Barcelona: Could Patrick Cutrone and Andrea Belotti be options up front?

Andrea Belotti or Patrick Cutrone: Who is the better option for Barcelona?

Italian football hadn’t seen the rise of a top forward until 2016, when Andrea Belotti broke into the picture for the national team with his consistently good performances for Torino. But in a year, he would be challenged by a product of one of the greatest football academies in the world, AC Milan.

Patrick Cutrone had been groomed under Filippo Inzaghi, who is considered as one of the greatest forwards in the modern era, in the Primavera team before he was called up to the first team squad by Vincenzo Montella.

Cutrone responded to his promotion with an impressive return of 18 goals in 46 appearances in all competitions. He solidified his spot in the Milan first-team, relegating big-money signing André Silva to the bench, and was a factor in his departure.

But Andrea Belotti was not quiet either. In his 113 appearances for Torino, the 24-year old centre forward has scored 56 goals, which is basically a goal every other game. But as Barcelona search for a successor to Luis Suárez, are these two starlets candidates?

Andrea Belotti is very similar to Luis Suárez in terms of his style of play, which reminds people of Ronaldo. Belotti possesses a lot of pace, bulldozes past defenders and is an aerial threat, but is not much of a dribbler, despite being a highly clinical finisher.

The 24-year old Torino man is two-footed, unlike Suárez and has the ability to beat the offside trap. He is one of the most prolific strikers in Europe, and has a lot of potential. Belotti would a direct replacement if he ever succeeded Suárez in the Barça first-team.

Patrick Cutrone, on the other hand, is a classic No.9. He is a silky dribbler, and can hold up the ball, and has the ability to shrug off defenders, much like Andrea Belotti. Cutrone can press the goalkeeper when required, and opposition defenders need to be very careful with him in the box.

The 20-year old Italy international is also a good header of the ball, but his passing needs a lot of work, as does his work rate. Cutrone is like Wayne Rooney in some regards. The youngster prefers to take an opportunity himself than pass it to someone else in a better position.

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In that respect, he is different from Luis Suárez, who likes to initiate plays by passing it to a teammate, most often Lionel Messi, and makes runs into the box. Patrick Cutrone is also a tad inexperienced, having not played much international football.

Undoubtedly, Andrea Belotti will cost the club a lot more than Patrick Cutrone, mostly for the reason that the he is in demand across Europe. But he is the better option by far, despite being older than Cutrone.

Belotti shares many traits with Luis Suárez, and despite his inexperience on the continental level, he has the potential to be one of the best forwards in the world. He has already been set on that path, unlike Patrick Cutrone, who also has the same potential.

If he joined Barcelona, Andrea Belotti could set the La Liga on fire with his performances and adapt straight away. But if Cutrone joined, he would need time to adapt. Both possess the same ability, but Belotti will be able to fire before Cutrone.

So, Éric Abidal should also consider Andrea Belotti as an option, alongside the likes of Roberto Firmino and Timo Werner, who are firmly established as the best centre forwards in Europe.