A Roman Nightmare

Entering the January transfer window, rumors continue to circle around both current and former Serie A strikers. For some, their sojourn in the Prem likely comes to an end, but for others, it might begin.

Given the track record of Serie A strikers in the Prem, the league becomes quite the challenge for any forward-looking to make that jump.

United’s duo of former Serie A strikers continue to struggle, joining a long list of failed Italian league transfers. From Simone Zaza to Moise Kean, this league became a cemetery for the careers of many strikers.  

Joshua Zirkzee and Rasmus Højlund arrived in Manchester as players who showed promise but had yet to prove anything. In a pattern predating them, they joined a long list of strikers who moved to England after a decent season. For plenty of these players, they never lit the Serie A on fire but rather just showed flashes.

Unlike Federico Chiesa, who struggled with injuries, plenty of these strikers can’t transform their game into a totally different league. What killed the momentum for a lot of them was the moment they left the league. Rather than spending more time developing, players moved to a more prestigious league as clubs cashed in on them.

To write off the Serie A as a whole for attackers would be wrong.

Rather, the way clubs scout and make moves for promising strikers needs to change.

In the past decade, a variety of forwards jumped from Italy to England. As the Serie A’s reputation fell apart, the Prem continued to replace them as one of the top two global leagues.

While not the first, Simone Zaza’s transfer from Juventus to West Ham set the model many would soon emulate. Zaza’s screamer against Napoli in a tight title race remains the highlight of his career. It also helped create the hype that would see West Ham fight off a number of other suitors for his signature.

PHOTO: Juventus/Facebook

That goal carried Zaza’s career to new heights, but it also blinded most to the player he actually was. In his three full seasons in Serie A, Zaza scored just 26 goals in 83 games, which isn’t terrible but not elite. At only 25 when he left Juve, Zaza fit the idea of a mid-table striker well, and West Ham was a natural fit.

Instead of contributing to a team looking to make that next jump, Zaza never played well for the Hammers and was not made a permanent signing. While he experienced a sort of revival in Valencia, Zaza’s time in London can be characterized as a total failure.

Following Zaza, the next prominent Serie A striker to make the jump was Moise Kean. Another Juventus striker, the youngster flashed potential but failed to understand the game under Ancelotti. Only now is the Italian playing up to his potential, and Fiorentina is reaping the rewards.

Højlund and Zirkzee fall into this same pattern. Both players only played one decent season in the league before being snatched up. Neither got the chance to develop further and understand who they are as players.

For a league that continues to be scouting pioneers, it feels that they fail to understand the track of strikers.

There’s almost a fear of missing out that overrides the thinking of plenty of these clubs.

Why do Premier League clubs continue to “flop” with Serie A forwards? Every league plays a unique style of football that demands its own understanding.

Even playing for a club like Juve and a manager like Allegri doesn’t guarantee success abroad. Both Kean and Zaza played well under Allegri and fit his system, but neither could get their footing in England. Zaza flamed out while Kean still found ways to play for PSG and return to Juve.

The Serie A is still a tough league to play in and requires a different understanding of the game. Much less physical than the Prem, breaking down a backline often falls into a more complex role. Needing to both play a false nine and a poacher, the prototypical Serie A striker is almost a midfielder who can score.

Strikers like these still thrive in the Prem but are often better scorers. Haaland drops back and can contribute to the build-up play, but his elite goal-scoring ability makes him succeed. 

To develop those skills, strikers need reps at every level. Only the truly elite ones make the jump easily; for everyone else, they need time. Kean remains a great example of this, where he is finally coming into his own as a well-rounded striker. 

Looking at another example, Arsenal seems to be set on Mateo Retegui or Dušan Vlahović, and they make more sense. Both players, with varying experience, developed in the Serie A and have enough of a track record. The Serbian clearly is ready to make a jump to another level and his fit is more seamless in the Prem than Retegui.

With the transfer window open, transfers between the league will likely continue through this month.

No matter the struggles, both leagues seem content with the exchange of strikers.

At least one of United’s misfits seems likely to leave this January after the club opted to go all in on them. The Serie A curse struck yet another Premier League as they continue to misunderstand players.

With the potential movies of Retegui or Vlahović, will the league finally see a Serie A striker succeed?

PHOTO: Juventus/Facebook