Elia Caprile is making the right decision leaving Premier League outfit Leeds United for a return to Italy with Bari, the sporting director of his former club Pro Patria tells TuttoBari.
With Kalvin Phillips on his way to Manchester City and Raphinha expected to follow in the England international’s footsteps, reports suggesting that Caprile is on the verge of bidding farewell to life in West Yorkshire have understandably flown under the radar.
Italian reporter Gianluca di Marzio stated last week that the Verona-born shot-stopper is set to join Serie B side Bari on a permanent basis.
And, after failing to make a single first-team appearance during two-and-a-half years at Elland Road, one Sandro Turotti believes that a fresh start is exactly what Caprile needs.
“I was immediately very happy. It is the right path for the boy,” says Turotti, who brought the 20-year-old to third-tier outfit Pro Patria last summer. “In Bari there is a director who knows about goalkeepers and, for this reason, for me and for us at Pro Patria it is a reason for great satisfaction.
“He is a goalkeeper who has all the characteristics to be able to break through (into the first-team). At Pro Patria, he was a starter in a difficult league like Serie C. I think he was the best goalkeeper in the whole league.
“He is a very positive boy with a great personality and explosive strength. He has physicality, he is complete, with great potential.”
Leeds United set to sell goalkeeper Elia Caprile
Bari chief Ciro Polito confirmed a couple of days ago that negotiations with Caprile are ‘almost’ complete (YEP). It is not certain how much Leeds will earn from the youngster’s sale, with two years remaining on Caprile’s contract.
“He has great character. Just think that, in the third match with us against Juventus’ U23s, he saved a penalty,” Turotti recalls.
“(The Bari move) is an operation to be commended. In recent weeks, several teams have called me to ask me for an opinion on the boy. Bari were immediately decisive.”
Turotti points out that, just one year ago, Federico Gatti was plying his trade at Pro Patria. Just six months later, after an intermediate step at Frosinone, Gatti was on his way to Juventus for £8 million.
Can Caprile follow in his footsteps?
“Last year I had Gatti. Now, he is at the national team and at Juve,” Turotti adds. “Now I don’t want to make big comparisons because we are talking about two players with different ages… (but) potentially Caprile can reach a really high level.”
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