In his first foray into the transfer market since being installed to the Swansea City hotseat, Francesco Guidolin snapped up Chievo centre forward Alberto Paloschi in a three-and-a-half-year deal. The Italian marksman conceded that the opportunity to reconvene with Guidolin – whom he played under for Serie A side Parma – was too good to pass up:
“I’m very happy to be here. I worked with Francesco for two seasons at Parma and we got promoted. When I received a call from my agent to tell me that Swansea were interested it was great, but even more so because of the manager – it makes a big difference. I know the situation of the club and, being a striker, I know the expectation is to score goals and I’ve come here to do that. It’s a great opportunity for me because every player wants to play in the Premier League. I have always wanted to experience playing aboard and it was my dream to play in this league. I watched Swansea when they played Napoli in the Europa League a couple of seasons ago and I know about the style of football here.”
The History
Born in Chiari, Italy, Paloschi cut his teeth at AC Milan’s youth academy, before scoring just 17 seconds into his league debut against Siena. After netting in his only start during the 2007/08 campaign, he dropped down a division in pursuit of first-team football, signing a permanent deal with Parma.
Paloschi spearheaded the Crusaders march back to the Serie A at the first time of asking, tallying 11 goals and five assists across 39 outings. He started the following season well – bagging four goals in 10 appearances – but was hamstrung by injuries for the remainder of the campaign, making just two squad appearances from Gameweek 20.
Paloschi’s injury travails continued through the first half of the 2010/11 season until Genoa snapped him up in the January transfer window. He notched two goals in 12 outings for the Red-Blues, before plotting a course back to Milan in the summer of 2011. Just two months after reuniting with i Rossoneri, Paloschi joined Chievo on a two-year loan deal that would be made permanent upon its completion.
Paloschi flattered to deceive in his debut campaign for the Yellow-Blues, racking up just five goals and four assists in 32 outings. Despite sitting out half of the 2012/12 season through injury, he fared better in his sophomore year, carding seven goals in 20 appearances. In his subsequent three terms for Chievo, Paloschi chalked up 30 goals and seven assists in 92 run-outs, with his most recent spell at the Stadio Marc’Antonio Bentegodi yielding eight goals and one assist in 21 appearances.
The Prospects
Speaking on the Swans’ newest recruit, Guidolin gave an effusive appraisal of his former charge, insisting that his physicality and skill set is a perfect match for the Premier League:
“He was my player when we were at Parma. He was a promising player, very young and then went on. He’s a good player, a good guy and can be important for us. He can help us get some results and score many goals – I hope. I asked the Chairman to sign him, if it was a possibility because I like him as a player. He is a modern player, he can play well in the Premier League, because he is strong and a good player.”
Looking at his Serie A numbers, Paloschi’s tally of eight goals from 45 shots – producing a shot-conversion rate of 19.5% – illustrates his competent finishing, particularly when compared to Bafetimbi Gomis’ 11.1%. Given that the latter has netted once since Gameweek 4, it’s easy to see why the Swans need a natural goal scorer to boost their survival bid.
It remains to be seen, though, whether he would steal spot-kick duties from Gylfi Sigurdsson, though. Although Paloschi took penalties at Chievo, the fact that he’s missed two of his last three, while Sigurdsson has scored all but one of his 19 penalties for club and country throughout his career, suggests that the Iceland international will remain top of that hierarchy. Sigurdsson’s recent renaissance continued with a strike at the Hawthorns last night – the fourth time he has netted in the last five Gameweeks – and with Andre Ayew chipping in with two goals and as many assists in four, it may well be that the Swans midfield provides the best bet for those willing to invest in Guidolin’s side.
Nonetheless, Paloschi’s debut at the Hawthorns last night affords a degree of optimism for any would-be suitors. Initially handed a place amongst the subs, the Italian came on for the second half and immediately caught the eye – whilst fellow frontman Gomis warmed the bench from start to finish, the new boy fired three shots from inside the box, hitting the woodwork in the 1-1 draw.
With pitch time now behind him, Paloschi could be set to lead the line this weekend as Swansea entertain struggling Palace at the Liberty. Priced at just 6.0, he offers another budget-friendly differential option alongside the likes of Benik Afobe (three goals in three), Enner Valencia (four goals in four) and Charlie Austin (goal on his debut) for those eyeing up a replacement for the misfiring Romelu Lukaku. The Everton striker – who has failed to score in five of the last six and has a blank Gameweek 27 – looks to be on his last chance in many Fantasy sides and another disappointing showing against Newcastle this evening could well be the final straw.
Further Reference
Alberto Paloschi Wikipedia Page
