Profile
Samuele Ricci is a 24-year-old Italian box-to-box midfielder born August 21, 2001 in Pontedera, Italy. 181cm, right-footed. Product of Empoli's youth system โ made senior debut at 18 in September 2019. Breakthrough at Torino where he made 106 league appearances across three seasons, scoring 4 goals and providing 4 assists. Signed by AC Milan in July 2025 for โฌ23M (plus โฌ2M add-ons). 11 Italy caps as of June 2026. Five-year contract until June 2029. The central question: can he adapt to Amorim's system at Milan mid-career, or is he a tactical misfit? Reports suggest he has been offered to Juventus and Atalanta.
T3 Status
TIER 3 VIDEO ASSESSMENT PENDING. No video event logging has been completed yet. All Tier 3 scores below are provisional estimates only derived from Tier 1 statistical proxies. The FGA of 7.2 is a conservative estimate. Do not use this card for any transfer or recruitment decision until video assessment is complete. The scout question is: Coachability โ adapting to new club/system mid-career. Ricci's โฌ23M move to Milan represents a significant step up. Can he adapt to Amorim's system? Reports suggest he may not be a natural fit.
Empire FGA Verdict (Provisional)
ESTIMATED FGA 7.2 โ T3 PENDING. Ricci is a 24-year-old Italian box-to-box midfielder with strong Tier 1 statistical indicators: 90.1% pass completion, 4 assists, 77.1% accurate deep passes. But the โฌ23M move to Milan has raised questions about system fit โ he may not be a natural fit for Amorim's style. The central question is coachability: can he adapt his game mid-career, or is he a tactical misfit? Tier 3 video assessment is required to evaluate his off-ball movement, positional intelligence, and adaptability before any conclusion can be drawn. This 7.2 is a placeholder estimate โ do not use for decisions.
Technical / Passing
Mental / Tactical
Physical
Tier 1 โ FBref ยท Transfermarkt ยท Sofascore ยท Opta
Tier 2 โ Composite Scores (Estimated)
FGA Weighting Breakdown
LOG Context
UCL: Group stage Tier ~3.5
Italy NT: 11 caps, competitive fixtures
Ricci's Tier 1 data comes from Serie A 2025-26 with AC Milan, plus his Torino seasons and Italy national team appearances. All at confirmed LOG levels.
Provisional FGA Calculation
Tier1 avg โ 7.5 (based on stats), Tier2 avg โ 7.2, Tier3 est โ 7.0 (conservative due to adaptation uncertainty).
FGA = (7.5ร0.20) + (7.2ร0.30) + (7.0ร0.50) = 1.5 + 2.16 + 3.5 = 7.16 โ 7.2
Tier 3 โ Pending Video Assessment
OBI_S โ Space Architecture โ PENDING
OBI_P โ Positional Anticipation โ PENDING
OBI composite โ PENDING
SII_T โ Top-End Speed โ PENDING
SII_R โ Recovery Sprints โ PENDING
SII composite โ PENDING
โณ CHR โ Character
โณ MCS โ Mental Competence
โณ SOA โ Speed on Action
โณ SPI โ Spatial Performance
โณ CLM โ Calmness
โณ CRS โ Clutch Response
โณ OMS โ Omschakeling
โณ DYN โ Dynamism
โณ CRK โ Creative Risk
0/12 confirmed โ Tier 3 video assessment pending
For reference: Serie A sits at LOG 3.6 (confirmed). Ricci's โฌ23M move from Torino to Milan represents a significant step up. The central question โ can he adapt to Amorim's system? โ cannot be answered from Tier 1 data alone. Tier 3 video assessment is required to evaluate his off-ball movement, positional intelligence, and tactical adaptability.
Top Philosophy Fits (Provisional)
Tactical Archetype (Provisional)
"The Box-to-Box Passer" โ Tier 1 data suggests a midfielder who keeps possession (90.1% pass completion), progresses play (77.1% deep pass accuracy), and creates chances (4 assists, 1.90 xA). But the Amorim system question is critical: reports suggest he may not be a natural fit. Tier 3 video assessment is required to evaluate his off-ball movement, positional discipline, and adaptability before any tactical conclusion can be drawn.
Career Statistics
| Season | Club | League | Apps | Goals | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-22 | Empoli | Serie B / Serie A | 83 | 3 | โ |
| 2022 | Torino (loan) | Serie A | 12 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022-25 | Torino | Serie A | 94 | 4 | 4 |
| 2025-26 | AC Milan | Serie A | 31 | 1 | 4 |
| 2025-26 | AC Milan | UCL | โ | โ | โ |
| Career Total (est.) | ~220 | ~8 | ~8 | ||
Transfer Ladder
| From โ To | Fee | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Empoli โ Torino (loan) | Loan | 2022 |
| Torino โ AC Milan | โฌ23M + โฌ2M | 2025 |
Honours
| Honour | Year | Club |
|---|---|---|
| Serie B Promotion | 2021 | Empoli |
| Italy U21 | 2020-23 | Italy |
| Italy Senior | 2022- | Italy |
Physical Profile
Injury History
2024-25: Knee injury (Apr 2025) โ 11 days
2024-25: Injury (Jan 2025) โ 4 days
2023-24: Thigh problems (Nov 2023) โ 27 days
2022-23: Muscular problems (Sep 2022) โ 36 days
Ricci has had several injury setbacks, including a 36-day absence in 2022-23. However, he has shown resilience, playing 31 Serie A matches in 2025-26 despite the ankle issue.
โ Positive Filters (from Tier 1 data)
- 90.1% pass completion โ Elite ball retention for a box-to-box midfielder
- 77.1% deep pass accuracy โ Progressive passing quality
- 4 assists in Serie A 2025-26 โ Creative output
- 1.90 xA โ Expected assists above actual, suggests creative potential
- 11 Italy caps โ International experience
- Torino captain โ Leadership confirmed at club level
- 60.2% duels won โ Competent in physical contests
- 0 red cards, 3 yellow cards โ Disciplined
- โฌ23M transfer to Milan โ Market validation of quality
- Five-year contract until 2029 โ Long-term stability at elite club
โ Caution Signals (from Tier 1 data)
- Only 1 goal from 1.53 xG โ Underperforming expected goals
- 30% aerial duel win rate โ Significant weakness in the air
- Only 18 touches in opponent box โ Limited attacking presence in final third
- Amorim system fit questionable โ Reports suggest he may not be a natural fit
- Offered to Juventus and Atalanta โ Milan may be willing to sell
- Injury history โ Multiple setbacks including 36-day absence (2022-23)
- 24 years old โ Approaching peak, limited development runway
- โฌ23M investment โ Significant fee, expectations are high
โ Critical Gaps โ Tier 3 Required
- No Tier 3 video assessment yet โ All metrics below are provisional estimates only
- OBI, SII, DMA, CHR, MCS, SOA, SPI, CLM, CRS, OMS, DYN, CRK โ All 12 Tier 3 metrics pending
- Coachability unknown โ The central question cannot be answered from Tier 1 data alone
- Adaptability to Amorim system untested โ Video assessment required to evaluate off-ball movement, positional discipline, and tactical adaptability
- Off-ball movement unassessed โ No data on ghost runs, space creation, or positional anticipation
- Mental profile untested โ Character, mental competence, calmness, clutch response all pending
- No GPS data available โ Physical scores rest entirely on visual assessment (pending)
โ Empire FGA Verdict (Provisional โ Tier 3 Pending)
ESTIMATED FGA 7.2 โ T3 PENDING. Samuele Ricci is a 24-year-old Italian box-to-box midfielder with strong Tier 1 statistical indicators: 90.1% pass completion, 4 assists, 77.1% deep pass accuracy, and 11 Italy caps. But the โฌ23M move to Milan has raised questions about system fit โ reports suggest he may not be a natural fit for Amorim's style. The central question is coachability: can he adapt his game mid-career, or is he a tactical misfit? Tier 3 video assessment is required to evaluate his off-ball movement, positional intelligence, and adaptability before any conclusion can be drawn. This 7.2 is a placeholder estimate โ do not use for decisions. Best deployed as a box-to-box midfielder in a possession-based system where his passing range and ball retention are valued. Aerial weakness (30%) and limited goal threat (1 goal from 1.53 xG) are documented limitations from Tier 1 data.
Assessment Plan
Required for Tier 3 completion:
- โข 5+ matches (currently: 1)
- โข โฅ2 matches vs top-third opposition
- โข โฅ1 away match
- โข โฅ1 match where team was losing
- โข 3 qualifying events per sub-metric
Focus areas: Coachability โ adapting to new club/system mid-career. Evaluate off-ball movement, positional intelligence, tactical adaptability, and response to coaching.