Few and Far Between - Italian's in the Premier League

Italian personnel are few and far between in the Premier League. 

Following Mario Balotelli's move to Milan in January and Roberto Mancini's departure at the end of the last campaign the thin slice of Italian presence has grown even smaller. 

Pablo Osvaldo has become the latest Italian arrival to try and maintain this presence, having finalised his transfer to Southampton on Monday. This comes on top of Paolo Di Canio's purchase of Emanuele Giaccherini from Juventus, an exciting winger who like Osvaldo has international pedigree.

But the fond memories of Gianfranco Zola, Fabrizio Ravanelli and Gianluca Vialli lighting up the league in the late 90s have been replaced by the perceived failures of Alberto Aquilani, Alessandro Diamanti and Fabio Borini in recent times - buying from Italy is now regarded as somewhat of a gamble. 

With no real success story in the last few years, save Balotelli depending on how you view his stint with Manchester City, Italian players' long standing reluctance to test their talents in the Premier League has continued. It's unlikely Osvaldo would have moved to the South coast had he not played under Mauricio Pochettino at Espanyol whilst Di Canio's influence was certainly key in Giaccherini's decision. 

Managers seem equally reluctant to move in for Italian player. Many might have expected Mancini to bring an influx of Italian's to the Etihad on his appointment but this never materialised. Managers want players who can adapt quickly, who can endure the harsh winter months when the games come thick and fast. Clearly the opinion is that Italian players cannot be relied upon to provide this anymore. 

Yet the quality is clearly there - Italy breezed past England last summer, showing far superior technical ability. What's more Aquilani has since revitalised his career with Fiorentina, as has Diamanti at Bologna whilst Giuseppe Rossi has been a success story across Europe. 

The culture change seems to be a determining factor. More must be done to successfully integrate Italian players into English football. The word from players going both ways is that training differs in style between Italian and English clubs. Italian clubs place emphasis on a strict fitness regime, which Di Canio has incorporated at Sunderland. But questions remain whether this is adequate preparation for the more physical demands of English football. Aquilani struggled with endless knocks, Diamanti rarely looked fit and Borini has picked up numerous injuries in his short spell with Liverpool too. 

With most of the major dealings having already been conducted this summer it might be worth Arsene Wenger considering a bid for Daniele De Rossi, one Italian player who certainly is tailor made for the English game. Though having lost out to Wolfsburg for Luis Gustavo it's unlikely Arsenal could tempt De Rossi, who is fiercely loyal to Roma, to the Emirates.    

Moving to a new country in a World Cup season is extremely brave on Osvaldo and Giaccherini's parts, what with the national set up rarely looking further then Serie A to fill the seats on the plane. Sooner or later another Italian import will come good and it's perhaps a case of appreciating the fleeting spells in English football which made the likes of Zola and Di Matteo so revered rather then expecting Italians to flock to our shores like the Spanish or French.