Acquafrescas Next Stop

By: Jeremy | March 31st, 2009

On the way to becoming a superstar on a club and international level, for most players there are the experiences of playing for smaller clubs or having to deal with a lack of playing time because of all the talent on your team. One of many youngsters facing this situation is our own, or atleast Inters own, Robert Acquafresca.

When Cagliari decided to cash in on David Suazo while he was at the height of his worth, we made a deal with Inter in the summer of 2007 that brought us back half ownership of Acquafresca. At the time, most of us did not have a clue about him, but then coach Marco Giampaolo, insisted he be included in the deal and Cellino actually listened. Most of us were focused on how we would replace Suazo, a real key to our survival after our latest return to Serie A.

Forward ahead two years and we are a better team and Acquafresca is a key to our success. In his first year here in 2007-08, he could not break into the lineup in the first half as we struggled to resemble a Serie A club. The sudden changeover in players, which included the loss of Suazo, was too much for Cellino and he got rid of Giampaolo again, tried to get him back again, and ended up ageing an already old Nedo Sonetti before bringing in Davide Ballardini for an historic rescue. As soon as Ballardini arrived, Acquafrescas time increased and he was basically our lead striker who scored key goals in many games which contributed greatly to our return to Serie A.

This save lead by Ballardini did not help him return, but it allowed us to keep Acquafresca for another year as we sold our half of him back to Inter in exchange for another loan season. With other clubs wanting to take the youngster out on loan, it was a coup for management to get him back for another year as we were never going to get full ownership of him.

Despite another tough start, new coach Allegri along with Acquafresca and new goalie Marchetti have spearheaded Cagliari to a possible UEFA Cup spot with less then 10 weeks left to play. A remarkable achievement. While Acquafresca has scored more goals this year, which was expected with more maturity and playing time, he still shows his youth with his bouts of pouting and sense of entitlement when it comes to getting service from his teammates. He is still a work in progress but a talent to be watched both for Inter and the Azzurri in years to come.

As with all good players, especially those who are young and playing for smaller clubs, there is the constant guess and article about who wants him and the players response. As the season winds down, these noises are being made about Acquafresca. His agent seems to be leading with his mouth about how he will return to Inter next year and be a vital part of their team. Other suggestions have him going out on loan again. One thing for sure is that he will not be returning to Cagliari, which makes no sense.

So where does he play next year?
Lets look at some possible options.

Inter
We all know this is the club that owns him and in between mood swings Mourinho has mentioned how he is the future of Inter. That future is not next year. As much potential as Acquafresca has, Inter has huge pressure to take the next step in the Champions League. They are not going to make him a main striker at this age. They have too much money and too much pressure not to buy a striker in the offseason. Whether its Drogba as next years Quaresma or someone else, a new stud will be brought in. The club does not want Acquafresca to be sitting on the bench. They can bring him back, but he is not going to be their main striker next year, so he still must find a smaller club and put up improved statistics as he tries to justify Inters faith in him in another year or two.

So where does he go and who would be better then Cagliari?

I dont think Robert leaves Italy so a midlevel EPL or LaLiga club is not likely. It would be interesting to see him play in England as the game is so fast and while he might be seen as lazy, he would find more open space and more opportunities to finish goals, his specialty. His goal statistics would likely increase.

If he cant return to a big club and is going to stay in Italy, who does he end up with? If Cagliari with a young coach, young players, and talent enough to push for Europe, why would he feel the need to go elsewhere. If you cant make a big club, then Cagliari with a secure spot as a starter, is the ideal place. But needing another challenge will lead him away.

I see a few clubs he could end up with including Lazio, Genoa, and Palermo.

Lazio seems to making the most noise for him, and I am sure he would love to be reunited with his buddy Foggia. I think he also wants to return to a big city and get more recogniton and Rome would be a good place.

Genoa is a possibility as well as Inter has their eye on Milito to take over as second strike partner with Ibra. What could make this happen is a loan deal in return for Acquafresca. Inter gets their striker and Acquafresca gets to play for a bigger club that may even be in the Champions League. A win for both clubs and it buys Inter another year to see if he can mature and move back to Milan.

The other club I see him with would be Palermo. Palermo is an exciting team with a lot of talent and he gets to be reunited with Ballardini, who used him correctly last year and brought him to the stage at the right time. Paired with Miccoli and others, this club could be even more exciting to watch next year then they are this year. Palermo is also a consisent european challenger and with Acquafresca, they can push for the Champions league and he would welcome that challenge.

Any other choice would be a step down for Robert. I think he should come back to Cagliari and lead them even higher, but if he needs a new challenge, he is likely to see another club besides Inter next year.

Either way he has been an exciting player for us and it will be interesting to see where he ends up next year. The cards really fell well for us to get him for two years and we are now a better club thanks to his help and those that were able to make him a player for our team.