David Silva has seven Premier League assists for Manchester City but Everton linked Roma starlet Lorenzo Pellegrini has even more in Serie A.
The quicker Roma get Lorenzo Pellegrini tied down to a new long-term contract, preferably without a very affordable release clause included, the better for everyone with Giallorossi blood running through their veins.
One of the most talented young midfielders anywhere can be snapped up for as little as £30 million with Everton one of many an interested suitor, according to Calciomercato. That, as you might imagine, is causing no end of hang-wringing at the Stadio Olympico.
After all, this is no ordinary 23-year-old. This is Francesco Totti’s heir, the ‘capitan futuro’, a man the greatest player in Roma’s history described in glowing terms as a ‘phenomenal’ prospect.
And the numbers back up the hype. With eight assists in 18 Serie A starts, Pellegrini is quickly becoming a bonafide match-winner. In fact, when you compare his statistics to one of the finest creative midfielders of the entire 21st century, Manchester City’s World Cup winner David Silva, it paints the picture of a player who is worth far more than his £30 million release-clause suggests.
Not only has Pellegrini set up more goals for his team-mates than City’s veteran talisman in 2019/20, he also averages more key passes per game than Silva (2.7 to 1.8), more shots per game (2.7 to 1.7) while completing more tackles and interceptions too.
And this is for a Roma side sitting well adrift of the title challengers in the Italian top flight. If Pellegrini’s team-mates were as relentlessly prolific as Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Jesus, his admirable tally of assists would probably have reached double figures some time ago.
£30 million; Everton have certainly signed a lot less for a lot more.
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