Chelsea legend Gianluca Vialli has delivered his verdict on Southampton’s signing of his fellow Italian striker Manolo Gabbiadini.
The Saints completed the signing of Gabbiadini from Serie A title challengers Napoli for a fee in the region of £14m before the January transfer window slammed shut.
The 25-year-old, who has six caps for Italy, has signed a four-and-a-half-year deal with Claude Puel’s side after scoring 16 goals in 56 league appearances for Napoli.
The gifted forward told BBC Sport it was one of his dreams to play in the Premier League.
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“Now that it’s happening I can’t wait to start playing,” Gabbiadini told BBC Sport.
“The facilities that I have seen here are an incredible level – top-level standards even for Serie A. These are the sort of facilities that make you want to come here.”
Gabbiadini is something of an unknown quantity in England.
And while Vialli is backing his compatriot to shine at the midtable club in an interview with talkSPORT, he had a double warning for supporters over the type of player they are getting.
“He’s a very talented footballer,” Vialli told Alan Brazil’s Sports Breakfast.
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“He’s got a terrific left foot (but) I don’t think he’s a centre forward, I think he’s more like a second (striker), he plays off the main striker and I think he’s better when he plays on the right flank and cuts in and then he can shoot with the left foot.
“He has a very, very educated left foot and I think he can do well.
“And he doesn’t really like pressure, so I think Southampton is the ideal place for him to show how good he can be.”
Vialli is probably referring to the difference in expectations between Naples and the South Coast with the Italian side under pressure to challenge for titles and in the Champions League.
While Southampton have been on an upward curve for a number of years now, the club’s ambitions are slightly different in the fiercely competitive Premier League where a good cup run – they are in the EFL Cup final – and a midtable finish would represent a decent season.
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