THINK of major European footballing nations, and it will not take you long to come up with Italy. Think of major European footballing nations with leading players in the Premier League, however, and it might be a somewhat different story.

On the opening weekend of the season, there were 23 Spaniards in Premier League squads. There were 12 players from Brazil, 11 from Argentina, ten from Portugal and nine from Holland.

But there were only five Italians, less than from Australia or Ivory Coast. Historically, while Italian players have sporadically plied their trade abroad, they have tended to stay away from England. Yet if Newcastle defender Davide Santon has his way, the floodgates could be about to open.

Revelling in his second season in the English game, Santon is spreading the word in his homeland and extolling the virtues of life on the banks of the Tyne. And if Graham Carr asks him where he should head to on his next scouting trip, he will be heartily recommending Italy.

“There have not been too many people from Italy that have come to the Premier League, but I think you will see it more and more in the future,” said Santon, who is following in the footsteps of Alessandro Pistone, another Italian left-back to have played at St James' Park .

“The status of the leagues in Europe is changing, and at the moment, people are looking at the Premier League and seeing it as the best league in the world. That attracts people to come.

“When I came last year, I knew it was an unusual thing for an Italian player to do, but it was not a hard decision to make. (Mario) Balotelli did the same thing, and now you have (Fabio) Borini as well at Liverpool. It is becoming more and more common.

“I think you will see more people come in the next two or three seasons. Whenever I speak to people back at home, I tell them that it is amazing to play in the Premier League.”

It must have been especially appealing this season, with Santon producing a series of eye-catching displays that have arguably made him Newcastle's most consistent performer in the early stages of the campaign.

Signed from Inter Milan for £5.3m in August 2011, the 21-year-old barely featured in the first half of last season, and when he did, he appeared raw and defensively insecure.

It was only when Ryan Taylor picked up an injury that he was afforded an extended run in the side at left-back, and his performances improved markedly as the season went on.

This term, he has been excellent from the outset, quick and incisive on the attack and increasingly assured in defence.

His career trajectory is already similar to that of Jose Enrique , another player who initially struggled before becoming an integral member of the Newcastle side.

Santon's acclimatisation was even more difficult than Enrique's as he was barely into his 20s when he joined, but as his off-field affairs have become more settled – he has a Geordie girlfriend and a group of close English friends – so his on-field displays have improved.

“I am happy with my form so far this season and feel really good,” he said. “I feel like I am settled here now. My friends are great and I feel as though I am part of the city now. I feel good.

“Maybe I was a little bit low on confidence last year. That is only natural because I had come to a new club, a new city and a new country and it takes a bit of time to get used to that. It was all very new to me, and maybe some of that came across in my play a bit. This year, it is different.

“It is definitely easier when you have a year behind you. I feel much more comfortable now, both with my place in the team and with living here in Newcastle. It is much better. I know the Premier League and what I need to do to do well in it. I know the other players in the team as well.”

His next test comes in this afternoon's game with Reading, a match that could see Newcastle climb into a top-four position.

“We showed our strength and character at Everton and we will have to do that again,” said Santon. “We are in a positive situation but we have to keep going. It is important for us to win this game because that will take us to 11 points and that will have been a really good start.

“A win would also help set us up for Europe next week. We know that is going to be a hard game (against Bordeaux) and it will be good to be going into it with a lot of confidence.”