Lazar Samardžić

Key strength: Vision and passing

Creative playmaker

In a season of uncharacteristic turbulence for Atalanta BC—languishing in 10th place with a patchy DLWDL form line—one figure has emerged as Gian Piero Gasperini's unlikely beacon of consistency. Lazar Samardžić, the 24-year-old Serbian entrusted with Bergamo's iconic number 10 shirt, is transforming inefficiency into art. Despite modest playing time—just 1,228 minutes across 32 appearances—the attacking midfielder has delivered surgical precision: 5 goals and 2 assists, contributing a goal every 175 minutes. Operating as the creative fulcrum behind strike partners Gianluca Scamacca and Nikola Krstović, Samardžić blends metronomic passing vision with ice-cool composure. His disciplinary record—merely one yellow card all season—reveals a temperament as measured as his technique, remarkable for a player executing split-second decisions in Gasperini's high-octane system. Valued at €16.6 million, the Serbian has evolved from developmental prospect to present-day solution. As Atalanta battles through its identity crisis, Samardžić's ruthless efficiency may yet prove the difference between continental qualification and a season of disappointment.