“NICOLO BARELLA: Il Predestinato” proclaimed the front cover of SportWeek, the Gazzetta dello Sport’s magazine edition labelling the Cagliari midfielder with the Italian equivalent of “The Chosen One.” Already 21 years old but on the verge of genuine stardom, the player has become a wanted man, linked with Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain as well as Serie A sides Juventus, Inter, AS Roma and Napoli.
Tottenham have joined that list this week, rumours of a €40 million bid in January emerging in reports both on the peninsula and in the UK as the player turned out for Italy in their 0-0 draw with Poland. That marked a third international appearance for Barella, who has also played over 100 games at club level, yet outside of his homeland he remains largely unknown, thanks to the relative obscurity he enjoys with Cagliari.
Interestingly, his debut for his hometown club came back in January 2015 when Chelsea legend Gianfranco Zola – who was then in charge of the Sardinian side – named him in his starting XI for a Coppa Italia clash with Parma. A Serie A debut (against the same opponent) followed four months later, by which time Zola had been replaced on the bench by Gianluca Festa.
At the end of the season, the former Portsmouth and Middlesbrough defender would also depart, dropping down to Serie B to become coach of Como and – knowing his young protege would find playing time in the top flight difficult to come by – would take Barella with him on loan. Still only 18 when he made that move, the midfielder quickly established himself as a first-team regular with the Lariani and would make 16 starts in the second half of the season.
The combination of moving away from home for the first time, playing every week and the robust nature of second tier football clearly made an impact. “Barella returned from the shores of Lake Como stronger, tougher; as a man,” that SportWeek article would poetically state, and he would continue to improve during the 2016/17 campaign with Cagliari.
Helping them avoid relegation, the following season would see him enjoy a breakout year, starting 34 of the club’s league games and registering six goals and one assist. A physical box-to-box midfielder, Barella averaged 2.8 tackles, 1.6 interceptions and 1.3 clearances per 90 according to WhoScored.com, but there is more to his game than defensive energy and effort.
Former Cagliari boss Massimo Rastelli told La Gazzetta dello Sport that Barella “is like Dunga… but with the feet of [Manuel] Rui Costa.” That may well be a stretch, but the player connected with over 80% of his passes while creating 1.1 scoring chances per 90 minutes, and the comparisons only became more outlandish. Fabio Capello claimed during an appearance on Radio Anch’io Sport that “his dynamism reminds me of Marco Tardelli,” while Gazzetta would claim he was “like a new Steven Gerrard.”
Not that Barella is getting carried away. “I’m not interested in a Ferrari or a stylish penthouse suite. I don’t play football so that I can buy nice cars,” he told SportWeek. “If and when I was to leave Cagliari, it would never be for money, but only for ambition.” A laudable approach, and one which has also seen parallels drawn to Radja Nainggolan, another player who made his name with the Sardinian club.
“He’s much more physical” says Barella, who was also quick to note that “I’m given more freedom to roam, but don’t think I’m as much use in winning back the ball.” Like the fiery Belgian however, he needs to learn to time his challenges better, picking up 13 bookings last term and already collecting four in his first 12 appearances this season.
Averaging 2.4 fouls per 90 minutes, he knows this is something that must be addressed. “I do pick up a lot of yellow cards, but that doesn’t mean I’m nasty,” Barella continued. “I just want to win, to ensure the opponent doesn’t get away from me and therefore I go all in with the tackle. I never hold back”
Watching him for any length of time makes that assessment easy to agree with, but it is also impossible to ignore the genuine talent he possesses. Last December he became the youngest ever player to captain Cagliari when he led the team out against Roma, and a month later Barella signed a new four-year contract with the club.
That increased his wages to just €0.7 million per year after tax, but it should also give the Isolani a stronger bargaining position when those aforementioned top sides come calling in January or next summer. “If he stayed then I’d be the happiest man in the world, but it’s equally clear that the lad could have ambitions of playing in the Champions League,” Cagliari owner Tommaso Giulini told Tuttosport last month, only for his general manager to downplay the chances of an exit.
“We don’t know what his price is and we’re not interested,” club official Mario Passetti said during an appearance on Radio Marte. “Nicolò is very important in that, he’s also very happy. After that I don’t know what will happen, but he’s only thinking about the present. There’s been some interest for a possible sale which we haven’t evaluated, we’re continuing on our path of growth and it’s right that it’s like this.”
What is clear is that the price will continue to go up and, much like they did with Nainggolan, the big clubs will continue to call until one of them manages to prise away Cagliari’s latest gem. He might be “The Chosen One,” but Nicolò Barella is going to have some big decisions of his own to make in the coming months.
