{"id":48752,"date":"2023-12-21T08:00:49","date_gmt":"2023-12-21T13:00:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/?p=48752"},"modified":"2023-12-21T02:13:20","modified_gmt":"2023-12-21T07:13:20","slug":"italian-star-forward-federico-bernardeschi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/2023\/12\/21\/italian-star-forward-federico-bernardeschi\/","title":{"rendered":"An Italian Star Forward Could Leave Toronto FC"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Toronto FC has been blessed with many Italian players like Sebastian Giovinco and a player currently playing with TFC, Lorenzo Insigne. However, a player, who has arguably been their best player since arriving, Federico Bernardeschi, is thinking of moving away from TFC.<\/p>\n<h2>A Notable Italian Star Forward Might Leave for Europe<\/h2>\n<p>Normally, one would first look for sources when looking at a potential departure of player, let alone a star player. While meeting Bianconeri supporters, he was asked if he would return in January, Bernardeschi then replied with this statement (source: Lorenzo Bettoni of Football Italia):<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/football-italia.net\/bernardeschi-tells-fan-he-hopes-to-return-to-juventus-video\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u201cI hope so.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Even before that, he even expressed potential interest of coming back to Juventus F.C., this is what Bernardeschi said his playing time with TFC so far (source: Football Italia):<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was not like everyone expected, starting from the club. We have had many difficulties, there have been changes of coaches and probably it was the wrong project,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/football-italia.net\/bernardeschi-opens-door-to-his-juventus-return-as-toronto-probably-the-wrong-project\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the ex-Juventus winger told La Gazzetta dello Sport<\/a>.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Federico <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Bernardeschi?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#Bernardeschi<\/a> \ud83d\udde3\ufe0f: \u201cIts true that I want a move back to Serie A, we will see what happens\u201d (<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/sportmediaset?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@sportmediaset<\/a> ) <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/rLlBvjNrrr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/rLlBvjNrrr<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; \ud83c\udfa5 The AJC \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\ud83c\udff4 (@The_AJC_) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/The_AJC_\/status\/1737172645823557993?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">December 19, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>The source by Sports MediaSet means that things might still be moving forward. The one to first report this was <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/juven_xtra\/status\/1735603113350836623\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Calciomercato.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3>Reasons for Federico Bernardeschi Possibly Wanting to Move<\/h3>\n<p>The first reason that comes to mind that makes sense is the lack of success for TFC. This is what recently retired player Italian and LAFC player, Giorgio Chiellini, said (source: Adam Palermo of Waking The Red):<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/wakingthered.com\/2023\/12\/12\/13931\/lafcs-giorgio-chiellini-hopes-italy-teammates-lorenzo-insigne-federico-bernardeschi-can-redeem-themselves-after-struggles-at-toronto-fc\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u201cFederico had a small surgery at the end of last season; this season, he played better. But I think when you start to lose and lose and lose it\u2019s very hard to lift the spirit.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Another reason could be adjusting to a new culture and way of life, as recently retired player Italian and Los Angeles FC player, Chiellini, said (source: Adam Palermo of Waking The Red):<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re not just players; we\u2019re humans with families. It\u2019s a big move from Italy to here,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/wakingthered.com\/2023\/12\/12\/13931\/lafcs-giorgio-chiellini-hopes-italy-teammates-lorenzo-insigne-federico-bernardeschi-can-redeem-themselves-after-struggles-at-toronto-fc\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Chiellini stated<\/a>.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Giorgio Chiellini speaks with <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/EliasBurke?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@EliasBurke<\/a> on Fede and Insigne: \ud83d\udde3\ufe0f  \u201cI hope they can redeem themselves in the future, but I don\u2019t know what will happen next season.\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/TFCLive?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#TFCLive<\/a> <\/p>\n<p>\u201c\u2026In the right environment, and the right team, they could make a difference in this league.\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/OFSEOlevS8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/OFSEOlevS8<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Toronto FC News Outlet (@tfcnewsoutlet) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/tfcnewsoutlet\/status\/1734406907857678746?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">December 12, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Still, Chiellini believes both Bernardeschi and Lorenzo Insigne can make an impact in MLS. Chiellini probably knows best as he won the Euro 2020 alongside Bernardeschi and Insigne. However, whether that is with TFC or not remains to be seen.<\/p>\n<p><strong>READ MORE:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/2022\/09\/17\/federico-bernardeschi-toronto-fc\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Federico Bernardeschi: His Influence With Toronto FC<\/a><\/p>\n<h3>A Move for Federico Bernardeschi Is Not Certain<\/h3>\n<p><strong>READ MORE: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/2023\/08\/29\/analysis-john-herdman-toronto-fc\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Analysis: John Herdman Leaves the CanMNT for Toronto FC<\/a><\/p>\n<p>One thing that needs to be noted is that wanting a move does not necessarily mean a move is going to happen. His contract still goes up until 2026, and it also depends on his interest with Serie A. However, the fact that he publicly stated his potential departure from MLS, makes this a big possibility.<\/p>\n<p>Saying that, TFC will miss Bernardeschi\u2019s creativity in creating scoring chances for his teammates. He has also linked up well with Insigne. It felt like a lot of times though that those chances created by him were not taken advantage of. If he leaves, this will be something Toronto and head coach, John Herdman, will need to look for a potential Designated Player replacement.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Photo Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports, of a Federico Bernardeschi Headshot, on September 30, 2023.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Toronto FC has been blessed with many Italian players like Sebastian Giovinco and a player currently playing with TFC, Lorenzo Insigne. However, a player, who has arguably been their best player since arriving, Federico Bernardeschi, is thinking of moving away from TFC. A Notable Italian Star Forward Might Leave for Europe Normally, one would first [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3104,"featured_media":48755,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[119,5],"tags":[2473,1590,1678,1675],"class_list":["post-48752","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mls","category-tfc","tag-federico-bernardeschi","tag-italy","tag-juventus-f-c","tag-serie-a"],"modified_by":"Raheem Bashir, Site Manager","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48752","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3104"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48752"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48752\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48755"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48752"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48752"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48752"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}