Despite the lack of money Liverpool have to spend on new players this summer; it hasn’t stopped the Reds being linked with big name signings. The latest is Sampdoria and Italy striker Giampaolo Pazzini. Pazzini would be known to most English supporters for his hat-trick at the New Wembley stadium back in March 2007 for the Italian Under 21s, becoming both the first person to score at the new stadium and the first man to score a hat-trick in the new home of football.
You would be forgiven for thinking that with such a talent to score goals, he would have been an instant hit in Italy but Pazzini certainly was not. Now 25 years of age, the Italian has taken his time to really set a marker down at a club and become a prolific goalscorer. He started off his career at Atalanta and after scoring 12 league goals in 27 appearances over two years, Fiorentina picked up the youngster in 2005 for €6.5million thinking that Pazzini would really develop into a top class striker after his performances for both his club Atalanta and at international level for Italy U21s.
His career in Florence never took off though as time after time he was looked over for a starting spot for other strikers. When he initially moved to Fiorentina in 2005, Luca Toni was the team’s top goalscorer and he was chosen ahead of Pazzini until he moved to Bayern Munich in 2007. The departure meant that Pazzini finally was given his chance to shine and in the 2007/08 season, he started 29 times and scored 9 goals, not bad considering it was his first full season in the first team. Unfortunately though, his time as a first team regular was short lived as Alberto Gilardino was bought from AC Milan. The Italian struck up a great partnership with Adrian Mutu sidelining Pazzini from the starting line up once again, with only 3 league appearances up until Christmas.
Fed up with the lack of game time allowed to him by manager Cesare Prandelli, Pazzini was transferred to Sampdoria in January 2009. The move proved to be the making of the striker as he banged in goal after goal as the season drew to a close, finishing the season with 15 goals from 22 games for his new club, the highlights of which were two consecutive doubles in a 3-0 win over Inter in the Coppa Italia and in a 2-2 draw versus Roma in the league. Pazzini himself struck up a great partnership alongside Antonio Cassano in the Sampdoria attack and his performances impressed Italy boss Marcello Lippi enough for him to give the striker his first international cap. On 28th March 2009, he made a scoring debut against Montenegro but his second match was less fortunate as he became the fastest man to be sent off in Italian history when he elbowed John O’Shea against Ireland in the second minute of the game.
This season has seen Pazzini go from strength to strength once again as he has scored an impressive 21 goals in 38 games. The 25 year old seems to relish having regular starts and is an instinctive goal poacher. He knows exactly where he needs to be in the penalty box and comes alive when the ball is at his feet, clinically finishing with his great right foot. At 5ft 11, Pazzini is only reasonable in the air rather than spectacular but his quick movement, fantastic first touch and ability to find space make him one of the best strikers in Italy. He struggled to find consistency in his early career because of a lack of game time, but now as a regular starter, he is composed in front of goal and regularly converts chances that are presented to him. His goals helped Sampdoria to the fourth Champions League position this season and with coach Luigi Del Neri and sporting director Giuseppe Marotta moving to Juventus, any other team will more than likely have to compete with the “Old Lady” for his signature.
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Sounds to me suspiciously like his agent starting the process of touting him about aided and abetted by a press almost as untruthful as the British tabloids – it’s not as if the reds have exactly had wild success with Italian imports…
I’ll tell you who pazzini is in one word – Unaffordable