Santiago Castro, Bologna's 21-year-old Argentine forward, scored in a 1-1 pre-season draw against Heidenheim on July 23, giving the rossoblù their first positive result under new head coach Domenico Tedesco after a difficult opening to the summer.
The timing matters. Bologna had arrived at pre-season carrying the weight of a 4-0 defeat to Arminia Bielefeld in Tedesco's first match in charge, a result compounded by Jonathan Rowe's red card for violent conduct before half-time. Castro's goal against another German second-division side does not erase that performance, but it gives the squad — and its new manager — something to build on before the 2025-26 Serie A campaign begins in earnest.
For Castro specifically, the pre-season goal is a useful data point. His 2025-26 Serie A season produced seven goals and two assists across 34 matches, a return that reflects a player contributing steadily without yet imposing himself on games at the highest level. His average rating of 6.70 and an AI overall score of 65 out of 100 suggest a player whose ceiling remains meaningfully above his current output — the gap between those two numbers is where the next phase of his development lives.
Tedesco's arrival changes the context around Castro. The Argentine had developed under Vincenzo Italiano, whose high-energy, pressing-oriented system suited a mobile forward willing to work in transition. How Tedesco structures his attack will determine whether Castro's movement is used as a primary weapon or a secondary one. Pre-season results carry limited predictive weight, but a goal in only the second friendly indicates Castro is sharp and motivated to establish himself in the new hierarchy.
Bologna's broader summer is unsettled. Lucumí has been publicly linked to Juventus, with club CEO Fenucci acknowledging a promise made to the Colombian defender. Rowe's disciplinary situation adds another layer of uncertainty. Castro, by contrast, is producing on the pitch when it counts for his own standing. That is the simplest and most durable form of pre-season argument a forward can make.