Premier League powerhouses Arsenal have reportedly chosen Sassuolo’s Serie A star Domenico Berardi as an addition to Mikel Arteta’s squad.
Italy manager Roberto Mancini believes Domenico Berardi has to consider leaving Sassuolo if he wants to fulfil his potential, speaking to Gazzetta dello Sport, and this could be good news for Arsenal.
It is over six years now since a little-known teenager shot to fame with one of the most remarkable Serie A performances of the modern era.
Back in January 2014, Berardi scored all four goals as Sassuolo sealed a famous victory over Max Allegri’s AC Milan, a display of clinical finishing which appeared to confirm the former Juventus youngster’s arrival on the global stage.
But, despite apparent interest from Arsenal, as reported by Calciomercato, Berardi is yet to really build on that breakthrough 2013/14 campaign. Now 25, the forward hasn’t hit double figures in a single Serie A season in five years while he is yet to find the net on the international stage either.
If the Euros was due to go ahead this summer, it is unlikely that Berardi would have had a seat on the plane.
So you can see why Mancini feels that one of Italian football’s most naturally gifted talents needs to get out of his comfort zone and test himself at a much higher level before it’s too late.
“If players like Chiesa and Berardi were to go to (bigger) clubs…of course, European matches, at a high technical and competitive level, make you grow faster,” the Italy manager said.
“Berardi, with the ability he has, should already be a star. But he is young, he is 25 years old, he can still grow a lot.”
After hitting the net 31 times for Sassuolo between 2013 and 2015, Berardi has averaged just over six goals in the last five seasons. Before his potential plateaus completely, maybe this summer is the right time to make the jump to another level.
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