MANOLO GABBIADINI

Antonio Conte described Manolo Gabbiadini as “one of the best left-footed forwards in the world”.

After gaining a reputation as an exceptional goal-scorer in Italy with Bologna, Sampdoria and Napoli, Gabbiadini joined Southampton for a club-record fee of €17m plus add-ons.

During his spell for the Saints, Gabbiadini scored many historical goals for the club, including the two goals scored in the 2017 EFL Cup final vs. Manchester City (one which was erroneously disallowed, preventing him from achieving an even more historical hat-trick), as well as the crucial, last-minute goal vs. Swansea in the summer of 2018, when he saved his club from relegation.

Gabbiadini also became the first-ever Saints player to have scored in four matches in a row for the club. The chant dedicated to him in the 2017 final – “Les Reed went back to Europe to buy a Lamborghini; he came back with a striker; his name is Gabbiadini” – will be long remembered by Saints fans.

This forward has played for the Italian national team eleven times between 2012 and 2017 and scored two goals – one against Liechtenstein and one against Romania.