If ever there was a breakthrough star in European football this year, it was 21 year old Argentine starlet Juan Iturbe. Not because he smashed an array of goals past unsuspecting goalkeepers at the World Cup - indeed, he didn't even receive a call-up to the squad - or because he finished top-scorer in one of the top European leagues - he has only ever scored once in Europe. The reason that this young faux-Paraguayan has burst forward into the media spotlight is because of his blockbuster £19 million move from FC Porto to AS Roma this summer. Dubbed 'the new Lionel Messi' by certain sections of the Argentine media, the diminutive forward is certainly one to watch. Anyway, he almost ended up at the Reebok Stadium two years ago, as Owen Coyle looked to have jumped the scouts by a couple of years to land the 18 year old whilst he was a relative unknown in Portugal. With Coyle having recently swapped Burnley for a Trotters side in complete freefall, he was charged with the task of reinventing their style of play, veering away from a stale, turgid brand, as they slunk towards the foot of the table. Having stabilised the club and added his own flavour, he was intent on signing 'the next Messi' within two years of his arrival, which would have gone some way to finally banishing the nightmarish memories of Gary Megson. With Porto not interested in a permanent move, Bolton began to engage in preliminary talks regarding a loan move for the teenage starlet, but unfortunately for the Trotters, they never amounted to anything.
Recent Journalism & New Media graduate. Insatiable thirst for all things football, and hopes to break into the field of sports journalism in the near future.
Have made a significantly insignificant playing career out of receiving several slaps around the head for not passing the ball.
