Category Archives: Report

Kostas Stafylidis: Greece’s gifted full-back coming off a difficult spell at Fulham

  By O-Posts Team | July 21, 2024 - 20:20 | , , , , ,
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Name: Kostas Stafylidis

Position: Left back

Age: 21

Country: Greece

Club: Bayer Leverkusen

 

Technically gifted and attack-minded, Kostas Stafylidis is the latest in a long line of exciting full backs produced by Greece (Giourkas Seitaridis, Takis Fyssas and Vasilis Torosidis are his predecessors).

A series of eye-catching performances at major tournaments for Greece’s national youth teams, as well as the manner in which he quickly settled at Super League club PAOK as a teenager, meant his future in football would quickly see him depart the Mediterranean.

Indeed, Bayer Leverkusen came knocking in 2012, after his stellar performances as Greece reached the final of the U-19 European Championships. Stafylidis signed a 5-year contract and a transfer fee of €1.5 million was agreed.

The Bundesliga outfit represented a significant step up from the Greek domestic scene and after returning to PAOK on loan as part of the transfer deal (for the 2012/13 season) Stafylidis then attempted to break into the Leverkusen first team.

Unable to do so, the German club decided to loan Stafylidis to Fulham, where he amassed plenty of game time in the Championship without ever finding the form or consistency to secure himself a permanent move. Flashes of inspiration were too often followed by lapses in concentration as the Londoners failed to make their return to the English Premier League.

Stafylidis now returns to Leverkusen, who recently tweeted a message of support for their young Greek starlet, perhaps in response to what was becoming an increasingly difficult sojourn in England.

Indeed, the noises coming from the club suggest Stafylidis will be afforded the chance to establish himself in the first-team this season and it could be prove a key campaign in the blossoming career of the Greece international.

The 21 year-old has all of the attributes to develop into a first-class defender: anticipation, excellent delivery from open play and set-pieces and an ability to balance attacking and defensive duties.

Whether he can stay disciplined and determined enough at one of Germany’s biggest clubs remains to be seen.

 

Written by Chris Paraskevas

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Terry Antonis: The Sydney FC starlet that caught the eye of Jose Mourinho

  By O-Posts Team | July 20, 2024 - 16:38 | , , , ,
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Name: Terry Antonis

Position: Central Midfielder

Age: 21

Country: Australia

Club: Sydney FC

 

“The guy who kicked Hazard three times in 10 minutes really impressed me. I like it because there are no friendlies. I don’t like the word friendly match. So that young boy in midfield that was really aggressive and playing for a result, impresses me.”

These are the words of Jose Mourinho in the wake of Chelsea’s recently friendly match against Sydney FC. The player who caught his eye? Terry Antonis.

You will find few 21 year-old footballers who have endured as many set-backs in their career as the Australia international has.

His bad luck began at 14 years-old, when a move to Everton broke down because of FIFA’s rules about overseas transfers for players under the age of 18.

Antonis overcame that disappointment to sign a professional contract with Sydney FC in 2010, becoming the club’s youngest ever debutant at 16.

Five years later and much has transpired since, with another failed European move bookmarking a difficult period in the midfielder’s career.

Parma agreed to pay $300,000 for his services back in 2013, only for the Serie A side to bizarrely fail to contact Sydney and confirm the move before the close of the transfer window. No transfer certificate was issued and Antonis again was forced to remain in Australia.

It might be that the Italian club had second thoughts, given Antonis’ previous problems with injuries: long lay-offs have been common in his short career, often scuppering his chances of breaking into the Australian national team.

However, the past two seasons with Sydney FC have highlighted his best qualities: he has developed into one of the club’s biggest assets and was rewarded by Australia coach Ange Postecoglou with a place in the 2015 Asian Cup squad.

Most effective when he plays at the base of midfield, the two-footed Antonis is an effective distributor of the ball, accurate with both long and short passing.

He is particularly adept at transitioning his team from defence to attack, by virtue of his vision and ability to beat markers with short bursts of speed. His natural sense of positioning and movement show maturity beyond his years.

With consecutive seasons of regular football under his belt – and having scored a handful of sumptuous goals along the way – Antonis is beginning to hit top form and overcome the early setbacks that would have derailed a less resilient individual.

 

Written by Chris Paraskevas

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Kelechi Iheanacho: Man City’s starlet is the future of Nigerian football

  By O-Posts Team | July 19, 2024 - 17:03 | , , , , ,
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Kelechi Iheanacho is the future of Nigerian football. It is as simple and straightforward as that. The 18 year old attacking midfielder has shown beyond any reasonable doubt the sort of talent he is. Blessed with an eye for a pass, packs a powerful shot and full of trickery. The 2015/2016 season is expected to be his breakout season and he has the pre-­‐season tour of Australia to prove himself, not just with Manchester City, but also with the Super Eagles of Nigeria.

Quick Facts:

Name: Kelechi Iheanacho

Age: 18

Position: Attacking Midfield/Centre Forward

Club: Manchester City

 

‘Nacho’s’ talent has never been in doubt. He was always set for great things and it is only a matter of time before he fulfils that big potential of his. A product of Nigeria’s U17 class of 2013, he was very instrumental in Nigeria winning that year’s FIFA U17 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates and it was no surprise he ended up as the tournament’s best player. He is touted to be the long term replacement for Augustine ‘Jay Jay’ Okocha in the Nigeria set-­‐up but first he has to prove he can be the player everybody believes he can be.

He is presently in Australia with City and started in their 2-­‐0 win over Adelaide in their first pre-­‐ season game of the 2015/2016 season. Work permit and injuries delayed his introduction to the first team last season after an impressive pre-­‐season in the United States, but is expected to feature in Manuel Pellegrini’s plans for the new season.

“Manchester City will not send him on loan. Plan A, B and C is for him to remain with the club next season,” a City official told the Manchester Evening News in June.

Even Pellegrini himself acknowledges how good the 18-­‐year old is, and spoke of how good he can be in the future.

“A very important player for us in the future,” Pellegrini was quoted in the Manchester Evening News.

Pellegrini added: “It depends on the way he takes this profession, but I think he’s a good talent.”

 

Key Strengths

Iheanacho is a rare breed. Not the fastest of players, but he is blessed with a perfect close control. Besides being a traditional attacking midfielder, he can also play in a variety of positions in the attack. He has featured severally for the City youth teams as a wide attacker, a centre forward and as a second striker. Naturally a left-footer, he is quite comfortable with the ball on his right, and scores quite an awful lot of goals for a player who isn’t a natural centre forward.

 

Stats

He has played nine games in FIFA competitions – the U17 and U20 World Cups and has scored six goals in those games (fifa.com) -­‐ an incredible average of 1.5 goals per game in those competitions!

Due to injuries, he only featured five times for the Manchester City youth teams last season, and scored three goals, including a wonderful solo effort against rivals Manchester United in the FA Youth Cup – which is an average of 1.6 goals a game – and he also made two assists.

 

Interested Clubs

According to transfermarkt.com, Iheanacho has a contract with Manchester City until the summer of 2016, but no clubs have really made serious efforts to get him since he joined the former English champions. He was linked with Portuguese giants, FC Porto, before opting for City and he was almost sent on loan to MLS side, Columbus Crew, but injuries meant that didn’t happen.

 

Quote:

“I am working hard to keep myself fit and also to break into the first team. It is not going to be easy because there are a lot of international players in the first so I just have to be patient and keep working hard,” he told Chris Oguguo for sl10.ng in June, 2014.

 

Written by Chris Oguguo

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Augusto Batalla: The Argentine stopper that might provide a long-term solution for Real Madrid

  By O-Posts Team | July 17, 2024 - 17:51 | , , , , , ,
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He might not be much of a household name given he is yet to make his senior debut at club level yet, but if River Plate and Argentina’s young goalkeeper Augusto Batalla makes the strongly rumoured switch to Real Madrid then expect to hear a lot more about the 19-year-old.

 

Who is Augusto Batalla?

Born in the neighbourhood of Hurlingham, just west of Buenos Aires, Batalla has been part of River Plate’s youth sides since childhood and despite not appearing for the first team yet is considered by coaches in Argentina to be a player of enormous potential after starring for the Albiceleste under-17s and under-20s.

In 2011, having already caught the attention of coaches whilst playing for River, Batalla travelled to Uruguay for the under-15 South American Championship under the guidance of Miguel Angel Lemme. This was the beginning of a long running connection with the Argentine youth sides and although La Albiceleste could only finish third, Batalla had cemented his position as the number one.

It was in 2013 when Batalla really made scouts take notice when he and has teammates from the under-15s stepped up to under-17 level and lifted the South American Championship on home soil. A month later, River travelled to Spain for the under-17 World Club Championships and it is reported that it was in this tournament that Madrid first began chasing the youngster’s signature.

Real Madrid actually defeated River in the group stage but both sides qualified for the knockout stages where River then defeated Barcelona and Atletico Madrid en route to being crowned champions. Batalla kept clean sheets in both matches and was the penalty hero in the semi-final against Barcalona before being named the goalkeeper of the tournament.

Later in the year Argentina under-17s travelled to the United Arab Emirates for the World Cup but lost in the semi-final to a strong Mexican side. However, that was not to be the end of Batalla’s success in national colours as this January, the under-20s captured the South American Championship.

With three clean sheets from the five matches in the final round, Batalla was of huge importance to the side and although World Cup disappointment followed, the 19-year-old has been earmarked for future success having come through all the youth sides.

 

Are Madrid really looking to tie up a deal?

According to Spanish newspaper Marca, Real Madrid have been tracking Batalla since witnessing his display in the Club World Championship for River in 2013 and a deal has been strongly rumoured ever since.

River president Rodolfo D’onofrio confirmed this link earlier this year and was quoted as saying: “The contract hasn’t been signed yet but in June, Batalla will to to Madrid on a one-year loan, with an option to buy for a large sun.”

This deal hasn’t yet been finalized but the interest is very real. River, like all Argentine clubs, are in desperate need of money as the monthly costs of running the club sees them run at a loss, only to be balanced by player sales.

As much potential as Batalla may have he is yet to have any impact at first team level. The number one spot is filled by the hugely reliable Marcelo Barovero and with the reported figure being touted as high as €10 million it is little wonder that D’onofrio is willing to let Batalla go.

There are few clubs in world football who are able to spend that type of money on a promising young player, who will not be considered for the first team for a number of years but Real are one of them.

 

What will Batalla bring to Madrid?

Well, at this point Batalla will bring nothing more than potential as he will make no impression on the Real Madrid first team for a little while. The idea is that he would go straight into Zinedine Zidane’s Castilla squad alongside the talented Norwegian talent Martin Odegaard but the hope would be that with the correct development, Madrid would have a top goalkeeper for many years.

At six feet two inches, Batalla is not the tallest goalkeeper but is an agile shot stopper and a decent enough penalty box presence at youth level.

With the reported interest of Real Madrid such common knowledge, Batalla’s under-20 coach Humberto Grondona said in January: “Real Madrid are guaranteed a goalkeeper with a brilliant future. Augusto has everything he could need to go continue making progress. It is not just that he has the footballing qualities that make him stand out from the rest, but also that as a person he is very mature for his age.”

Of course, signing any young player comes with no guarantee but Grondona is correct in saying that Batalla has all the tools to be a top goalkeeper.

A move to Real would be a testing one, but would be a wonderful place to develop to the level of world class that Madrid and Argentina would be hoping.

 

Written by Peter Coates

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Allan: Have Liverpool stumbled upon a diamond in the young Brazilian?

  By O-Posts Team | July 17, 2024 - 13:37 | , , , ,
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Allan (Left)

On the face of it, Liverpool FC’s participation in Malaysia’s Frenz International Cup earlier this year was not a resounding success. Their Under-18 side, proclaimed pre-tournament as ‘undoubtedly the team to beat’ by the competition website, won an easy group but were dumped out in the quarter final by Valencia.

However, as well as valuable experience for youth team players, these tournaments also provide a golden opportunity for clubs to uncover unknown stars in the making from around the world, and in this case Liverpool believe they have stumbled upon a diamond. A diamond in the shape of 18-year-old Allan Rodrigues de Souza, who starred in the Internacional side that swept all before them in South East Asia as they scored 20 goals in six games, culminating in a 3-2 final victory against Argentinian outfit Estudiantes.

From his role in central midfield, left-footed Allan scored two of those twenty. The first was a free kick curled into the top corner against Valencia, while the second was a magnificent 40-yard lob of the Porto goalkeeper in the semi final. The Scouse scouts in attendance are sure to have noted his technical excellence, precise long passing, strong tackling and ability to read the game.

Allan’s deliveries from corners and free kicks were also top notch (a fact that will inevitably lead eventually to his left foot being dubbed a wand in the English press), an area in which some observers believe Liverpool are currently lacking. He would most likely be employed at Anfield as a defensive midfielder or perhaps slightly further forward, spraying passes from the centre of the park, should formation allow.

As Inter have progressed to this year’s Copa Libertadores semi finals, boss Diego Aguirre has implemented a rotation policy in which the club’s youth teamers have seen plenty of first team action. Allan, however, is not among those to have been deemed ready and is yet to have made his professional debut. As such, Liverpool’s interest was a shock for Brazilian observers, most of whom had never heard of the youngster.

His youth, lack of experience and the potential difficulties of adapting to life in England make him a risky signing, however with an initial fee agreed upon of just £500,000, and further cash only due as a percentage of any future sale, the deal is a risk the Anfield club can easily afford to take.

Allan will, at least, have compatriots Lucas Leiva, Philippe Coutinho and fellow new boy Roberto Firmino to keep him company and help him settle in to life on Merseyside, although he will certainly not be joining them in the first team squad just yet.

 

Written by Calum Leahy

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Jong Tae-Se: The North Korean star dubbed the “People’s Rooney”

  By O-Posts Team | July 16, 2024 - 19:21 | , , , ,
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North Korean striker Jong Tae-Se has returned to Japan, transferring from Suwon Bluewings to J-League side Shimizu S-Pulse. Jong Tae-Se is well known around the world due to his performances in the 2010 World Cup where he was dubbed ‘The People’s Rooney”.

He personally likens his style of play to ex-Chelsea striker Didier Drogba and, despite scoring six goals in the first half of this season, is a striker who can hold-up the ball and bring others into play, rather than an out-and-out goal-scorer.

While there was a lot of interest in the North Korean team in the build up to the 2010 World Cup, Jong Tae-Se’s story was perhaps the most surprising. Born in Japan to Korean parents, Jong was educated in a school run for North Koreans living in Japan.

He holds a South Korean passport, so had to get special permission from Fifa to play for North Korea. At that time he was playing for Kawasaki Frontale in the J-League, but he soon got a chance to prove himself in Europe, moving to Bochum in the 2. Bundesliga, he scored fifteen goals in forty-two games for Bochum before moving to FC. Koln.

His next transfer was possibly the most surprising. After a disappointing spell at FC Koln he moved to South Korean club Suwon Bluewings at the start of the 2013 season. Jong faced several difficulties in South Korea, from away fans calling him ‘bbalgaengi’ (a red), to right-wing groups trying to get him arrested for supporting North Korea, an offense that can lead to jail-time in the South.

Nevertheless he was a consistently good performer for Suwon, and has been having a good season so far. There may be several reasons for his return to Japan, but Jong has said that Suwon haven’t offered him a new contract, and as allegedly he is one of their higher-earners, Suwon may be looking to offload him due to their current attempts to reduce their wage bill.

Shimizu S-Pulse, currently languishing at the bottom of the J-League, will be hoping that Jong Tae-Se can save their season in his second spell in Japan.

 

Written by Steven Price

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Munir El-Haddadi: The promising Barca prospect linked with Arsenal and Chelsea

  By O-Posts Team | July 16, 2024 - 13:58 | , , , , , , ,
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For the second summer in succession, one of Barcelona’s most promising young talents is being linked with a move away from the club. If reports are to be believed, Munir El-Haddadi is a target for many top European clubs including Arsenal and Chelsea with the Gunners supposedly in pole position for his signature.

Many football fans may not be too familiar with the player known simply as Munir; after all, he only made his debut for the Blaugrana B team in March 2014 and has only made ten senior league appearances since then. So what is all the fuss about? Why are so many teams interested in the youngster and would the Catalonians be willing to sell?

Munir was born to parents of Moroccan origin and raised in a small town northwest of the Spanish capital. As a child, his favourite team was Real Madrid. His prolific goal scoring record as a youngster eventually secured him a place in the youth ranks of Atletico Madrid at which point he ditched any previous allegiances. Aged just 15, he was sent on loan to CF Rayo Majadahonda where he bagged an incredible 30 goals in 29 matches in the Tercera División.

His record in the Spanish fourth tier drew attention from his boyhood team across the city, but it was Barcelona who made the only firm approach for his services. After just a year at Atletico, Munir was on the books at the Catalan club and made his debut at youth level.

His style of play and ability to score goals soon attracted lazy comparisons to other top players including Lionel Messi. At UEFA youth league level, Munir averaged a goal a game for Barca and was voted the outstanding player in 2013-14. During a game against Benfica in July 2014, he became a social media hit after scoring from the halfway line.

His performances prompted new coach Luis Enrique to give the youngster first team opportunities during the 2014-15 season. He made an instant impact by scoring on his debut in the 3-0 win against Elche at the Camp Nou and made a further nine appearances in the league. He also featured six times in the Copa del Rey and Champions League campaigns.

With Pedro’s future in doubt, it seems crazy that the Catalan club would sell a player with such talent and potential. Any new players that Luis Enrique recruits this summer will not be able to play until January and as a result, Munir will be a valuable asset to the squad in the coming months. The coach has also expressed his intention to continue developing the player so if he does move, a loan would be most likely.

In the unlikely event that a permanent transfer does occur, Arsenal would be the most likely destination. Arsene Wenger has previously taken Barca youth players Jon Toral and Hector Bellerin to the Emirates and of course Cesc Fabregas made the same move eleven years ago.

The one thing that is certain is that Munir has a big future ahead of him and wherever he ends up; he is set to be a star.

 

Written by Neil Morris

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Jordy Clasie: Is the Feyenoord skipper a worthy successor to Schneiderlin?

  By O-Posts Team | July 14, 2024 - 18:45 | , , , , , , , ,
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As you may have read in my last few articles, the majority which have been to discuss whether the next Eredivisie starlet was ready for the Premier League and today is another.

But this is different, this one has legs as Southampton have already contacted Feyenoord for their star’s services, which is why I am seeking to discuss if this young kid from Holland is ready to replace the departed Morgan Schneiderlin.

First, let’s have a look at who Jordy Clasie is and his rise to stardom in Rotterdam.

 

Club career

Clasie grew up in Haarlem, a small town not so far away from Amsterdam.

He was given his first football boots by Willem Van Hanegem, a former Dutch international himself who was a friend of his father.

At 9 years of age, he was discovered by Feyenoord and accepted the offer to join their youth system.

It was not smooth sailing for the young Jordy at the start as constant travelling via trains was taking its toll, plus he was getting criticized on a regular basis by then head of youth development: Henk Van Stee, who would regularly call him too small and urge him to leave the club.

But then he left for Shakhtar Donetsk and his successor, Stanley Brard, did have confidence in Clasie, who knows what would have happened if he didn’t.

Clasie was loaned out to Excelsior in 2010 making his debut vs Feyenoord of all clubs a week later and had his first competitive goal ever scoring away at NEC in Nijmegen. After a successful loan period, he returned to Feyenoord and started most of the preseason before making his official debut against, coincidentally, Excelsior.

He quickly grew to be a fan favorite and scored his first goal for Feyenoord against Groningen. Clasie finished the season only missing one game and ended up winning the Young Player of the Season award, which was given to him by his old friend Willem Van Hanegem.

And guess who was the manager who gave him his breakthrough? Ronald Koeman, the current Southampton manager.

Things moved quickly for Clasie the next season, where he was given the number 6 and was made reserve captain behind Stefan De Vrij amidst rumors of interest from major clubs like AC Milan, Roma, Juventus, and Tottenham Hotspur. However, Clasie rejected these clubs to stay a few more seasons at his beloved Feyenoord.

He is currently Feyenoord’s captain, but the club’s failure to win any trophies has surely shortened Clasie’s patience with his beloved side and their ambitions.

 

International career

Clasie was first called up to the “Jong Oranje”, or the Dutch U-21s, in December 2010.

He also was called up for the 2013 U-21 Euro Championship in Israel, where he was used mainly as a substitute.

On the 1st of August 2012, he was picked by Louis Van Gaal for the Dutch side for the friendly vs Belgium. He wouldn’t wait long to grab his first cap, which he managed to do so on the 7th of September 2012 vs Turkey at the Amsterdam Arena.

He was then picked for the World Cup two years later and was praised for his performance in the third-place play-off vs Brazil, which Holland won comfortably 3-0.

 

Strengths and Weaknesses

Well, Jordy Clasie is your typical 21st-century defensive midfielder. He is small in stature, just like Javier Mascherano or Nigel De jong, but because of his fine tackling ability this does not work against him.

He is a very sound passer of the ball, but likes to keep the game simple and does not look for a 50 yard pass or a through ball. He is also not attack-minded as his low goalscoring rate proves and is very assured and calm when the ball is at his feet.

 

Is he the ideal target for Southampton?

In my opinion? Yes.

Here are the reasons why:

  1. Clasie is at his best when he has a talented 10 in front of him, who he can give the ball to after winning it. He has not had this at Feyenoord, but I think with a player like Dusan Tadic in front of him this would prove beneficial for both player.
  1. The confidence factor, which has been witnessed with Ronald Koeman- the man who gave Clasie his big break. Because of this, Clasie will know that at Southampton he has a manager who has the utmost confidence in him and that can help the player immensely.

Of course there are things that could go wrong as he could struggle with the pace of the Premier League as Feyenoord at a very slow tempo or he could up short physically, but I do not see this happening.

In conclusion, to all Southampton fans: this could be a signing to be excited about.

 

Written by Jamie De Geir

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Lee Seung-Woo: Will the Barca prodigy be the next Messi or the next Freddy Adu?

  By O-Posts Team | July 14, 2024 - 15:21 | , , , , , , ,
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In early July, Lee Seung-Woo was promoted to Barcelona’s B-side, along with his compatriot Paik Seung-Ho.

Dubbed ‘The Korean Messi’, Lee has the footballing hopes of an entire nation on his shoulders, as they hope that he can grow up to be the world-class creative talent that Korea has so far struggled to produce.

Lee’s transfer to Barcelona in 2011 broke FIFA rules, and was one of the reasons behind Barcelona’s recent transfer embargo. Unfortunately for Lee, it has also meant that he is banned from playing competitively for Barcelona until his eighteenth birthday in January 2016.

He would however be able to play competitively if he were sold to a different club, leading to speculation in the past that he might join Liverpool, Chelsea, or even Barca’s biggest rivals Real Madrid, although a transfer now looks unlikely.

Despite not being able to play competitively for his club, he has been able to play for his country, representing them at various youth levels.

His most impressive performance was at the AFC Under-16 championships in Thailand where he scored five goals, including one where he dribbled the ball half the length of the pitch before scoring against Japan, and won player-of-the-tournament as South Korea reached the final where they lost to North Korea.

He made his debut for the Under-18’s in the Suwon JS Cup in May this year. However, he was unable to have as much of an impact at this level than he has at previous levels, and it was his Barcelona team-mate Paik Seung-Ho who impressed the critics with his passing ability instead.

Lee’s quiet performance suggests that he still has a long way to go before he is ready for the Barcelona first team, and his ban on playing competitively may slow down his progress.

But while some footballing prodigies such as Freddy Adu never quite make it at the highest level, footballing experts generally agree that Lee Seung-Woo has the potential to become a world-class player in the future.

 

Written by Steven Price

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Carlos Bacca: Highly-rated Sevilla star on his way to AC Milan

  By O-Posts Team | July 13, 2024 - 16:45 | , , , , , , , ,
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AC Milan announced last month that they have reached an agreement to sign Sevilla striker Carlos Bacca, subject to a medical.

The Italian giants met the buyout clause in his contract that is reported to be set at €30 million.

Let’s take a closer look at the 28-year-old Colombian.

 

 

Background

  • When he was 20 years old, Carlos was in his hometown of Puerto Colombia on the Caribbean coast. He played football for the local team and had to juggle two jobs to help with the family income – he sold fish and worked as a bus conductor.
  • He turned professional when he was 22, joining Colombian side Atletico Junior.
  • Bacca moved to Europe in 2012 with Belgian side Club Brugge, putting pen to paper on a 3 year contract worth €1.5 million for his services.
  • Sevilla liked what they saw and bought him for €7 million. He was originally purchased as a squad filler, but soon solidified himself as a recognized threat up top, helping the Spanish outfit to back-to-back Europa League trophies.
  • Bacca scored 49 in 108 games for Sevilla, including 28 in all competitions last season- including 2 goals in the Europa League final versus Dnipro.

 

 

What can he offer AC Milan?

The Rossoneri’s physical presence up front has been lacking, probably ever since the departure Mario Balotelli last summer. The defences in Serie A had nothing to be frightened of - apart from Jeremy Menez who managed to bag 16 league goals.

Bacca has a robust nature about him, an element AC Milan certainly missed last year. A key strength is his movement, his ability to draw defenders then exploit the space in behind has become one of his signature moves.

Adept at leading the line, or dropping deep to receive the ball before driving deep into the heart of enemy territory, Bacca keeps defences on their toes for the full 90 minutes.

AC Milan didn’t splash the cash just for his work rate, the Colombian should offer plenty of goals to Sinisa Mihajlovic’s men too.

Bacca scored his 20 goals from just 59 shots last season, meaning he maintained a conversion rate of nearly 34% - scoring with more than one in every three shots. That rate was the best of all attackers in La Liga last season – significantly better than Ronaldo, Messi and Neymar.

With this work rate and intelligence along with a deadly eye for goal, he is certainly a striker to be feared and could be an instant hit in Serie A.

 

Written by Serie A Writer

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