The rise of Southampton striker Graziano Pellè

The rise of Southampton striker Graziano Pellè [VIDEO]

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In his second season with Southampton Italian frontman Graziano Pellè has established himself as top class striker, making an impact in one of the world’s top leagues and on the international stage.

Many would not have been too familiar with the name upon his signing for the Saints in July 2014. Plying his trade for the majority of his career in the Netherlands, Pellè did not even have much of an impact in his own country. While in Italy he spent much of his time on loan to Serie B clubs and made just 12 league appearances across two seasons for Parma, with a loan to Sampdoria in-between during his most recent stint.

Before making his move to England the striker spent two seasons with Feyenoord in the Eredivisie, managing an impressive 27 goals in 29 appearances over his first season and coming second in the goal scoring charts behind Wilfried Bony on 31. The following campaign went much along the same lines, notching up 23 goals in 28 appearances, again finishing second in the domestic charts this time bested by Alfreð Finnbogason with 29.

Ronald Koeman departed Feyenoord to replace the outgoing Mauricio Pochettino at St Mary’s in June 2014 and one month later secured the signing of Pellè for an £8 million fee on a three-year-deal. It took just three games for the big striker to get off the mark in the Premier League, scoring a goal against West Ham on the 30th of August.

An amazing start to the season saw him record eight goals by Christmas, looking to be one of the more dangerous strikers in the division. He failed to start 2015 in the form in which he finished the previous year, but still managed to reach a very respectable 12 goals in his debut season. The 30-year-old also adapted comfortably to the heavier schedule, missing just one match across the Saints’ Premier League, FA Cup and League Cup runs, even that being due to accumulated yellow cards. Of the total 44 appearances Pellè made last season, he played less than 90 minutes just seven times.

Standing at 194 centimetres and weighing 84 kilograms, Pellè is built in the mold of a traditional No.9 and fulfils this role with an additional measure of skill on the ball. A hard working centre-forward, he creates so much for the team simply by throwing his body around and chasing down balls so many would thought lost.

Southampton’s game plan places high emphasis on crossing the ball in for the powerful Italian to latch onto, but he brings far more to the table than just a big body to target. In his EPL career Pellè has scored four headers, five with his weaker left-foot and eight with his right for a total of 17 goals. He is very much a poacher though, with the entirety of these coming from inside the 18-yard-box.

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The great form that the striker showed in his opening few months with Southampton saw him earn a call up to the Italian national team for the first time at the age of 29. On the 13th of October he made his first start for the Azzurri against Malta and scored the only goal of the game. Since then he has gone on to make six more appearances for his country and has netted twice more.

In just over a year on the South Coast Pellè has established himself as a definite starter in the Southampton lineup and a vital cog in Ronald Koeman’s plans. With five goals from eight games this season already, the former Feyenoord man sits equal third on the goal scoring charts and certainly has the potential to even better his performance in 2015-16.

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