Scouting Tottenham, Chelsea and Liverpool target Andrea Pinamonti
- Mark Neale
With reports now linking Pinamonti to Liverpool again, we bring back the piece to give fans a closer look at this teen sensation.
With the likes of English premier league sides Chelsea and Tottenham touted as potential suitors for young striker Andrea Pinamonti, it’s time to ask what exactly attracts elite top-flight teams to a player who has yet to make a Serie A appearance.
Andrea Pinamonti made his senior debut for Internazionale during their ill-fated Europa league campaign back in the Fall; starting for the very first time for the club he also supports, Pinamonti played a starring role in their 2-1 win over Sparta Prague.
An assist for Eder’s opening goal along with an impressive work rate, Pinamonti did not look out of place amongst his older and more experienced counterparts. This is nothing new for the young man from Trentino, as he has progressed through the ranks at Inter.
The youngster’s rise has been meteoric, Pinamonti making himself known to the wider world by scoring four goals in ten appearances for the Under 19s, despite still only being sixteen himself!
Graduating to the top youth team (the Primavera) has come easy to him, the Northerner smashing in fourteen goals in as many appearances and providing two assists. His goal scoring ratio at International level is excellent: ranging from the U15’s through to the U19’s, he averages a goal every other game.
Pinamonti is far from the one dimensional striker; he’s physically and mentally well equipped. His strong decision-making allow him to boast a complete skillset: he can play either as a target man or as a frontman, and to both score and create goals.
His movement - added to his ability to score either with the ball on the floor or in the air - makes him a puzzle that defences find hard to solve.
His read of the game for such is exceptional, precocious for someone so young: when space is tight he often moves deep into midfield and draws defenders with him, creating spaces for his team mates.
As proven in the Sparta Prague game if he can not score himself then he has the ability to provide assists. He can operate effectively alone up front or offer versatility in his ability to play with a partner in a front two.
That said, the 17-year-old has yet to feature in the Serie A, making six appearances on the bench.
Nerazzurri fans will be happy to know that they haven’t got another Mario Balotelli on the way, but a youngster with perfect temperament, enough to prompt the following comment from the man who gave him his professional debut, Stefano Pioli:
“He (Pinamonti) is very young but has great quality and above all it is not easy to find a youngster who is so humble, with his head firmly on his shoulders. He’ll have a great future.”
With all this talk of his skills, temperament and potential it is only now that Inter have decided to hand Pinamonti a long term contract, but with Mauro Icardi, Eder, Rodrigo Palacio and Gabigol already in the squad the realistic prospect of first team football must be considered slim.
The decision for the Trentino born striker is one that many a player would envy, accept a long term contract and stay at the club you support…. or make a move to the Premier league.
Mark Neale, (@MarkNeale)