There was a bit of a buzz around the Stadium of Light when the little Italian was signed from Juventus by Paolo Di Canio. For £6.6 million, Sunderland were thought to be getting a quality player at the peak of his ability, who could turn around the fortunes of a club so very close to going down last season. You can see why Giaccherini was hyped up a fair amount. He was a capped European winger who could cross and score goals and who had had a very good season at the Italian champions only a year before. The only slight issue would be whether he could adapt to the English game where many others, who have come from the Italian leagues, have struggled. To sum it all up, the only slight issue turned out to be the biggest issue. For a very short player, the physicality of the Premier League seems to have gotten the better of the little winger this year. Although he scored a headed goal against Southampton at the beginning of the season, only 1 more goal followed in 16 other games. He has been injured since the beginning of January and with Adam Johnson in superb form, it is hard to see Giaccherini getting back into the team on this form.