Sassuolo midfielder Darryl Bakola and his teammates opened their 2026-27 Serie A campaign with a 2-1 defeat away at Atalanta on August 24, leaving Alberto Aquilani's side without a point after the first matchday. Giacomo Raspadori and Krstovic scored for the hosts, with Odenthal pulling one back for the neroverdi before Atalanta held on.
The result stings, but the manner of it may matter more than the scoreline. Aquilani, speaking after the final whistle, indicated that Sassuolo did not deserve to lose — and specifically mentioned Bakola by name in his post-match assessment, a notable public endorsement for an 18-year-old at the start of his first full top-flight season.
Bakola arrives in Serie A carrying the profile of a player whose ceiling is meaningfully higher than his current output. His AI overall rating of 69 out of 100 reflects where he is, not where the model projects him to go: a potential score of 78 suggests there is substantial development still ahead. At 18, born in November 2007, he is at the age where a single season of consistent minutes can compress years of projected growth into months of real progress.
His only competitive contribution on record this season came in the Coppa Italia — one appearance, one assist, no goals — a modest but purposeful start. That assist, in a single match, tells you something about his instinct for the final action even when the broader statistical picture is thin.
The context around Sassuolo is not uncomplicated. The club sits 17th in the early table, a position that carries no alarm after one round but sets a clear expectation: points must come quickly. Aquilani's side showed enough against Atalanta — a team now managed by Maurizio Sarri and preparing for European competition — to suggest they can compete. Losing narrowly to a side of that quality, on the road, on opening day, is not a crisis.
For Bakola specifically, the question is minutes. Aquilani's willingness to name him publicly after a defeat is the kind of signal that tends to precede a starting role, not a rotation one. A coach under early pressure does not invoke a teenager's name unless he intends to use him. The Serie A schedule will test that intention quickly.
Bakola is not yet the finished article, and the data does not pretend otherwise. But 18-year-olds who earn post-defeat mentions from their head coach, who register assists in cup football, and who carry a development ceiling of 78 are not passengers. Sassuolo need him to grow fast; the early signs suggest he is willing to.