He has divided opinion among West Ham fans but now Gianluca Scamacca has opened up on his depression struggles.
Fans were divided when West Ham gave up on Gianluca Scamacca after just one season.
Scamacca was sold to Atalanta in a deal worth up to £27.5m last summer.
Hammers boss David Moyes has taken a lot of stick over his handling of the 6ft 5in striker, who became the latest in a long line of forwards to struggle – for one reason or another – at West Ham.
The Irons paid an initial £30.5m to sign Scamacca from Sassuolo the summer before last. But he was sold to Atalanta for £3m less just one year later.
Scamacca’s move to West Ham simply did not work out as he or the Hammers would have hoped.
Scamacca struggles were seen as vindication for Moyes
But he has also struggled since returning home to Italy.
And that has been seen as a vindication of sorts for the manager’s decision to offload the 25-year-old.
A couple of months ago Atalanta’s respected manager Gian Piero Gasperini publicly slammed Scamacca suggesting he was lazy and had to work harder for the team.
But suggestions Scamacca may not care enough or has an attitude problem look wide of the mark.
Because ex West Ham striker Scamacca has admitted his depression at struggles after a big goal.
Atalanta boss suggested striker was ‘lazy’
Scamacca has started just 12 games for Atalanta in all competitions this season.
He has eight goals and three assists in 33 appearances.
The former Hammer got one of his biggest goals yet, though, as he struck an equaliser in a 1-1 draw away at Sporting in the Europa League last 16 on Wednesday night.
It might prove be a precious goal as Atalanta look to advance to the quarter-finals – where they could meet West Ham should they overcome Freiburg.
After the game Scamacca spoke candidly about a dark period of his career.
Ex Hammer shows he’s only human after important goal
“The liberation (for me) is more the performance than the goal,” Scamacca said, as transcribed from Pazzidifanta.
“If I play like this the goals arrive and I’m happy because I’m working. I hope to continue like this.
“It’s normal for attackers to go into depression when they don’t score. But I feel the trust of the coach and the club, the difficulties are overcome together.
“Three years ago at Genoa I scored four or five goals as a substitute, it’s all a question of (how you feel in) the head.”
We’re all human after all and footballers are not robots. In an age where it’s much less taboo to speak about mental health, it’s good to see Scamacca opening up on his struggles.
It may not have worked out for Scamacca at West Ham.
But nobody can ever take away the fact he scored some absolutely crucial – and quite brilliant – goals in tight games for the Hammers in Europe which helped the club on their way to a first major trophy for 43 years.
That’s more than many strikers have contributed to West Ham down the years.
He has all the attributes to be a really top level forward. Let’s hope for his sake he realises that potential.
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