In a game chock full of midfield specialists, all-action all-rounders have become increasingly hard to find.
But, in Nicolo Barella, Inter Milan appear to have unearthed a genuine Swiss army knife of a footballer. One who combines the technique and touch of a modern-day playmaker with the grit, drive and iron-clad determination of a late-90s, mid-noughties throwback – a Roy Keane, a Frank Lampard, a Paul Scholes.
“In terms of how he plays, Barella reminds me of former Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes, who was a really great player,” ex-Inter owner Massimo Moratti said in January after the Italy international scored one and created the other in a 2-0 victory over reigning Serie A champions Juventus.
“He’s really been a great signing for Inter.”
In the eyes of some, however, Barella plays the game like another box-to-box tyrant who struck fear into the heart of everyone who dared step on his north west turf.
Italian daily Gazzetta dello Sport certainly buys into the view Barella has a touch of the Steven Gerrards about him.
And, amid claims from Inter Live suggesting Liverpool are willing to pay £55 million for one of Europe’s most complete midfield players when the summer window opens, comparisons with arguably Anfield’s greatest son are intriguing to say the least.
Jurgen Klopp’s engine room is overloaded with top-quality operators – from the booming effervescence of Jordan Henderson to the versatility of Gini Wijnaldum, the scheming skill of Curtis Jones to the pristine playmaking of Thiago Alcantara.
None of them, however, are quite as well-rounded as Barella. Like a peak-era Gerrard, the Inter enforcer is both a thrusting attacking force and a tough-tackling scrapper, winning the ball back at one end before curling home a stunning 25-yard shot or producing a show-stopping back-heel assist at the other.
“Barella is without a shadow of doubt one of the three best midfielders in European football. Without a shadow of doubt,” Fabio Capello told Sky Italia on Sunday.
“He has vision, stamina, quality and pace. He does everything right. Barella wins back the ball and then passes it to start moves. The Inter team has been transformed with him.”
“Extraordinary,” adds Marcello Lippi, Italy’s 2006 World Cup-winning coach.
“To me, he seems like a unique prototype of a world class midfielder.”
In a Liverpool side beset by injuries, Barella would be the ultimate addition. He’s a man capable of replicating Henderson’s controlling influence in the number six role or driving forward brilliantly from a more advanced position.
Liverpool’s big-money summer target could probably do without being compared to one of the club’s finest footballers. But the similarities between Barella and Gerrard are impossible to ignore.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
