West Brom opinion: Should the Baggies sign Gianluca Gaetano?

While West Bromwich Albion look like they are in good shape, the results don’t tell the full story behind the scenes. Jay Rodriguez and Newcastle United loanee Dwight Gayle have alone netted 33 goals so far, which has softened the blow and patched any holes in the team.

In fact, if it wasn’t for them, the Baggies won’t be 4^th in the Championship, given the state of the rest of the team. Their back-line has struggled of late, and 36-year-old Tyrone Mears is the club’s only bonafide right-back.

To add to that, Wesley Hoolahan is their lone attacking midfielder and the Irishman is 36 years old. While things may get worse next season, that’s one area that the club should look to strengthen.

The West Brom manager has used Rekeem Harper as an attacking midfielder over the last few months. While the 19-year-old has done relatively well, he’s more of a central midfielder who is deputising as an attacking midfielder.

But he lacks the creativity and the ability in the final third, which is exactly what the Baggies need going forward.

That being said, while the club will have their list of players to replace Hoolahan, one man on that list should be Napoli star Gianluca Gaetano. Just 18 years old, the Italian has made quite an impact at Napoli, this season alone.

While he can play as a central midfielder, Gaetano prefers playing as number 10 or as the Italians call it ‘a trequartista’. He combines his creativity with great ball control, dribbling and technique, which is exactly what West Brom need at the moment.

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Not only that, despite him being so young, has shown maturity and composure well beyond his age during his time at Napoli. That’s been witnessed by not only his rise to fame but more so, with the captain’s armband for the reserve side.  

But what does make him close to perfect for the Baggies is his work rate combined with his enthusiastic defending. Most managers like their players to work hard when the team doesn’t have the ball, and hence, this quality is appreciable.

Conclusion

That’s one of the many reasons why Hoolanhan hasn’t played much over the last few months, but that’s never an issue with Gianluca Gaetano. The 18-year-old is a willing defender despite his sheer lack of defensive skill, and that will suit any team in the world.