Wednesday 13 January 2016 21:09, UK
Is Juan Iturbe Bournemouth's answer to Lionel Messi?
That is certainly what the club's fans will be hoping for.
Just over a year ago the attacker was linked with clubs such as Real Madrid, Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea, but Bournemouth sealed a loan deal with Roma and, on Wednesday, Iturbe made his Premier League debut as a second-half substitute against West Ham.
But who exactly is Iturbe and why does he draw comparisons to his great compatriot Messi? Here's all you need to know about the 22-year-old...
Factfile
Name: Juan Manuel Iturbe
Age: 22
Place of birth: Buenos Aires, Argentina
Former clubs: Cerro Porteno, Porto, River Plate, Hellas Verona, Roma
Position: Winger/Striker
Background
The diminutive Argentine started his career with Paraguayan club Cerro Porteno and made his first team debut aged just 16. He moved to Argentine club Quilmes until he was 18 before making the move to Portuguese giants FC Porto.
After struggling to break into the first team at such a young age, Iturbe was loaned to River Plate for six months where he scored three goals in 17 appearances. The then 19-year-old was also an Argentina U20 international, a side which has helped produce fellow forwards Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero, Angel Di Maria and Carlos Tevez.
His impressive spell with Los Millonarios helped Iturbe secure an initial loan move to Serie A club Hellas Verona where he thrived during the 2013/14 season, so much so he was signed permanently from Porto for €15m in May 2014. Iturbe contributed eight goals and four assists to the newly-promoted club, helping them to a 10th place finish.
Iturbe was to be on the move just two months later as his standout performances made him a reported target for Real Madrid, Roma, Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea. He moved to Roma for €22m where his career has slightly stalled after one-and-a-half years at the club.
Style of play
Iturbe is known for his tremendous pace, strength and dribbling ability. His stature and playing style has seen him draw comparisons to Lionel Messi. At Verona, Iturbe played either on the wing, on the left and right, or as part of a strike partnership with Italian veteran Luca Toni. Toni was Serie A's second highest top scorer during the season Iturbe was there.
The 22-year-old is also known for his strong free-kick taking ability and shooting with power from distance. Three of his goals scored during his season at Verona were directly from free-kicks.
Why leave Roma?
Iturbe has struggled to make a significant impact at Roma and the stats make it clear. In his first season, he started almost half the number of matches he did with Verona in 2013/14, scoring just twice and adding one assist. His shooting accuracy went down from 48.2 per cent to 28.6 per cent whilst he created 16 chances in the 2014/15 season compared to 39 at Verona.
This season, Iturbe has struggled further to make an impact for the Italian giants. His appearances have been reduced to just three league starts, scoring one and failing to record any assists.
Iturbe is used more as a squad player than a starter, with the likes of Iago Falque, Alessandro Florenzi, Gervinho and Mohamed Salah regularly starting ahead of him when fit.
There are also reports of instability at Roma, with manager Rudi Garcia under heavy pressure as the club sits in fifth place. Before a 2-0 win over Genoa last weekend, Giallorossi had not won a match since November 8. However, Garcia's team scraped through the Champions League knockout stages on six points with Iturbe playing in every group match.
Where will he fit in?
Bournemouth's injury problems may be slightly relieved by the introduction of Iturbe, who can play on either side of Eddie Howe's 4-3-3 formation or possibly as the main striker up front.
Bournemouth's fast paced, possession-oriented style of play, which relies heavily on overlapping fullbacks and flying wingers, may be a system that Iturbe can adapt to quickly since Roma conventionally play a 4-3-3.
However, Iturbe will face competition from the likes of Matt Ritchie and Junior Stanislas for a place in the starting XI. His flexibility to play across the entire front line may be what appeals to Howe the most.
What they say about Iturbe
It's exciting to be able to integrate Juan into the squad. He's a talented boy, hopefully he can do very well for us.
Former Hellas Verona Sporting Director Sean Sogliano: "It has been wonderful to see him grow as a player, Iturbe is very happy with the season he's had. We have given him confidence and he has grown so much in every respect. He has shown great things and he is destined to have a great career if he maintains the mentality he's had this season."
Iturbe's agent Gustavo Mascardi: "Iturbe in my opinion is a phenomenon, I don't know whether he's been understood properly at Roma. I think he hasn't been by his Coach [Garcia]. That's certain enough and I already said it last year. I'm very sorry about the time wasted by [President James] Pallotta. From what I've seen, Iturbe's future doesn't worry me one bit. He can play in any club."
Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe: "It's exciting to be able to integrate Juan into the squad. He's a talented boy, hopefully he can do very well for us. We're trying to make the settling-in period as easy as we can for him. We have an interpreter. "A lot is made of the language barrier, but once you're on the pitch it's fine."
