According to Calciomercato, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur are on red alert as Lorenzo Pellegrini’s agent visits London. The AS Roma midfielder has been linked with a move away from Stadio Olimpico after the Italian giants missed out on Champions League football next season.
It is believed that Pellegrini would like to play for both the North London giants, although Inter Milan are also keen on securing his services this summer. The Italian international reportedly has a release clause of €35 million, which is payable through separate instalments.
Pellegrini’s success at Roma
Since re-joining the club back in 2017 in a €10 million move from US Sassouolo, Pellegrini has become a vital part of Roma’s midfield setup. He has made 71 appearances for the Giallorossi in all competitions, during which he scored seven goals and provided 12 assists.
Pellegrini’s game-time, however, was drastically minimised this past season due to a recurring muscle injury that kept him out on the sidelines for almost months. The 22-year-old ended up mustering only 1,830 minutes of league football, scoring four goals and providing three assists.
His contributions in midfield were importantly in an otherwise turbulent campaign for Roma that saw them finish sixth in the league table.
What can Pellegrini bring to the table?
A central midfielder by trade, Pellegrini is someone who likes to act as a deep-lying playmaker. He has an excellent passing range as he can not only rotate possession with short passes but can also initiate counter-attackers with his accurate long-balls.
Much like Manchester City star Ilkay Gundogan, Pellegrini is proficient in linking up with teammates by playing quick one-twos. The Italian generally hovers outside the penalty area when probing the opposition. He then looks to thread in key passes or provides lofted crosses into the six-yard box. He has notably averaged a stunning 2.4 key passes per game this past season.
Should Pochettino make a move for Pellegrini?
Tottenham have lacked the services of someone like Pellegrini for a long time now. As discussed earlier, the midfielder likes to stay deep and can initiate counter-attacking opportunities, thanks to his passing range. And that could be really useful for Mauricio Pochettino, who wants his team to play efficiently.
Spurs have already been boosted by the report that Real Madrid have dropped their interest in Christian Eriksen. But, with Eric Dier struggling to perform consistently coupled with the departure of Mousa Dembele last season, they could definitely benefit from the addition of this highly talented Italian international this summer.
Stat courtesy: Whoscored
