Having followed and covered his transfer from Napoli to Southampton throughout January with great detail, it’s quite nice to see Manolo Gabbiadini doing well in his early days in England.
Scoring five goals in his first three games, including a brace against Manchester United on Sunday evening in the League Cup final, the 25-year-old’s form has been blistering since his arrival at St Mary’s, and it’s caught the eye of the local Naples press, and not in a good way.
Then came Napoli’s decision to buying Leandro Pavoletti from Genoa, which all but sealed the now Southampton forward’s fate in Italy, and a move to the Premier League looked like the best option for both club and player.
After a lot of articles that never led to anything, Claude Puel managed to get his man for under £15m, and the rest, so far, is history.
However, Il Mattino, who witnessed Napoli lose 2-0 at home to Atalanta on Saturday, aren’t exactly happy with how well Gabbiadini is doing in England, and dedicate three quarters of a page to their former striker’s impact in England on Monday.
While they can’t help but see the positives for the player, they also make it clear in the headline the club could do with someone like the Southampton striker right now, explaining he’s already ‘becoming a regret’.
Considering Pavoletti, since his arrival, has only made four appearances for Napoli (three from the bench) from a possible eight and is yet to score a goal, you can see why they would think that.
Southampton fans won’t care, though: they have a proven goalscorer, and can only hope he carries on this great start under Claude Puel.
If he does, Gabbiadini could, at under £15m, quickly be seen as a ‘bargain’, one many other clubs will have missed out on.
