The Chicago Fire announced Wednesday the long-rumored signing of Argentine attacking midfielder Sebastian Grazzini from All Boys of the Argentine Primera Division.
Early reaction to the signing of the midfielder affectionately known as "el Mágico”" is positive as Fire fans perhaps see in him the creative attacking presence the team has been lacking at times this season.
But he’s not necessarily a house hold name so I asked Mike Jeffries, Chicago Fire Director of Player Personnel, what he expects the Rosario product to add the club.
“Sebastian is a a creative player, a very good passer,” he said following Wednesday’s announcement. “In the final third he can see the penetrating pass. He’s quick with the ball at his feet and has a very good left foot in passing as well as being a capable finisher.”
That last part is something the team has desperately lacked. While the attack hasn’t been bad, the case of near misses and hitting the bar has been the most frustrating part about the Fire in 2011. The creativity isn’t necessarily lacking but a few more finishes would likely see the Fire higher up in the Eastern Conference.
Another case of missed opportunity this season has come on set pieces. Be it corner or free kicks, the Fire have found the back of the net just once in 23 matches from dead ball situations.
Jeffries touted the veteran midfielder’s set piece credentials saying, “Sebastian will give us a different look on dead balls as he can strike a pretty clean free kick as well.”
So he’s an attacking midfielder… Is he a number 10?
“He’s a player that’s different from what we have in terms of the creativity in the final third but he’s an honest player. He has a good work ethic, a good engine in terms of helping defend and chasing plays down. He’ll give us a different look in possessing the ball. In the final third we see him as someone that can see the penetrating pass a bit more quickly than previously or find a way of breaking down defenses when we’re playing against teams that have numbers back behind the ball and where we’ve had a bit of trouble this year.”
Wikipedia says…
Like most, the first thing I do when I hear of a new player signing which I’ve never heard of, somehow I end up on their Wikipedia page.
The bare bones of Grazzini’s page show him at nine different clubs since 2003, a sure flag raiser to those taking a simple, cursory glance at one’s career.
“[Bouncing around] those are always fair points. The guys that stay with one club all their life, stay with one club all their life for a reason. It ends up being that a lot of times we get players that have moved around a little bit. We’re not getting the guy from the Argentine first division that’s been with Boca Juniors for 10 years because he’s still a major contributor and those guys are tough to bring into the league.”
It’d be a mistake to forget all the players with sprucey looking resumes that have come to MLS and done nothing. Every club, including the Fire have those types in their past. Often times, the best foreign signings that come to the league are the ones that fly under the radar, but come hungry to prove themselves in a unique footballing environment.
While Grazzini has bounced around to a number of teams, it’s the last few years, upon his return to Argentina with Newell’s Old Boys, Racing Club and most recently, All Boys that has seemingly seen the veteran midfielder rediscover the form that got him a contract with Sevilla at the age of 22.
“I think when you look at guys for MLS, sometimes they have a little bit of that ‘not perfect resume,’” continued Jeffries. “That doesn’t take away from the fact that he’s a talented player that’s had success, even recently had success in the Argentine first division. For our league to bring some of those guys in is a plus, it’s a very good pedigree.”
So just like Diego Chaves, who funnily enough took on the title of “Striker X” after what seemed to be a drawn out signing during preseason, the Fire will welcome Grazzini into town later this week, with the attacker eligible to play after Friday and upon receipt of his International Transfer Certificate.
Jeff Crandall is the Team Writer for the Chicago Fire. Follow him on Twitter @JefeCrandall.
