by Fabrizio Carcano
BERGAMO
Atalanta could already have the second center forward for the bench at home, to be used as a reserve for Gianluca Scamacca. Yesterday Lecce did not exercise the right of redemption set at 12 million for Roberto Piccoli (in the photo) and so the striker from Sorisole, who turned 23 in February, is back available.
Who could keep him for the summer training camp (from 10 July at the Zingonia sports center and not in the usual Clusone) and then evaluate whether to keep him on staff or sell him again. A boy who grew up in the Bergamo oratories, since he was a child in the Nerazzurri Cantera, scorer in all youth categories and winner of the 2019 and 2020 Spring scudetto, compared to Bobo Vieri due to his massive physical structure, the Bergamo native Piccoli has forged ahead: his debut in the series A with Gasperini at just 18 years old, then at 19 he immediately made an impact in A with Spezia with whom he scored 5 goals. In the summer of 2021 he returned to Bergamo with an immediate lead as a protagonist, with the decisive goal in injury time against Torino in the championship opener. A goal, at the age of twenty, which seemed to pave the way for him, but from that moment Piccoli disappeared for over two years: closed by Zapata, held back by several muscle injuries, forced to emigrate and wander through a series of unhappy loans, first to Genoa , then at Verona, without scoring in either place, then at Empoli with just two goals.
In September he moved to Lecce, where he once again became a protagonist with 5 goals in 35 games played. His CV tells of 95 appearances since 2019 in Serie A, with 13 goals with four different shirts. Not very many considering that at just twenty years old he already had 6 goals, but at his age future scorers who passed from Atalanta like Vieri, or like Pippo Inzaghi, had not scored half as many goals as him. Now Piccoli, more mature and experienced, could have a new opportunity as deputy Scamacca. Similar story for his peer Caleb Okoli, central defender who returned from loan from Frosinone (34 appearances): he could also go into retirement to play his cards as Hien’s reserve awaiting Scalvini’s return in January or February.
