After months of probable speculation, Atalanta have officially announced the permanent signing of mid-fielder Mario Pasalic. With a flair for the dramatic, Super Mario will continue to provide effective attacking proficiency plus a great nose for goal with his excellently timed runs into the box.
The deal looks to be for 15M Euros, signing him away from Premier League stalwart Chelsea. While Mario has been a mainstay in the La Dea starting XI for awhile now, I feel great for Mario that he finally has been able to find a permanent home after riding the loan train for years under Chelsea. With him, Gomez, and Ilicic providing the attack up front, they should continue to bring fear into their Serie A opponents for at least the next few years.
While the deal shows Atalanta’s faith in Pasalic, something inside of me still feels that this was a deal that goes beyond success on the pitch. Mario, being a former Premier League player (although he never played a game), for Chelsea nonetheless, this deal still screams of turning him around to a desperate Premier League team in one or two years time for a handsome profit. They’ve shown the propoensity to flip midfielders in the past (Kessie, Gagliardini), and with de Roon, and Freuler not going anywhere, plus with the rumor that Gagliardini could be coming back home, it may be a game of who’s the odd man out. And fairly or unfairly, the fact that Pasalic will always be tied to Chelsea, it makes him the perfect carrot to dangle in front of a team needing a midfielder in a pinch. He’s a classic Newcastle or Aston Villa overpay in my mind for some reason….. Only time will tell.
I don’t want to sound like a huge Debby Downer, so I really hope he does stay. After the Sassuolo game, he showed some footwork I’ve never seen from him before, and it really seems like he is blossoming under Atalanta and Gasperini. Let’s hope his strong run of form can continue on, and he continues to strengthen his penchant for the perfectly timed run on the end of a Papu cross. Welcome, officially, to La Dea, Mario, and keep on doing what you’re doing!
