He made his professional debut aged just 17 years, 2 months and 10 days under manager Ezio Rossi, in a 3–2 loss against Genoa C.F.C.

On 4 November 2007, he made his Serie A debut for Sampdoria in a 0–3 away win against Cagliari, under manager Walter Mazzarri, aged 18 years, 1 month and 6 days.

At Sassuolo he had a breakout season, making 33 appearances between the Coppa Italia and Serie B and managed five goals and three assists.

On 29 August 2011, Poli joined Internazionale on a season-long loan, with Inter having the option to buy him permanently in 2012.

On 23 July 2021, Poli signed a three-year deal with Turkish Süper Lig club Antalyaspor.

[9] On 11 February 2009, he made his debut with the Italy U-21 squad in a 1–1 friendly draw against Sweden, played at the Stadio Nereo Rocco in Trieste.

[10][11] He was called up by manager Pierluigi Casiraghi for the 2009 European Championships in the summer,[12] but did not make an appearance, as Italy reached the semi-finals, only to be eliminated 1–0 by eventual champions Germany.

He has been described as a versatile, energetic player, with good technical and creative qualities, which make him capable of starting attacking plays after winning back the ball.

[21][22][23][24] Poli has been compared to Daniele De Rossi, and he has cited Andrea Pirlo, Frank Lampard, and Steven Gerrard as his role models, with the main focus on the latter.