Genoa have confirmed the permanent signing of Roma midfielder Tommaso Baldanzi, a move that reshapes the attacking options available to Genoa coach Daniele De Rossi and places 19-year-old forward Jeff Ekhator Osayuki under renewed competitive pressure heading into the 2025-26 season.
The so-what is straightforward: Genoa finished 15th in Serie A with 41 points, a campaign that exposed the club's chronic difficulty converting possession into goals — 41 scored against 50 conceded. Adding a technically refined profile like Baldanzi signals that De Rossi is not satisfied with the attacking output he had, and Ekhator Osayuki's place in the rotation is no longer guaranteed by default.
The numbers around the young Nigerian-Italian forward tell a nuanced story. Across 30 Serie A appearances this season, Ekhator Osayuki contributed three goals and no assists, carrying an average match rating of 6.60. Those are the statistics of a player who has earned minutes and shown enough to stay in the squad, but not enough to make himself indispensable. His AI overall score of 63 out of a possible 100, set against a projected ceiling of 78, suggests the analytical models see meaningful room for development — but potential is only currency if the minutes keep coming.
Baldanzi's arrival complicates that equation. De Rossi now has a more experienced creative option to deploy in and around the forward line, which could push Ekhator Osayuki further down the rotation or, alternatively, force him to sharpen his output in training and in the matches he does start. At 19, the latter scenario is the more productive framing: elite young forwards often need exactly this kind of internal competition to accelerate their development.
Genoa's summer is not finished. Reports indicate the club is also pursuing Lorenzo Lucca, which would further crowd the attacking department. For Ekhator Osayuki, the window between now and pre-season is the moment to demonstrate to De Rossi that three goals was a floor, not a ceiling.