Wolverhampton Wanderers are on the cusp of signing AC Milan centre-forward Patrick Cutrone who has a contract with the Serie A club until June 2023.
According to a report from the Sky Sports, the 21-year-old, who is likely to sign for the Molineux Stadium outfit in a deal worth £16m plus add-ons, has left Milan’s pre-season tour of the United States.
The Italian international was earlier valued at £23m by the Rossoneri but their Financial Fair Play troubles have forced the club’s hand, the report adds.
The right-footed striker, who has been at the club for over 10 years, rose through the Milan ranks and earned his promotion to the senior side back in January 2017.
In his two-and-a-half-year senior level career, the Italian international has scored 27 goals and provided 7 assists in 89 appearances across all competitions.
How will he fit in at the club?
Cutrone is a typical modern-day number nine who can feature both as a lone striker and can pair up with someone upfront given his unselfish nature and adequate ability to link up with teammates.
This is something that falls in with the Wanderers’ game plan seeing their Portuguese manager Nuno Espirito Santo usually deploys two strikers up front in Raul Jimenez and Diogo Jota.
The 21-year-old is a proven goal scorer and his spatial awareness inside the 6-yard box remains unparalleled to most players in his age category.
He averages 1.5 shots per game and his finishing skills have seen him draw comparisons to former Milan legend and his idol Filippo Inzaghi which speaks volumes about his quality as a centre-forward.
The Italian striker is still in the adolescent stage of his career and while the numbers don’t portray a clear picture, his displays on the pitch have seen him touted as one of Europe’s bright talents in the last couple of years.
The Milan man, thanks to his 6ft stature, possesses decent aerial prowess, which is a key area in the Italian’s style of play, especially in front of the goal.
He managed 0.5 aerial duels won per 90 minutes, however, it is likely to improve seeing Wolves fullbacks, Matt Doherty and Jonny’s prowess to ping in crosses from the flanks.
The youngster also boasts good work-rate and decent footwork to come out on top in 1v1 duels. Despite that, the Black Country outfit must be wary of his mediocre pace and the absence of Premier League experience in his CV.
The acquisition of the right-footed forward sounds like a fruitful decision, seeing the West Midlands club have to compete on multiple fronts in the upcoming campaign.
Not to forget the various competitions also includes the Europa League which will be a completely different ball game for the Wanderers taking into account the competition’s history with the clubs outside the Premier League top six is miserable.
Stat Courtesy: Transfermarkt, Whoscored
