It’s not always la dolce vita for Premier stars who head for Serie A
ROLANDO Aarons became the 13th English player in the Premier League era to play in Serie A this weekend after making his debut for loan side Hellas Verona.
Following the January arrival of Kenedy on loan from Chelsea, Aarons was shipped out on loan to Fabio Pecchia’s side after turning down a loan move to Championship side Hull.
The Magpies’ winger’s talent is undoubted but he has had a rotten time with injuries, restricting him to just five league starts at the club.
Aarons is 22, and his move to Italy must work out if he is to have any sort of future at St James’ Park.
But was his decision to move to Italy inspired or misguided? We look at the previous 12 English players to try their hand in Serie A and assess how they fared.
RAVEL MORRISON (LAZIO 2015 – PRESENT)
Morrison was regarded by many as the best prospect to come out of Manchester United’s academy.
Unfortunately the attacking midfielder’s attitude was his downfall.
He moved on to West Ham where spells of brilliance were so often underpinned by disciplinary problems and after a couple of failed loan moves, Lazio took a surprising punt on him in 2015.
But it wasn’t long until Lazio boss Stefano Pioli was criticising his effort levels and his inability to speak Italian.
He joined Queens Park Rangers on loan last season and last summer he joined Mexican side Atlas on a season-long loan deal.
At 25 years of age now, it is still a case of potential unfulfilled.
Verdict: Failure
JOE HART (TORINO 2016 – 17)
After winning numerous trophies as Manchester City’s No 1 goalkeeper, new manager Pep Guardiola didn’t fancy the England man.
Hart was demoted to third choice and ended up joining Torino on a loan deal.
He endured a mixed spell in Turin, making a couple of mistakes, but earning praise for his impact on the team.
Torino couldn’t afford to make the deal permanent and Hart joined West Ham on loan at the start of this season.
A number of highprofile errors have resulted in Hart being in a real battle to hold on to his No 1 spot for both club and country.
Verdict: Moderately successful
ASHLEY COLE (ROMA 2014 – 15)
Cole arrived in Italy very much in the twilight years of his career.
At Chelsea he was widely regarded as the best left-back in world football, but he was a shadow of that player in the Italian capital.
He made just 16 appearances in 18 months before joining MLS side Los Angeles Galaxy.
Verdict: Failure
DAVID BECKHAM (AC MILAN 2009 – 10)
Beckham played for Milan during two separate loan spells. He twice joined the San Siro side during the MLS off-season, with his first spell at the club seeing him play alongside the likes of Ronaldinho and Andrea Pirlo. His second spell ended in injury, which upset his parent club LA Galaxy.
Verdict: Moderately successful
JAY BOTHROYD (PERUGIA 2003 – 05)
Bothroyd was just 21 when he made the move from Coventry to Perugia. He had fallen out of favour at Highfield Road and was released on a free transfer. Fast forward four months and Bothroyd was playing in the UEFA Cup.
It made headlines in England that a young prospect was making such a bold move. Perugia were a turbulent club who sacked South Korean forward Ahn Jung-Hwan for scoring the goal which knocked Italy out of the 2002 World Cup, as well as signing Colonel Gaddafi’s son, Saadi.
He scored five goals in 28 appearances in his first season at the club before joining Blackburn on loan.
Bothroyd went on to have a decent career across the Championship and the Premier League and he also won an England cap.
And he feels he wouldn’t have gone on to achieve that without his season in Italy. He told the Guardian: “I came back a more mature person. I was more focused on getting what I want from my career.”
Verdict: Moderately successful
PAUL GASCOIGNE (LAZIO 1992 – 95)
Gascoigne finally made the move to Italy in 1992, a year later than planned, after suffering a serious knee injury in the 1991 FA Cup final.
Gazza (pictured left) spent three injury-ravaged years in Rome, but offered moments of brilliance – notably scoring the winner against local rivals Roma. He is still loved by Lazio fans today.
Verdict: Success LEE SHARPE (SAMPDORIA 1998 – 99)
Sharpe’s move to Italy was largely forgettable.