Not only for his small stature, which by the way is not a weakness in a footballer (Maradona was not a giant), but for his extreme adaptability and spirit of sacrifice, Emanuele Giaccherini could really be a great deal for Paolo Di Canio's squad.
The italian manager must have been following Giaccherini since long time and the recent good performances he put on at the Confederations Cup (where he scored against Brazil, set up Italy's equalizer against Japan and hit the post against Spain during the extra time) can only have confirmed the quality of this player, whose perhaps most striking peculiarity is to not have a preferred role. Because he can play in many positions, always delivering solid and full of sacrifice performances.
In 2010, at the beginning of his career in Serie A with the nearly promoted Cesena, Giaccherini played as right winger in an attacking 4-3-3 where his runs and attacking attitude were instrumental to achieve the team's historic salvation, to whom Giaccherini contributed with 7 goals and 4 assists.
His skills attraced the interest of Juventus who was then chasing an italian title missing from the Calciopoli scandal dated 2006. Antonio Conte, Bianconeri's manager, saw in Giaccherini the prototipe of a player who will give it all for the cause either in training or during the match and made him, amongst others, the icon of his working (and football) philosophy.
In less then six months Giaccherini became a real factotum learning how to sacrifice himself for the team's sake. Something very rare indeed for a top side player. His scoring ratio drastically declined (only 4 goals in 40 apperances) but he earned his coach confidence who praised his strong temperament without forgetting of his qualities with the ball.
'If his name would be Giaccherinho he'd be considered much more', said Conte hinting at the great (and sometimes undeserved) attention given to foreign stars playing in Serie A.
In Brazil Giaccherini has been one of the most in form amongst the Azzurri confirming his quality but mainly his tactic usefulness and finally muting even some of his most tenacious critics.
'Giaccherini can't change a match', 'He's not a winger, he's not a striker either...where does he play?', 'he's too short, and he's not a top player' (a very used form for many this last one), are some of the negative comments you could have heard about Giaccherini just some weeks ago.
But Sunderland interest in him can only confirm two things. Firstly the value of this 28 years old player, and, the fact that nowadays is almost impossible for any italian club to keep not only its best players (like Cavani or Ibrahimovic) but any player at all.
The times where Serie A could afford any player in the planet are far away, everybody knows it. Nowadays a middle table club of the Premier League can buy an italian international from a twice time domestic champion like Juventus just like they are shopping in the lower leagues.
Money rules and despite Antonio Conte's disappointment ('I'm really sorry I have to lose him', he said in his first press conference this year), the £7M Sunderland will pay for Giaccherini are vital to help Juventus's finances after the signings of Carlos Tevez (£10M) and Angelo Ogbonna (£12.5M paid to Torino).
However good news are coming for Sunderland supporters as Giaccherini will add spark, talent and spirit of sacrifice to a team that lacked all of those elements during the last disastrous and turbolent season.
And the Premier League could have found another very own icon in this small, flexible and talented factotum.
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