Gonzalo Higuain: Serie A strikers who succeeded and failed in the Premier League as move to Chelsea from Juventus nears
The 31-year-old has a prolific record throughout his career and is close to a loan move to the Blues
Chelsea are closing in on signing striker Gonzalo Higuain with Sky in Italy reporting a deal has been agreed.
The striker, who is currently on loan at Milan from Juventus, has been heavily linked with a switch to Stamford Bridge throughout the January transfer window.
Higuain has an impressive goalscoring record in both Spain and Italy but there will be questions whether the 31-year-old will be able to cut it in the Premier League.
He would join a number of forwards to join England’s top flight from Serie A.
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Some have been great successes while others may have wished they had never left Italy.
We look back at some of those who made their mark and the others you may have forgotten about.
Successes
Gianluca Vialli – Juventus to Chelsea
The Italian striker won a number of titles in his home country with Sampdoria and Juventus before signing on a free transfer for Chelsea.
In just three seasons for the Blues he scored 40 goals in 88 games and also won the FA Cup, League Cup and UEFA Super Cup before going on to manage the side.
Dennis Bergkamp – Inter Milan to Arsenal
Bruce Rioch smashed the Gunners’ transfer record to bring him to Highbury from Inter Milan for £7.5million in 1995.
His outstanding technique, composure and vision made him an Arsenal legend, as well as forming a formidable partnership with Thierry Henry.
He won three Premier League titles and four FA Cups in his 11 seasons with the north London club.
Gianfranco Zola – Parma to Chelsea
After his £4.5million transfer from Italy, he was part of the resurgent Chelsea side that enjoyed success in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s.
He scored 80 goals for the Blues in 311 games and went on to win two FA Cups, the League Cup and UEFA Super Cup.
Thierry Henry – Juventus to Arsenal
One of the greatest strikers to grace the Premier League. Arsenal paid Juve £11.5million for Henry in 1999 and he went on to score 226 goals for the club in 369 games to become their all-time leading scorer.
Two Premier League titles and two FA Cups later he moved to Barcelona before returning back in 2012 scoring twice more in seven games.
Failures
Mario Balotelli – Inter Milan to Manchester City
The Italian striker caused more headlines off the pitch than on it.
His 13 Premier League goals in 2011-12 did help City to the title but he failed to live up to expectations.
He was shipped out to AC Milan after two and a half seasons only to return to England 18 months later.
Liverpool took him on for just a season where he scored just four times in 28 games.
Andriy Shevchenko – AC Milan to Chelsea
The Ukranian was one of the deadliest strikers in the world for AC Milan where he regularly scored more than 20 goals a season.
Chelsea paid £30.8million for Shevchenko in 2006 but scored just nine Premier League goals in 48 appearances.
Adrian Mutu – Parma to Chelsea
In 2003, new Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich spent £15.8million to bring the Romanian striker to Stamford Bridge.
He had a difficult first season where he netted just six times in the Premier League.
In September 2004, Mutu tested positive for cocaine and he was given a seven month ban and never played for the club again.
Dani Osvaldo – Roma to Southampton
His record of 27 Serie A goals in 55 games impressed Southampton enough to pay £12.8million for his services in 2013.
Osvaldo scored just three times in 13 games for the club and after a number of loan spells had his contract cancelled.
He is now a rock star in Spain and released an album in 2017 with friends he met while playing for Espanyol.
Stevan Jovetic – Fiorentina to Manchester City
City paid €26.7million for the striker in 2013 but he failed to live up to expectations.
He scored 11 times in 44 games and struggled to break into the first team under Manuel Pellegrini.
Jovetic was loaned to Inter Milan for 18 months before that move was made permanent.
