in 2022.

Gianfranco Zola

The 5ft 6in Italian dazzled in seven seasons with Chelsea after arriving from Parma in November 1996, scoring 59 goals and providing 42 assists in 229 Premier League matches.

During his time at Stamford Bridge, Zola won the FA Cup twice, plus the League Cup, UEFA Cup Winners' Cup and UEFA Super Cup.

Goals, assists and trophies aside, it was Zola's playing style that made supporters sit on the edge of their seats, with defenders struggling to get the ball off him.

Dennis Bergkamp

Netherlands legend Bergkamp was another who set the Premier League alight after his arrival from Internazionale in 1995.

Bergkamp formed an incredible partnership with Henry. The Dutchman's technical ability and eye for a pass gave his team-mate plenty of ammunition, while he also scored memorable goals of his own.

He scored 87 times and produced 94 assists in 315 top-flight matches and won three league titles. Bergkamp also jointly holds the Premier League record for the most assists in a match, having set up four goals for Arsenal against Leicester City in February 1999.

Edwin van der Sar

The Netherlands goalkeeper shocked the world by joining Fulham from Italian giants Juventus in 2001, but if there were any doubts about his ability at the age of 30, he was quick to dispel them with four outstanding seasons at Craven Cottage.

Van der Sar then signed for Man Utd in 2005 and would go on to enjoy one of the most successful spells of any goalkeeper in Premier League history.

He won the title four times in his six seasons at Old Trafford, including three successive triumphs in 2006/07, 2007/08 and 2008/09.

In the third of those title-winning campaigns, he kept a clean sheet in 14 successive Premier League matches between November 2008 and February 2009, which remains a competition record, and won the Golden Glove with 21 clean sheets.

Alisson

Like Salah, Alisson joined Liverpool from Roma and made an immediate impact before establishing himself as a hugely consistent and reliable figure over a number of years.

Arriving at Anfield in the summer of 2018, the Brazilian goalkeeper won the Golden Glove at the first attempt in 2018/19, keeping 21 clean sheets, while also winning the UEFA Champions League.

The Premier League title would follow the next season, and then another Golden Glove in 2021/22 after 20 shut-outs.

Alisson also became one of six goalkeepers to have ever scored a Premier League goal after netting a stunning late, winning header against West Bromwich Albion in 2021.

Cristiano Ronaldo

Though Man Utd's campaign wasn't a memorable one, the same couldn't be said for Ronaldo when he returned to Old Trafford from Juventus for the 2021/22 season.

The iconic Portuguese forward struck 18 times in only 30 league appearances, including hat-tricks against Tottenham Hotspur and Norwich City.

Ruud Gullit

Heads were turned when Chelsea signed former Ballon d'Or winner Gullit from Sampdoria in 1995.

And though he only played three seasons as a player for the Blues, before becoming manager, his classy style of play made him a wonderful player to watch.