Everyone’s heard the news by now. Robin Gosens is off to Inter Milan, where he’ll bolster an already insanely loaded lineup in the Lombardian capital. My favorite robins are again those of the North American variety that always linger around my backyard, but for someone reason ignore the bird feeder I set up for them. Oh well, on both fronts…
It was always inevitable that Gosens would eventually move on from the sleepy confines of Bergamo; however, it is a surprise how abruptly it happened. With Atalanta in the middle of a Top 4 title race, questions can be raised about why Atalanta decided to move on from one of its most coveted assets across Europe. But instead of fostering negativity around the move, let’s glean some positivity for the matter. New guys are going to continue to get their chances, and Atalanta still made 25x on its original deal to purchase the German for Heracles.
It would be unfair to not once more celebrate Gosens’s palmares in an Atalanta shirt. With 28 combined goals and 20 assists across all competitions, his nose around the goal is unparalleled and is probably an output that is impossible to replace with just one player. Give me one fullback or wingback that has a nose for goal, and I’ll take Gosens over him any day of the week (looking at you Theo)! He’s a one-of-a-kind wingback on the left, and it would be disingenuous to assume anyone could replace him. I wish him the best, and hope he can eventually lead Schalke to a Bundesliga title.
New Opportunities for Young Players
Nonetheless, looking at Atalanta’s current roster it makes it easier to see why Atalanta was able to cut ties early with the German. Atalanta still has four more than capable wingbacks (three of whom can play on the left). Giuseppe Pezzella and Joakim Maehle have certainly stepped their games up as of late, and Mario Pasalic – while not a wingback – has taken up a lot of goal scoring duties usually left for Gosens to clean up on the left side of the penalty box. And how could we not forget Jeremie Boga, the newly minted prize from Sassuolo, streaking down the left-hand side causing his own havoc? There’s a lot to still be excited about, and if Giuseppe Pezzella’s recent ascent is a sign of his future floor as a player, the move stings even less for Atalanta.
Depth Is Still King in Bergamo
As instrumental as Robin Gosens had been to the current Atalanta setup, one cannot look at the matches he has missed and conclude that La Dea has been noticeably worse because of his absence. Gosens had not played in Serie A for Atalanta since September 25 (matchday 6). He had gone on to miss 16 games for Atalanta, and in the that time span, Atalanta still has earned the 4th most points in the league, with an opportunity to have clinched the 2nd most points if its match against Torino did not bet postponed. Hardly a drop in team performance. As it goes in Bergamo, one guy goes down and it’s the next man up. Joakim Maehle and Giuseppe Pezzella may not score the goals that Gosens does, but there’s very little they do wrong on the left flank.
A Quick Word on the Transfer Price
The rumored transfer price is currently 25 million euros with some bonuses attached. This seems shockingly low for a player that had a price tag 10 to 15 million euros higher last summer. Unfortunately because of Gosens’s injury, management got beat by the infamous Branch Rickey quote: “Trade a player a year too early rather than a year too late.” In this case Atalanta looks to be splitting the difference and selling him midyear. The truth is, no one outside of the Atalanta and Inter medical rooms knows Gosens’s true condition right now. Hamstring injuries are no joke! Its quite possible Gosens would not have suited up for Atalanta for one or two more months, giving him 6 weeks to rebuild his value for a sale next summer. The 25-million-euro transfer may be the safe play rather than having him dwindle down to a 10–15-million-euro player. Oppositely, Atalanta missed out on the opportunity of him returning to storming form and becoming a 40-million-euro player again. Who knows what the right call is, but Atalanta looks to have played the safe bet. A smart one at that, when you must abide to a budget unlike the make-believe money most of Europe’s elite clubs play with.
All in all, it will be impossible to not miss Robin Gosens. He made everyone rethink what a wingback can actually accomplish on the pitch and forged an offensive path from the flank that few will ever be able to follow and recreate. Its great that we got to witness him blossom into a world-class player in Bergamo, and I wish him nothing but the best! Grazie per tutti, Robin!
