Sampdoria Club Focus: Gabbiadini to add more Italian style at Gala?

Date: 20th February 2014 at 1:50pm
Written by:

After some good results under Sinisa Mihajlovic, Sampdoria had suffered a horrible defeat against Roma on Sunday.

The Giallorossi thrashed the Blucerchiati 3-0 at the Stadio Olimpico and the away team were outfoxed, outran and outplayed.

Instead of analysing the faults in that game for Samp (there were plenty), this week’s Club Focus will look at the possible union of a current Sampdoria star with a former club icon.

While the winter transfer window was open, there was speculation that Sampdoria forward Manolo Gabbiadini would be heading to Turkish giants Galatasaray and this time Istanbul-based newspaper Milliyet has claimed that Gala are interested in the 22-year-old.

Gabbiadini’s agent Silvio Pagliari also told Eurosport that the Turkish club has been monitoring the young forward’s performances for some.

Coached by Doria legend Roberto Mancini, Galatasaray already have a few players on their roster with Serie A experience such as Fernando Muslera, Wesley Sneijder and Felipe Melo.

Sampdoria coach Sinisa Mihajlovic blocked any possible move in January because he wanted Gabbiadini to play for the Blucerchiati for the rest of this season but it seems that Mancini would really like to bring the youngster to the Super Lig club.

Mancini is contracted to Galatasaray until June 2016 and he looks willing to add more Serie A campaigners to his roster like Leonardo has done as director of football at French giants Paris Saint-Germain. The Brazilian has brought the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Edinson Cavani and Thiago Silva to the Parisian club and Mancini could take a page from Leonardo’s book.

AC Milan enigma Mario Balotelli was also linked with a move to Gala in January but he is staying put for now and even if ‘Mancio’ goes for a young Serie A forward, it’s clearly obvious that Gabbiadini is a safer option.

Gala sit in third place on the table in the Turkish Super Lig but they are only one point behind Besiktas and an automatic spot in next season’s UEFA Champions League.

The Turks face English giants Chelsea next week in the UCL but if Gala qualify again next season, Gabbiadini will have the opportunity to play in arguably the greatest club competition in the world, which is something Samp can’t offer for now.

If a transfer is made during the summer, it could be to Gabbiadini’s advantage. Mancini is using the 3-4-1-2 formation at Gala now and instead of playing on a wing, Gabbiadini would likely play in his natural role as an out-and-out striker.

Gabbiadini would also be a potential replacement for the likes of Didier Drogba and Burak Yilmaz in attack. Drogba is in the twilight of his career but MLS club Seatle Sounders might lure him to the United States and Yilmaz has been courted by different European clubs in recent years, including Serie A club Lazio.

If Gabbiadini leaves Sampdoria, it is another example of Samp being a selling club. The Garrone family has not been eager to buy stars over the years so for a club of Sampdoria’s stature, developing young talent is the way to go.

Mancini recruiting Gabbiadini would be different to buying a player from another Serie A club. ‘Mancio’ was a star forward with the Doriani and Gabbiadini has great potential. Sampdoria has a history of producing stars, especially in attack.

By having Gabbiadini at the club, Mancini is not just adding more Italian style to Galatasaray, he would be adding more Doria style.

Follow Vito Doria on Twitter: @VitoCDoria

 

2 responses to “Sampdoria Club Focus: Gabbiadini to add more Italian style at Gala?”

  1. K Birdi says:

    We’ve become a farm team over the past 15 years. Samp fans deserve a lot better than this.

  2. Vito Doria says:

    Sad but true. The worst part is that Riccardo Garrone and now Edoardo have been selling players for half-price, IMO. Sampdoria needs another president like Paolo Mantovani. He knew how to buy players, how to sell them and how to keep the right ones.