Nicolo Zaniolo has been used as a midfielder by Aston Villa since his arrival in the Premier League, but Italy manager Luciano Spalletti believes the Galatasaray loanee can be more than effective in a new role.
Since joining forces with Unai Emery in the Midlands, the Azzurri international has been fielded in deeper positions for the most part.
Nicolo Zaniolo, who joined Aston Villa from Galatasaray in a deal worth £37 million, has mostly played in a left-sided, attacking midfield role in the claret-and-blue kit.
Spalletti, on the other hand, believes Zaniolo has the skillset to thrive in a different role.
Aston Villa’s Nicolo Zaniolo is showing promise.
“For me, Zaniolo can be a centre-forward,” the former Roma, Inter Milan, and Zenit St Petersburg manager, who led Napoli to the Scudetto last season, muses (Tuttomercatoweb).
“He could have an important future (as a striker).”
Spalletti is not the only one who believes Zaniolo’s future is up top.
During the second half of the season, Roma manager Jose Mourinho used Zaniolo as a number nine, with Zaniolo scoring the game’s only goal in the inaugural Europa Conference League final victory over Feyenoord.
‘Extremely promising’
“Zaniolo has incredible potential,” said Roma legend Zgibniew Boniek at the time. “If you ask people what his position is, each will give you a different answer. He is, in my opinion, a classic number nine. He has physical strength, can turn defenders well, is good in the air, and can shoot.
“Whenever I see Vlahovic play, I always think Zaniolo could do just as well. Perhaps even better, because he possesses such physical strength. He’s a fantastic player.”
Zaniolo has yet to score or assist for Aston Villa, demonstrating promise but arguably not enough to justify a potential £37 million price tag.
Furthermore, with Ollie Watkins firmly entrenched in the number nine position, opportunities through the middle are unlikely to come Zaniolo’s way.
