COP or DROP: Lautaro Martínez x Inter

Item: Lautaro Martínez

Brand: Inter FC

Release: 22/08/1997

Made in: Argentina

Price: €25M 

Lautaro Martínez is the big hope of 2018/19 Inter Milan. The expectations are high upon the striker that will team up with captain Mauro Icardi and that could be the key for the winning of the Scudetto and you triumph at fantasy football. In Argentina, they call him ‘El Toro’, both for his physique but especially for his garra and devotion that he puts into his game. Inter bought him for almost €25M from Racing Avellaneda, and Lautaro is coming from a hot summer: there were many critics for his calling on the national team replacing Mauro Icardi himself but in the end, he never got called for the World Cup by Sampaoli.

2018/19 Inter is probably the most improved club in Serie A than last season: De Vrij, Asamoah, and Vrsaljko on defense, Nainggolan in the midfield and Lautaro on front. If the other signings will have to assure a safe performance, Lautaro can be the extra quid for Inter even if many people are ready to bet on his failure, repeating the old “Europe is not South America” saying. To better understand which kind of expectations we should have for El Toro, we imagined three scenarios for the kid from Bahía Blanca.

Best Case Scenario: Kun Agüero

The expectations are so high: Lautaro is unanimously considered as the best young Argentinian striker. A title that he has earned on and off the pitch, and many - just like Diego Milito - have praised his mental attitude and craft in training. Lautaro’s figure is strong and compact, giving him a huge quickness of execution and that’s why he has almost been unstoppable. That’s why the new Inter strikers in very similar to Agüero, especially the version of the Kun that we saw in his years at Atletico Madrid.

Worst Case Scenario: Gabigol

The last time that Inter brought a young striker from South America - with so many expectations and millions - you all know how it ended. Gabigol’s parabola has reached some pikes of unconscious comicality that the first goal scored against Bologna has become the event of the year for Serie A anti-nostalgic supporters. Lautaro could look like the Gabigol 2.0, but we’re pretty sure that he will be able to avoid this scenario, at least if Spalletti will be able to find him a right position on the pitch. 

Expected Scenario: Claudio 'El Piojo' Lopèz

Do you remember him, don’t you? He played for Lazio between 2000 and 2004, alternating some amazing performances to desaparecido weeks. We’re not discussing his talents, at all, but we have some questions about his performances in the long term and his continuity. In his favor, he has the high opinion that every coach and teammate have of him, as he is pointed by everyone as a serious professional. We still have to wait and see if and how Luciano Spalletti will consider him as part of the starting XI. We’re still buying him at fantasy football.

Curiosities

In an interview of a couple of years ago with an Argentinian newspaper, Lautaro confessed he almost never sees European football on tv, knowing only Messi and Ronaldo. “When I am at home, I prefer to watch a basketball game.” We believe him, as he was born in Bahía Blanca, where also Manu Ginobili is from.