By Ewah Chika.
As Sevilla continues to rebuild the team in the post-Emery era, one signing that shows the huge ambition of the Andalusian club is the €20 million signing of Argentine born Italian Franco Vazquez from Palermo.
Vazquez may not be a big name in the game but what he lacks in name he makes up with his qualities. Sevilla surely need to strengthen their squad following their failure to finish in the top four
although Unai Emery's team did qualify for the Champions League after winning the Europa League for the third consecutive time, Sevilla did eventually finish a disappointing seventh with the likes of Celta Vigo and Atheletic Bilbao all finishing ahead of them . Last season Sevilla's new signing scored eight Seria A goals and provided a further seven assists in 36 Seria A games for a below average Palermo. This is despite the fact that the Italian plays with less talented players compared to top Seria A teams. Vasquez is expected to play slightly behind top striker Kelvin Gameiro if newly signed Paulo Ganso does not step up or be shifted to the right forward position which is normally played by Vitolo. His signing is a huge relief for Sevilla given his record of 18 goals in 73 games for Palermo and considering Sevilla struggled with goals throughout last season with Kelvin Gameiro constantly bailing them out after scoring 29 goals in all competitions .
At 27, Vasquez is nearing his peak and considering his present form might go on to become one of the world's best midfielders . The midfielder is a player who is physically strong given his 6'2 imposing figure which he uses to bully defenders, bouncing off challenges and retaining possession. Also to be noted is his top notch dribbling which is his best quality and which has endured him to Palermo fans. Vasquez is also a good finisher of the ball with an excellent vision which enables him to play key passes and set up team mates. The Argentine's playing style is a bit similar to former AS Roma sensational player Erik Lamela who shinned with Roma before flopping after moving to Tottenham in 2013, as both are left-footed , can dribble but do not possess the pace to get past their markers in the manner of Willian or Arjen Robben.
Vasquez also has a good pass accuracy (77% as of last season) and is a player who loves to shot from a distance considering his last season's average of 2.9 shots per game . The Argentine will not find life difficult under Sevilla coach Jorge Sampaoli as he can help out his team with defend when they lose possession which is paramount in a high energy pressing team and also due to his experience of playing in La Liga (Rayo Vallecano in the 2012/2013 season) .
Based on all these qualities , it is surprising why most big clubs did not bid for him although Tottenham was at a time linked with him. This might be due to the perceived fear by most English Premier League clubs that success In Italy does not necessarily translate to success in England as examples abound with the likes of Giancherini (Juventus to Sunderland), Erik Lamala (Roma to Tottenham) and Darmian (Torino to Manchester United), but this does not hinder the fact that Vasquez possesses the strength, talent and finesse to not only succeed in Sevilla but also to secure a move to a top European club at the appropriate time.
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