Italy coach Antonio Conte has included Graziano Pelle as part of the squad to face Azerbaijan and Malta on the 10th and 13th of October respectively.
The man from Lecce currently plies his trade in England under Dutch manager Ronald Koeman, as part of a Southampton side that is looking to rebuild after it’s overhaul this summer.
His series of blistering performances as of late have greatly assisted in this endeavour; he has thus far notched four goals and an assist in six Barclay’s Premier League starts for the Saints.
The forward’s most prolific goal scoring record currently stands as that of last year, when he netted twenty-three times in twenty-eight appearances for a Feyenoord side that was also managed by Koeman.
Pelle will contest for a spot in the starting line up for Italy alongside the likes of Borussia Dortmund’s Ciro Immobile and Inter Milan’s Pablo Daniel Osvaldo, among others.
His previous experience for Italy has been at the U20 and U21 levels; he played for both teams between 2004 and 2007, as well as the Italian Olympic team in 2008.
Conte announced the twenty-six names he had picked to represent the Azzurri on Saturday, naming three goalkeepers, five defenders, twelve midfielders, and six strikers.
The surprise omission of usual Italian forward Mario Balotelli makes Pelle’s inclusion that much more special.
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