Young Italian Defender Snubs Manchester United, Arsenal and Brighton

It has been no secret that Brighton has struggled with defensive options, with multiple defenders having picked up injuries. At centre back, Brighton have had to rely on midfielder Carlos Baleba and the inexperienced Eiran Joe Cashin to fill in. Lewis Dunk, Jan Paul van Hecke, Igor Julio, Adam Webster and Joel Veltman have all missed substantial parts of the season due to injury. This makes centre back an obvious option for improvement going into next season, with young Italian defender Pietro Comuzzo on the Seagulls’ radar.

Brighton Among Clubs Interested In Centre Back Pietro Comuzzo

Why Have Top Clubs Been Linked To Pietro Comuzzo

The Italian defender has burst onto the scene this season for Fiorentina. Having made his debut in the previous season, Comuzzo has starred across numerous positions in the back three. He has made 41 appearances this season, starting in 32 of them. Despite only being 20, he is comfortable and composed on the ball. He is also very physical, using that to his advantage when winning the ball back for his team. These attributes have earned him a call-up to the Italian squad.

La Gazetta dello Sport have claimed that Comuzzo’s ‘looks like a 30-year-old’ when playing. It shows how mature he is for his age. Another reason why many of the best teams want him. 

Fiorentina head coach Raffaele Palladino has praised his defender: “I call him ‘soldier’ because he is like that in everything he does. A great defender, I agree with Spalletti. He has a talent for stopping opponents in individual duels. Now comes the difficult part: they no longer face him as a young player but as a national team player.”

Teams May Have To Bide Their Time

Despite this, TBR Football chief correspondent Graeme Bailey has reported that Comuzzo has committed his long-term future to Fiorentina. He will be playing his football in Italy until 203o if he sees out his contract, showing how much faith Palladino has in the defender. 

This news will come as a huge blow to teams like Brighton. They have been keeping tabs on the defender ahead of this summer transfer window, but may have to wait longer than expected to get a deal over the line. Other clubs such as Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United and Newcastle were also linked.