£1.5m Birmingham City deal which received “bomb squad” approach was a disappointment

admin | April 21, 2024 | Other Clubs | No Comments

Diego Fabbrini has sunk into football obscurity, having played in the Champions League and Serie C.

In 2012, thirty years after Italy won the World Cup in 1982, the Azzurri played a friendly against Roy Hodgson’s England in Bern to commemorate the country’s 3-1 victory against West Germany. With time running out and his team behind 2-1, Fabbrini, then one of Serie A’s most promising young players and an established Udinese starter, came off the bench to make his international debut.

At the time, Fabbrini’s debut in Italy appeared to be the first of many. During his excellent breakout season as a teenager at Empoli, the national press dubbed the offensive midfielder the ‘Italian Kaka’. A decade ago, Fabbrini was Italy’s next rising star, poised for a prosperous career at the highest level. However, he failed to duplicate the Brazilian Ballon d’Or winner, and after a poor season-long loan spell at Palermo, he joined Championship team Watford in 2013.

Fabbrini’s presence on English soil was underwhelming. Only two years ago, the dynamic attacker was Serie A’s top prospect. With no clear ceiling, he has become a perennial presence in the transfer conversation, having been connected with Premier League clubs Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur.

However, the euphoria surrounding the Italian international quickly subsided. There would be no huge money move for Fabbrini, no media circus, and no celebrations when he arrived. He signed as part of a massive influx from Watford’s sister club, Udinese, when the Pozzo group reshuffled their players in preparation for promotion from the second tier.

At 22, Fabbrini had the opportunity to restart his stalled career, but he failed to impress during his time at Watford. Unable to break into the starting lineup, the attacker was loaned out on many occasions to try to regain form. A two-month spell with Millwall followed a brief stay with Italian club Sienna. With his career at a crossroads, the attacker joined Birmingham City on an emergency loan transfer, where he made an immediate impact, starring in the club’s 2015 derby win against Wolves.

The saga of getting Fabbrini to Birmingham

It took only five games for Fabbrini to persuade Birmingham of his abilities. Once again in limbo, the Italian joined the Blues at the end of the 2014/15 Championship season, hoping to establish himself as a valuable player worth signing in the summer transfer window.

Before joining Birmingham, Fabbrini had struggled for security and consistency at his previous teams. Gary Rowett, on the other hand, possessed a plethora of these traits. During his brief time at St Andrew’s, the skillful forward was allowed the freedom to be creative, displaying the inherent flair that had pushed him to prominence when playing for Udinese.

However, when it came to make the £1.5 million transfer to the West Midlands club permanent, Birmingham were briefly thwarted by Championship rivals Middlesbrough, who secured the Italian on loan from parent club Watford.

During his time on Teesside, the dynamic attacker became a fixture in Aitor Karanka’s side. The Italian scored six league goals in 17 appearances for the club. Fabbrini was resurgent after regaining the goal-scoring talent he had lost while in England.

Despite their top transfer target’s success in the North East, Birmingham remained dedicated to signing Fabbrini. The club’s attempt to get the Italian back to St Andrew’s was successful, as the 25-year-old secured a permanent contract midway through the season. At the time, the player’s £1.5 million cost was the Blues’ first seven-figure investment in five years. Finally, the failure of Fabbrini’s second stint has become indicative of Birmingham’s recent incapacity to meet lofty goals.

Fabbrini’s decline to the Birmingham ‘Bomb Squad’

In 2018, Fabbrini completed a long-awaited transfer to Romanian club FC Botoșani, ending his exile from the Birmingham playing group. Following the Italian’s permanent signing for the Blues, it is difficult to imagine the attacker being demoted to the U23s.

However, in a terrible second tenure with the club, Fabbrini only appeared 23 times as he was unable to break into the starting lineup under any of Birmingham’s five managers. The energetic attacker had hoped for continuity upon his arrival, but was loaned out to Spezia and then Real Oviedo before leaving.

A lack of savvy investment and a high turnover of first-team management resulted in the formation of the Birmingham ‘bomb squad’- contractual players who were cut out of the first-team picture and forced to move away. Gary Monk was tasked with successfully defusing the ‘bomb squad’ as part of a major reform in 2018. Fabbrini was one of the players who left after being booted from the senior team.

During his second spell with Birmingham, the former Empoli player had numerous opportunities to impress various coaches and re-establish himself in the first-team fold. According to reports, Fabbrini squandered a fresh start by disappointing new boss Harry Redknapp during pre-season ahead of the 2017/18 season. Finally, at various periods in his career, the Italian has demonstrated the ability to produce at a high level that is appealing to top-tier organizations. However, Fabbrini was a disappointment due to his inconsistency: a player who, at times, promised so much but, on the whole, failed to realize his potential and produce consistently.

Fabbrini Post-Birmingham

Fabbrini struggled to progress in professional football after leaving Birmingham. However, the Italian’s seven-year absence from European football would come to an end in the 2019/20 season when he joined Bulgarian club CSKA Sofia. Fabbrini played throughout the team’s Europa League group stage campaign.

After leaving CSKA Sofia, the Italian spent two seasons at Romanian club Dinamo Bucuresti before returning to Italy and bouncing around the lower leagues. The attacker, who was apparently set for a big money move to the Premier League, has left the professional game without reaching the peak.

Birmingham fans will want to let memories of their seven-figure outlay fade away. In exiling ‘The Italian Kaka’, the club cut their losses on a potential star that proved to be a letdown.