Leicester looking at Italian striker in the Vardy mould
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Leicester City have rightfully rewarded assistant manager Steve Walsh with a new contract, as the former Chelsea scout heads up recruitment at the club.
Walsh was responsible for bringing Jamie Vardy, Riyad Mahrez and N’Golo Kante to the newly-crowned Premier League champions, but isn’t resting on his laurels.
The Foxes are rumoured to be in the market for another striker, with The Daily Mirror reporting that they are lining up a move for Pescara’s Gianluca Lapadula.
His name will be unfamiliar to many in England but, if you examine the 26-year-old’s career, it is easy to make a comparison to Vardy.
Lapadula’s youth career began with his local side Juventus, but just like Leicester’s top scorer did at Sheffield Wednesday, he failed to earn a professional contract.
The Pescara man then followed the England international’s route down the pyramid, playing for Pro Vercelli and Ivrea in the lowest level of full-time football in Italy.
Eventually, he earned a move to Parma but struggled to break through, needing loan moves to receive game-time.
A spell with Teramo in the third tier last term worked wonders for Lapadula, scoring 21 goals and eventually moving to his current club on a free transfer after Parma went bankrupt.
The Turin-born marksman made easy work of the step up in divisions, similar to how Vardy has been able to flourish in the Conference, Championship and Premier League.
His playing style is also similar to Leicester’s top scorer, with the striker possessing bags of pace to hassle defences and the instinctual ability to be in the right place at the right time to find the net.
However, the Foxes will have to compete with former employers Juve for Lapadula’s signature, but he has already been turned away before by his hometown club, Lapadula may be more inclined to move to England.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
