Thijs Dallinga, Bologna's Dutch forward, opened his pre-season account with a goal in the rossoblù's 2-0 victory against Iraklis on July 26, with winger Rowe also on the scoresheet. The result gave new head coach Tedesco his first win of the summer and, more significantly, placed Dallinga at the centre of a squad that is actively being rebuilt around him.
The timing matters. Santiago Castro is the subject of advanced negotiations with Roma, with Dovbyk or Vaz discussed as potential counterparts in the deal. If Castro departs, Dallinga moves from understudy to undisputed first choice — a shift in responsibility that the 25-year-old's 2025-26 numbers only partially justify. Two goals and two assists across 22 Serie A appearances, at an average rating of 6.50, describes a player who contributed without dominating. Bologna finished eighth on 55 points, a respectable position but one built more on collective solidity — 16 wins, 43 goals conceded — than on individual attacking brilliance.
That context is not a dismissal of Dallinga. It is the baseline from which he now works. Under Vincenzo Italiano, Bologna's attacking structure asked forwards to press and link rather than accumulate. Tedesco may ask different questions. A pre-season goal against Iraklis is a minor data point, but it is the kind of early signal a forward in an uncertain squad hierarchy needs to send.
The club's transfer activity reinforces the sense of transition. The arrival of Argentine midfielder Mikel Amondarain adds dynamism in the engine room, and the Castro-Roma corridor, if it closes, would free up both a starting berth and a wage allocation that could be redirected toward support around Dallinga. Bologna drew with Heidenheim in an earlier pre-season fixture before the Iraklis win, suggesting the squad is still finding its shape.
Dallinga's AI overall rating of 56 out of 100 indicates room for development that the club clearly believes is achievable. The question is whether a change of coach, a clearer central role, and a restructured attack can unlock it. The pre-season goal does not answer that question, but it keeps it open.