Sunderland have today been dealt another potential blow, with Emmanuele Giaccherini’s agent stating that the player is “rethinking his situation in England”.
The little Italian joined Sunderland in 2013 for a fee of £6.5-million from Juventus, and big things were expected. After a decent debut season, Giaccherini has been plagued by injuries, which has seen him fall down the pecking order at Sunderland. It has been a frustrating time on Wearside for the midfielder, with Giaccherini himself keen to prove himself at Sunderland this year. The former Juventus man holds hope of breaking back into the Italian national team for Euro 2016 next summer, and with first-team opportunities hard to come by, he appears to be reassessing his options. His agent, Furio Valcareggi, admits the Italian international could be on the move before the transfer deadline.
“We had a rethink on the situation that has been created in England,” he said.
“Time is limited and we’ll see what happens, but he is a top level figure who needs to play consistently after a season characterised by injuries. He lost all of last year and now cannot afford to lose another chance. This is the year leading up to Euro 2016 and he really wants to be there.”
“Could he return to Italy? We’ll see, as anything could happen. He is certainly not lacking for offers.”
“Taking part in the European Championship would be a triumph for Giaccherini, who still has a lot of respect within the Azzurri camp. He could decide his future within two days.”
Giaccherini, 30, has undoubted ability, and has shown glimpses of it during his stay on Wearside, however, given his age and lack of first-team football, perhaps now is as good a time as any to cash in on one of Sunderland’s top earners. The Italian was not in the squad for Saturday’s defeat to Norwich City, despite being fully fit, which may indicate that his frustrating time on Wearside is indeed coming to an end.
