Marco Borriello must have the best agent in football.
In the past four seasons and despite some modest goalscoring records, he has played for three of the peninsula’s biggest clubs.
Milan, Roma and Juventus have all swooped to sign the player recently and having left the Bianconeri this summer and seemingly unwanted by Roma, his name is once more being linked with prestigious clubs.
Tottenham Hotspur, Werder Bremen and both Milan clubs as well as a return to Juventus have all been mentioned as possible destinations for the Naples-born frontman.
It certainly is surprising given that last season his return of two goals for both Roma and Juventus in either half of the season that he is in such demand.
That was with a Grifone side who had only been promoted that season and Borriello’s exploits in front of goal meant that he was the 3rd most lethal man in front of goal in Serie A that season.
This had only been a year after his embarrassing adventures elsewhere when, while still an underused substitute at Milan, he was suspended for three months following a failed drugs test after a league encounter with Roma.
It soon emerged though that he had failed the test due to treating a STD he had picked up, one of the stranger stories to emerge from the colourful world of calcio.
He was soon back at the club where he had been banned after impressing with Genoa and the Rossoneri paid almost €8m to bring him back to San Siro but he has never quite looked as sharp as he did that year at the Luigi Ferraris.
Upon his debut season back, he scored just twice in a campaign devastated by injury but the following year he displayed the admirable self-confidence he has by taking Kaka’s number 22 shirt after the Brazilian had departed for Real Madrid.
His 14-goal league return was infinitely more impressive than the previous year but was still not what the club were expecting.
Brought back to replace Alberto Gilardino, he failed to live up to the promise he had shown at Genoa while a solitary Champions League goal was simply not good enough for a striker helping his side to compete on both fronts.
This underperforming cost him his career at San Siro (which may not be over quite yet depending on how this transfer window ends) and he moved on for another big transfer fee and large wages (believed to be roughly €5m per season) to Roma.
Before Christmas he came back to haunt his former employers at San Siro when he tapped home from close range to give the Giallorossi an important win which also hit Milan’s Scudetto hopes hard.
The player who has often been criticised for being something of a party animal and who is arguably more famous for his ever-changing hairstyles, again failed to hit the heights once expected of him and his 11 goals were not enough to stop Roma stuttering to a 6th place finish.
Even last season, the 30-year-old struggled in front of goal and was deemed too slow and technically poor to be part of Luis Enrique’s plans.
Frustrated at his lack of playing time, he angled for a move out of the Olimpico and in January he got his wish when he was loaned out for the remainder of the season.
He likely could hardly believe his luck himself when it was the league leaders and Italy’s best team in Juventus who decided to take him on board and bolster their attack for the run-in.
The infamous ‘mercenary without dignity’ banner which greeted Borriello upon his arrival now looks to have further vindication to it with the striker on the verge of a move away from the Olimpico.
Two goals were all that he could manage in his time at Juventus Stadium as the Bianconeri decided to pass on the €8m transfer fee they could have bought the player for and at €500,000 for his loan fee, he ended up costing the club €250,000 per goal.
Club managers certainly see something that they like in the player who retains the air of a player likely to emerge with a salmon in his mouth if he fell in the Tiber so do not be surprised to see him lining out for another of the peninsula’s top sides this season.
Don’t ask me why I have no reason what so ever but I quite like the guy and for some reason rate him as one of the best strikers in Serie A despite the well documented fact he can’t hit a barn door with a banjo in recent years he undoubtedly poses a huge amount of talent and I do feel that with out his two goals at the end of last season Juve would never had won the tittle