Frosinone have remarkably achieved promotion to Serie A for the first time in their history and one player who has been a part of the journey is Arturo Lupoli, a player once tipped for greatness.
Emerging at around the same time as current Fiorentina striker Giuseppe Rossi, Lupoli was expected to be a future star of Italian football, scoring a remarkable 11 goals in just nine games for Italy’s under-16s squad, but he has instead become a football journeyman.
Originally from Brescia in the Lombardy region, Lupoli came through the Parma youth system in the mid-2000s like Rossi, and in 2004 he also left Italy for England. While Rossi moved to Manchester United, Lupoli moved to the Red Devils’ arch-rivals Arsenal.
The Brescia native spent two seasons with the Gunners but he only made the solitary English Premier League appearance. He went on loan to Derby Country in the Football League in 2006-07, but managed only seven goals in 35 matches.
Fiorentina then had Lupoli on their books from 2007 until 2009 but his only competitive appearance for the Gigliati came in a 1-1 draw against Ascoli in a Coppa Italia fixture. During that time, he went on loan to Treviso and to English clubs Norwich City and Sheffield United.
Between 2009 and 2011, it was Ascoli who had Lupoli in their ranks, but his stint in Marche wasn’t particularly impressive, scoring only 11 goals in 65 Serie B matches.
Once again, Lupoli was on the move and he had another two-year spell in the cadetti with Grosseto. After the Tuscan side were relegated from Serie B in 2013, he went back to his native Lombardy and played for Varese.
The forward had a brief loan spell with Hungarian club Honved in early 2014 but when he returned to Varese, he scored six goals in 18 Serie B matches.
This form impressed Frosinone, who were already pushing for promotion in the early stages of the 2014-15 Serie B campaign. Roberto Stellone’s side had just been promoted from the Lega Pro Prima Divisione and they needed to improve their depth to sustain their run, thus earning Lupoli a move to the Lazio-based club.
The forward though has scored only one goal in 10 matches for the Canarini but he is now at the right place at the right time. Stellone’s side surprised many people, and booked their place in Serie A next season with a 3-1 win against Crotone on Saturday.
Before Lupoli arrived, Frosinone already had an established strike partnership consisting of Federico Dionisi and Daniele Ciofani, who have scored 14 and 12 goals respectively in Serie B this season. Italo-German striker Davis Curiale had scored nine goals in 19 matches before leaving for Trapani, but he was not missed either.
The Gialloazzurri are likely to keep Lupoli on their books for the 2015-16 Serie A season but he needs to assess his form and his career.
Giuseppe Rossi has battled with knee constructions in recent season but the Italo-American striker made the senior squad at Parma, he starred in the Spanish Primera Division with Villarreal, he has been prolific for Fiorentina and he usually gets capped for Italy’s senior squad when he is fit.
Lupoli, on the other hand, struggled for senior games at Arsenal and Fiorentina and his career has been languishing in Serie B.
Stellone probably won’t make Lupoli a starter at Frosinone any time soon but time is running out for a player that looks destined to be written off as a wasted talent.
If Lupoli plays in Serie A next season and doesn’t make an impact for the Canarini, the chances of him reaching his potential look increasingly slim.
