In an effort to improve the team’s fortunes, Torino F.C. have brought back striker Ciro Immobile.
According to publication Gianlucadimarzio.com, the move will be a “loan deal worth €850,000 with option to buy set at around €12 million.”
The striker is no stranger to Turin. He spent time in the Juventus youth system, and suited up for the Bianconeri. Immobile also spent a season with Torino. His goal scoring feats that season earned a move to Germany, where things didn’t go as planned.
A fresh start
After failed stints with Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund and La Liga power Sevilla, the former Capocannoniere winner returns to the team where he has achieved the most success in his young career.
During the 2013/2014 Serie A season, Immobile bagged 22 goals and handed out a further three assists in 33 appearances for the Granata. In addition to those numbers, the forward also completed 71.6% of his passes while earning an outstanding five Man of the of the Match honors, per WhoScored.com.
Torino’s decision makers are likely hoping for a return to form for the Italy international, who only managed a combined five domestic goals with Dortmund and Sevilla.
In addition to the two Turin-based clubs, Immobile has also played for Siena, Grosseto, Pescara and Genoa.
Welcomed help
The move to add the 25-year-old Immobile makes a great deal of sense for Torino. The Granata currently sit 14th in the standings with 22 points. As it stands, the club are already 19 points behind leaders Napoli. Additionally, the club hasn’t done much better in terms of scoring. The Turin-based team is just 12th in Serie A in goals scored.
Over the Granata’s last four games, the club has managed only two goals. Both scores came as the result of penalties.
The northern club’s top goal scorer this season is Fabio Quagliarella, with five domestic goals. With the exception of the veteran forward and central midfielder Daniele Baselli, no other player has more than three goals. By comparison, Napoli’s Gonzalo Higuain and Lorenzo Insigne have four more goals combined than Torino does as a team.
Projected position
Immobile could pair with either Quagliarella or fellow forward Andrea Belotti at the top of manager Giampiero Ventura’s favored 3-5-2 formation. The newest member of Ventura’s attack could potentially make his debut in one of the team’s upcoming matches against Frosinone or Sassuolo.