GIANLUCA SCAMACCA
Gianluca Scamacca is one of the brightest prospects in world football. The 23 year old Italian captured the imagination of fans and clubs alike in what was his breakthrough year with Sassuolo. He hasn't had the easiest of times settling down in his short career to date. He moved around a few times as a youngster, and was sent out on numerous loans. He finally started to find his feet in top flight football at Genoa in 20/21, but it's this past season where he's become one of the hottest striking prospects on the planet. He rocketed in 16 goals in Serie A last season, and this summer has courted interest from the likes of PSG and seemed to be high on David Moyes' shopping list at West Ham. We also think another club should definitely be involved in the tussle. Let's break him down and take a look at why most teams could do with the 6ft 5 striker - starting with his build up play.
BUILD UP PLAY
Playing as the number 9 in an entertaining Sassuolo side who play a 4231/433, he's flanked by the brilliant Domenico Berardi, and another future star, Giacomo Raspadori. Sassuolo demand verticality to their play, their game plan is built around fast transitions, attacking space and moving through the gears quickly.
Scamacca is at the heart of this, and he's at his best when dropping into the central midfield zone highlighted below, and this to provide a base of play for the Sassuolo team. He is a supremely gifted technical footballer, and his first touch is a thing of beauty - this is why he's so often compared to Zlatan - whether that be with his head, chest or feet.
Once he's used that silky touch he can do a few things:
WHITE: Most often it's simple link play passes to take the pressure of the defence and move the team up the pitch. He's grown into his 6ft 5 stature and uses his physicality very well
YELLOW: He also has the ability to flick the ball on first time for runners beyond him or take the ball down and switch the play
BLUE: On occasion you'll see him utilise his surprisingly quick feet to create some space to progress the ball, evade danger or create space to play those passes.
The 23 year old has the versatility to his game which stands him out and is equally as comfortable stretching the play by running in behind or working the channels when required. When watching him the quality of his hold up play is there for all to see, but he's still developing. He needs to add a bit more creativity to his game - right now he's still very instinctual and that can lead to him being wasteful at times. And while his stats are good - they aren't at the elite level yet but with the right coaching he can be moulded into anything. A really well rounded striker who can fulfill any role the team needs - an invaluable commodity for teams nowadays. And Scamacca has the ability to be the perfect foil for brilliant inverted wingers as he's shown at Sassuolo - with the added bonus that he's a killer in front of goal.
back of the net
This man knows where the back of the net is. 16 goals in a mid-table Sassuolo side is good going, but what's really attracted teams to Scamacca is the range of goals he has scored. Tap ins, scissor kicks, long range thunderbolts, volleys, headers, 1 on 1's - he can do it all. And this makes him a nightmare to stop as a defender. He has the ability to snap a shot at goal with minimal space, so he's constantly forcing defenders to make a decision - either pressure him, which opens up space for his team mates, or stand off and hope and pray that he's not going to burst the back of the net with a strike. He's clearly spent a lot of time fine tuning his finishing because the man is unerringly accurate, and is supremely efficient when in the box. This shows up in his stats as well:
Last season he was one of the most clinical strikers in Europe. His challenge is to keep that going, but with his ball striking ability and outstanding technique he has all he needs to keep doing that. And if you compare him to some of the most talked about strikers in Serie A in recent times he shows up really well.
These are all players who are considered to have a much higher transfer value - Vlahovic went for £74m in January, Napoli paid around £70m to bring Osimhen in initially and Tammy Abraham has been talked about in the same price range. Yet Scamacca either leads them or is very close to them in the key goal scoring stats, and a possible deal around £40m should be considered an absolute steal. This is a guy who is performing at an elite striking level, but has room to grow and improve yet.
DEFENSIVE WORK
As we know, it doesn't stop there for strikers in the modern game. They've got to work hard out of possession and Scamacca definitely has this in his locker. He puts in a real shift every time he's on the field - either by pressing or working back to put in a challenge to disrupt the opposition play. This shows up in the stats as well:
He has all the traits to become the archetypal pressing forward who could be a real nuisance to defenders. Right now he's operating more in that middle third using his positioning or working backwards. With the right bit of coaching he could become the complete package. As we've mentioned, he's still developing. He's not the perfect striker yet, you'd want him to up his progression numbers and his ability to create if he's dropping deep. And whilst he's a supremely good finisher, he needs to work on his decision making at times - he can often go for a spectacular long ranger when a simpler and better option is available. But these are weaknesses for right now, and like his defensive attributes - they're coachable and he's shown he has the mentality and a willingness to learn throughout his career.
MISSING MAGPIE?
Newcastle have been after a certain Hugo Ekitike (link to our breakdown below) all summer, but unfortunately for them the young wonderkid decided to make the move to PSG. PSG in fact were seriously looking at Scamacca as their back up option for that centre forward role in case they couldn't get the Ekitike deal done. With that saga now over, there is a real chance that the Magpies could swoop in. And, as we've outlined above Eddie Howe and co. should definitely be moving swiftly.
Ekitike is super talented but a raw product, Scamacca is at a level where he can come in and slot in as the first choice no.9 at St James' Park. At 23 years old, he's already a far more complete striker than both Callum Wilson and Chris Wood and he has that versatility in his playstyle that means that he's an ideal fit for the flexible way that Eddie Howe will set up his team this season. He'll have the creativity of Bruno Guimaraes behind him, the tenacity of Joelinton, the dribbling of Saint Maximin to feed him - all that would be missing for Newcastle is the right winger who would constantly be making the runs in behind to stretch teams, a la Berardi or Raspadori, and latch on to the space that Scamacca would create. Added to that the Italian looks like he'll fit into the Premier League with aplomb, he'll obviously need to be aware of the increased pace of the league, but in terms of physicality, technique and finishing ability he'll fit in nicely. Plus he would benefit coming into a team that is very well structured and would play to his strengths i.e. Newcastle.
There is no other way to put it, this would be a real coup for any team chasing Europe. Scamacca is one of hottest prospects in the world, and at a time where getting a centre forward isn't the easiest task, if Newcastle or any other European chasing sides can pull this off, it would be a real statement of intent. He's shown he's worth the price tag, and waiting will simply allow Sassuolo to increase it in future years. Now is the right time to act.