Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe plundered Serie A for one of his latest winter recruits, snapping up winger Juan Iturbe on loan from AS Roma until the end of the season. After finally being granted a work permission by the Premier League, the 22-year-old was afforded his first taste of the English top-flight by emerging from the bench in last night’s 3-1 home defeat at the hands of West Ham.
Initially linked with a move to Watford, Iturbe revealed that the Cherries’ strong interest helped stave off a number of interested parties:
“It’s a big opportunity for me to come and play in the Premier League. I’d like to thank everyone for making this move happen and I’m very pleased to be here. There were a few clubs that were interested but things happened pretty quickly and once this process was under way it was a straightforward decision for me to make. I didn’t know a lot about Bournemouth as a club but the more I read and the more I found out how much they wanted me, it’s an easy decision to go to a place where you feel really wanted. That became the overriding factor.”
The History
Born in Argentina, Iturbe grew up in Paraguay, where he played for a number of youth teams before being snapped up by Cerre Porteno. Handed a first-team debut at the age of 16, he netted within 60 seconds of emerging from the bench in a Copa Libertadores match against Chilean side Colo Colo and went on to score three times in 22 league outings before Portuguese side Porto came calling in December 2011.
Iturbe struggled to live up to early expectations, however, and after an injury-hit stint resulted in just six league appearances, the winger was sent on loan to River Plate. Three goals, two assists and 17 appearances later, he was then farmed out to Italian side Verona for the 2013/14 campaign.
The wide man finally found his form in Serie A and, with a security of starts under his belt, racked up eight goals and five assists in his first year at the club. Verona paid €15m for his services on May 2014 but just two months later, the diminutive winger was the subject of a bidding war between Juventus and Roma, with the latter forking out €22m – the highest transfer fee of the summer in Italy that year.
Iturbe was unable to replicate his showings in the Italian capital, however, and managed just five goals and as many assists over 58 appearances in all competitions, with only three league starts to his name this term before Howe made his move.
On the international scene, Iturbe turned out seven times for Paraguay Under 17s and 20s, scoring on three occasions, before being handed a senior call up at the age of 16. He emerged from the bench to feature in a friendly against Chile but, as this was not a competitive fixture, he was able to change his allegiance. After a falling-out with the Paraguayan coaches, he turned out 13 times for the Argentine Under 20s, scoring twice, though has yet to be called up for senior duties.
The Prospects
After toiling in Italy, a move to the Premier League hands Iturbe the chance to reignite his flagging career – indeed, Bournemouth have the option to buy on a permanent basis, should certain criteria be met. It remains to be seen whether he can regain the self-belief that led to early comparisons with Lionel Messi and triggered that abovementioned bidding war between two of Serie A’s biggest sides, though there’s no doubt that Howe’s new recruit has the natural talents to succeed.
Talking to the local press, the Bournemouth manager talked up Iturbe’s abilities, though went on to suggest he will be gradually introduce to life in the Premier League:
“He has a lovely left foot and is quick and athletic. I don’t think you go for the transfer fee he did if you aren’t a hugely talented boy. We will have to fit him into our style and way of working but he brings goals and, hopefully, that creative spark we need. You have to be patient with every new signing and very much so with our way of playing and working. The fact he is coming from a foreign county and doesn’t speak a great deal of English is all people need to know in the respect that we can’t expect him to save our season. But, hopefully, he can add little bits in time that will help us get there.”
Predominantly left-footed, the diminutive Iturbe likes to drop deep and run at opponents and has a penchant for firing attempts from distance, allied with a decent talent from dead-ball situations. Although Howe could field him as an inverted winger on the right, he’ll have a tough task trying to oust Matt Ritchie from the Cherries first-team plans, with Junior Stanislas’ pitch time on the opposite flank perhaps more at risk – a frustrating scenario for Fantasy managers, given that the latter, at a mere 4.2, has proven a reliable cheap fifth midfielder. This also comes at a time where Howe’s acquisition of both Benik Afobe and Lewis Grabban places major question marks over Josh King’s minutes as the lone striker, thus also depriving us of an out of position option for our five-man midfields.
As with most attackers, Iturbe is clearly a confidence player. In his impressive season at Verona, he fired an effort every 34.8 minutes, with a key pass every 64.3 minutes, whereas at Roma last year, although his creativity remained near-identical in terms of frequency (66.5 minutes), his minutes per shot dropped to 44.3 as he struggled to make an impact.
If Howe can help him rediscover his self-belief, then, Iturbe could yet make his mark on our Fantasy seasons. As evidenced by last night’s debut, though, it seems the winger will be gradually eased into his new surrounds, thus allowing us time to assess his possible impact on the Cherries’ survival bid before considering his acquisition.
