Sampdoria lost Manolo Gabbiadini for the rest of the season due to injury and quickly replaced him with Sebastian Giovinco. The striker suffered a torn ACL in the most recent game versus Sassuolo, and he will undergo surgery soon.
Gabbiadini had been their most consistent center-forward up to this point. The Blucerchiati added an offensive weapon in January, Vladyslav Supryaha, but opted to bring in a free agent as well.
According to Tuttosport, Giovinco has already penned a six-month contract with Sampdoria. The club will formally announce it soon. He will earn €500k until June, plus bonuses related to his performances. The 35-year-old told La Gazzetta dello Sport: “I am pleased to return to Serie A. There are a few players I am already familiar with and esteem here, starting with Fabio Quagliarella. I am ready to contribute.”
The Formica Atomica has played abroad since 2015 when he joined Toronto FC. He later transferred to Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia in January 2019. He has been without a team since last August and was eager to return to Italy. Another stint at Parma had emerged as a possibility for Giovinco, as he admitted in an interview before Sampdoria approached him following Gabbiadini’s major injury.
The attacker previously played at Empoli and Juventus, on top of the Ducali, in the Peninsula. He has tallied 40 goals, and 38 assists in 190 Serie A matches. He recently voiced his partial regret about moving to the MLS in some recent remarks about Lorenzo Insigne, who is going to Canada.