Domenico Berardi is of interest to Liverpool and they’re reportedly ready to bid to sign him and so here are three reasons why he’s the real deal.
Over the weekend, La Gazzetta dello Sport reported that the financial repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic mean that Italian clubs cannot afford to sign Berardi and so his Premier League suitors are the favourites to land him.
They claim that Leicester City, Tottenham and Liverpool are keeping an eye on the winger with Sassuolo valuing the 26-year-old at €50million – a price that is reportedly out of the realms of possibility for Serie A teams.
The Reds are yet to bid for the winger but are ready to do so if the opportunity presents itself.
REGGIO NELL’EMILIA, ITALY – APRIL 04: Domenico Berardi of Sassuolo celebrates after scoring the 4-0 goal during the Serie A match between US Sassuolo and Chievo at Mapei Stadium – Citta’ del Tricolore on April 4, 2019 in Reggio nell’Emilia, Italy. (Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images)
As Anfield Central covered on Monday, the winger revealed his desire to join Liverpool and so signing him would be a fairly straightforward affair.
Here are three reasons why he’s the real deal.
Season on season progression from Berardi
Now 26 years of age, Berardi is at the EUROs with Italy after a season in which he recorded his best ever attacking numbers, scoring 17 goals and assisting 8 more, according to Transfermarkt.
In the 2019/20 season, he got 14 and 10 and in the 18/19 campaign, he got 10 and 4.
This highlights how he has progressed season after season and as he enters his prime, he should be a target for the likes of Liverpool who are in the market for a new forward but they shouldn’t be worried about the legitimacy of his attacking output.
PARMA, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 25: Domenico Berardi of US Sassuolo looks on during the Serie A match between Parma Calcio and US Sassuolo at Stadio Ennio Tardini on September 25, 2019 in Parma, Italy. (Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images)
Sometimes signing players from Serie A and Ligue 1 can be risky but Berardi isn’t a one-season wonder and has shown that he is here to stay and if anything, he should be able to get into double digits for goals and for assists.
I wouldn’t be surprised if he got 20 goals and 10 assists next season.
Berardi’s EURO performances have been superb
The right-winger has been as good as you possibly can be without scoring a goal but he did grab an assist against Switzerland, driving beyond Akanji to assist the opener for Manuel Locatelli.
He’s got a more direct style of play than Mohamed Salah as he looks to drive beyond his opposite number and as Akanji will testify to, he’s a nightmare to defend against because he takes several small touches instead of a few big ones and only needs half a yard of space to work with.
FLORENCE, ITALY – JUNE 08: Domenico Berardi of Italy in action during a Italy training session at Centro Tecnico Federale di Coverciano on June 08, 2021 in Florence, Italy. (Photo by Claudio Villa/Getty Images)
To assist Locatelli’s goal, he ran 50 yards with the ball, deftly took Manuel Akanji out of the game with a subtle touch before he squared the ball to his teammate to open the scoring at the Stadio Olimpico.
His versatility is a dream for Klopp
He finished 8th in Serie A for goals scored with 17, behind the likes of Ronaldo, Lukaku and Dusan Vlahovic and he did so from a variety of positions even if right-wing is his preferred role.
All the positions he played this season: right-wing(24), right inside forward (5), attacking midfield (6) and he even played a game as a defensive midfielder and got a WhoScored rating of 7.01.
He’d be a thrilling addition to Jurgen Klopp’s attacking lineup.
