PLAYER PROFILING - GIANLUCA SCAMACCA

Michael Nardi

Age: 23

Height: 6’4

Team: Sassuolo

Key stats: 3.27 shots per 90, 13 goals and 77% dribble success rate

The player I will be talking about today is Gianluca Scamacca, a player who has burst onto the scene this season for an underrated Sassuolo team. Scamacca leads the line in a 4-2-3-1 formation for manager Nero Verdi as part of a fluid attack typically consisting of Giacomo Raspadori through the middle, Domenico Berardi on the right, and Hamed Traore off the left.

What makes Scamacca unique is his combination of gifted technical ability and his awareness of where his teammates are on the pitch. It is rare to see a striker of his height be profoundly impactful in so many different ways and is a trait responsible for molding him into such a hot commodity across Europe this season. Large-market teams such as Arsenal, Inter Milan, and AC Milan have all expressed interest in the young Italian forward who is slowly becoming a household name throughout the epicenter of modern-day football.

Scamacca is the complete modern striker in today’s style of football. He drops into space with purpose to help in the build-up, carries the ball up the pitch well, and has the traits of a traditional target man, possessing a strong ability while his back is to the goal.

Similarly, he is a willing runner in behind, as wingers Traore and Berardi are typically players who like the ball to their feet, forcing Scamacca to make runs in behind which in turn opens up more space on the attack. Giacomo Raspadori also plays a key part in Scamacca’s game as the attacking mid likes to be in and around the box to closely link up with Scamacca. This is shown with the pairs of heat maps down below.

With all the hype around Scamacca, I feel a move outside of Italy would suit him best. Arsenal for me would make the most sense for not only his career, but the project the Gunners are going for. Arsenal is a team slowly building a project around a younger series of players, yet finds itself in desperate need of a striker with similar qualities to Scamacca. Arsenal initiates a very quick style of play that heavily relies on a lot of player rotation and strong technical skill in tight spaces- one that suits the Italian's play style perfectly.

Likewise, Arsenal is a settled team under manager Mikel Arteta and has shown that this style of play can be just as consistent as it is effective. In my opinion, 35-45 million pounds should be able to get this deal across for the Gunners, which would be affordable with a top four finish this season

Areas of improvement for Scamacca’s game would be improving both his composure and finishing, the latter being a commonality amongst young strikers. This is an area that will only improve over time as this is the first season he has played in a team that plays attacking football. Unlike his stint in Genoa, last season was filled with negative football and constant coaching changes, preventing the youngster from showing his full potential.