It wasn't that long ago that Gianluca Scamacca seemed destined to be just another name on that very long list of failed West Ham strikers.
Off and on after a year in East London with teammates accusing him of not being a fighter and representatives terminating his deal due to a lack of confidence.
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It seemed like a long way back.
But with West Ham As they face the end of their three-year European journey, Scamacca has left Stratford and moved on – now one step away from the Europa League final in Dublin.
Scamacca joined the Hammers almost two years ago in a £30.5million deal from Sassuolo.
There was initial hope behind the scenes, the Italian had looked impressive in training David Moyes and his coaches were surprised by some of his finishing.
But it never really translated into English football.
He saw success in Europe, scoring three goals in seven Europe Conference League performances as the Hammers lifted the trophy in Prague.
But there were only three in 16 Premier League games before a knee injury prematurely curtailed Scamacca's only season.
Just like Sébastien Haller, Luke Perez And Javier Hernández before him, the confident striker was added to the scrap heap of West Ham attackers, having been sold to Atalanta for £27 million last summer.
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There were reasons for his struggle. Scamacca arrived late in the window, missed a very important pre-season at his new club and said he played most of the season with a broken meniscus before finally giving in and undergoing surgery.
But there were also problems everywhere. Michael Antonio publicly stated that his rival for centre-forward did not suit Moyes' style and that he was not a fighter.
Scamacca was dropped by the agency that had secured him a move to the Premier League, with the World Soccer Agency brutally stating “there was no longer the trust necessary for a healthy professional relationship.”
It all pointed to a move and the end of his time at West Ham, although there were problems there too. In an interview last summer in Italy, when he was still a West Ham player, Scamacca spoke about a possible move to the club Roma and how Jose Mourinho would 'stimulate' him more as a manager.
Moyes must have enjoyed reading that.
There have also been problems at international level. Scamacca has 15 caps for Italy and has conceded one goal Englandbut was dropped from the final squad after staying all night on PlayStation ahead of a crucial European Championship qualifier against Ukraine in November.
Boss Luciano Spalletti said: “If someone wants to waste their time, that's their choice. But don't join my national team.”
However, things seem to have taken a turn for the worse.
Scamacca helped down Liverpool to reach the last four of the Europa League, where Atalanta are 1-1 from the first leg against Marseille, in which he scored the opener.
Spalletti's tough love seems to have worked. Only since March 6 Cole Palmer And Harry Kane have been more productive in Europe than the striker, who has scored ten goals in all competitions.
Not only does he look destined for a special end to the season domestically, but he is also on course to return to the international squad ahead of Euro 2024.
