Fans were left amused, defensive and everything else after Aston Villa and Italy forward Nicolo Zaniolo was accused of having ‘no significant strengths’ by WhoScored.
The 24-year-old joined the Villans in the summer transfer window from Galatasaray on a €5m loan deal with a €27m conditional obligation to buy clause attached. He had spent just six months in Turkey following his forced move away from Roma in the January window.
Zaniolo has not started the season for Aston Villa particularly well, failing to directly contribute to a single goal across his 16 total appearances so far.
In the meantime, he’s also been forced to defend himself to prosecutors after having a minor role in the recent Serie A betting scandal, placing bets on unregulated platforms.
WhoScored.com, one of the world’s leading football statistic outlets, sparked amusement and controversy after posting Zaniolo’s ‘player characteristics’, which read that he had ‘no significant strengths’ and a long list of weaknesses including passing, finishing and defensive work.
Fan reaction was divided, with many poking fun at the Italian forward and others rushing to his defence.