wonder how many games of his you've seen in the past year.. will be interesting to see what you think about him in a year or so
Verdi another one that turned out to be really good, I imagine hes only gonna improve at a bigger team with better players, just like cristante will
Goodfella's comparison of Cristante to Kessie was the most accurate description of both players abilities.
Cristante lacks that presence needed to be part of an elite midfield to dominate it in a certain way.
You can do that in different ways, whether that be through being able to cover ground and defend and attack, being very resistant to pressing and able to keep the ball under pressure, dictating the tempo of the game through controlling ala Pirlo or Xavi, or being a passer who can kill teams that way.
Cristante is not press resistant, his passing is basic, he does not cover huge amounts of ground or is a presence defensively, and he does not dictate the tempo of the game. He is like Nocerino in that sense, where he completely vacates the midfield, ends up in the box and due to good shooting technique and admittedly good instincts will score goals.
He has been playing a free role as well for Atalanta so has not had to do midfield work. I wouldn't pay more than 15 to 20 million and to me his level is that of a squad player. I rate Barella as a genuine well rounded midfielder far higher than Cristante.
