{"id":423858,"date":"2011-05-14T11:34:00","date_gmt":"2011-05-14T11:34:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ghanamma.net\/2011\/05\/14\/why-arsenal-juventus-and-more-are-watching-lorient-%e2%80%93-the-stunning-partnership-of-kevin-gameiro-and-morgan-amalfitano\/"},"modified":"2011-05-14T11:34:00","modified_gmt":"2011-05-14T11:34:00","slug":"why-arsenal-juventus-and-more-are-watching-lorient-the-stunning-partnership-of-kevin-gameiro-and-morgan-amalfitano","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/05\/14\/why-arsenal-juventus-and-more-are-watching-lorient-the-stunning-partnership-of-kevin-gameiro-and-morgan-amalfitano\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Arsenal, Juventus and more are watching Lorient \u2013 the stunning partnership of Kevin Gameiro and Morgan Amalfitano"},"content":{"rendered":"

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14 May 2011 12:34:00<\/h4>\n<\/p>\n
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Related Links<\/h4>\n

Teams<\/h4>\n

Players<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n

COMMENT
By Robin Bairner<\/strong><\/p>\n

The names of Morgan Amalfitano and Kevin Gameiro would not immediately spring to mind when considering European football’s most dynamic attacking partnerships but the Lorient duo have been lighting up Ligue 1 all season long.<\/p>\n

Statistics published earlier this week in France Football<\/em> tell their own story. Mesut Ozil has made 11 assists for Cristiano Ronaldo this season, the most that any single player has set up for one specific team-mate. Following hot on the Real Madrid pair\u2019s heels are Barcelona duo Lionel Messi and David Villa \u2013 the Argentine having fed his Spanish counterpart seven times – but directly behind these two partnerships for the ages are Amalfitano and Gameiro.<\/p>\n

In this combination, it’s Amalfitano who plays the role of Ozil \u2013 the astute No.10 \u2013 and it\u2019s Gameiro who tends to capture the headlines as the goalscorer. The 24-year-old is a fully fledged France international and will command a fee that could run into eight figures this summer.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have the same style as David Villa; small and mobile, capable of playing deep without being selfish,\u201d the 5ft 7in attacker explained to the media back in March, summing up the kind of contribution that fans of his destination club \u2013 whoever that may be \u2013 can expect from him.<\/p>\n

And the attacker is not being big-headed by comparing himself to the Barca goal-getter. Of similar build to Villa, Gameiro provides the all-round input that \u2018El Guaje\u2019 has built his career upon.<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
EUROPE’S TOP THREE COMBINATIONS
<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n
Players (scorer second)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ozil to Ronaldo
Messi to Villa
Amalfitano to Gameiro<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

Assists<\/p>\n

11
8
7<\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Fittingly, it\u2019s Valencia, a former club of the Spain international striker, who are one of the sides hottest on his trail, though there have also been reports that Villarreal and Sevilla, two of the other top clubs in the Primera Division, are interested in his services too. From England, Arsenal and Tottenham are amongst those reputed to be taking note.<\/p>\n

Though still with Lorient, Gameiro is now a name known around Europe, if not by face, at least by reputation. On the other hand, Amalfitano is a player largely unknown outside France, yet he has the potential to be a real gem of an acquisition.<\/p>\n

Available on a free transfer, creative midfielder Amalfitano has already announced his decision to leave the Breton port town in the summer, with Juventus, and more recently the Gunners and Aston Villa, linked with his signing.<\/p>\n

Able to operate as a genuine playmaker, on the right flank or even in a front two, the 26-year-old\u2019s play this season has been marked with great intelligence and some wonderful technique. While goals have flown on a steady basis, so too have the assists, and it is the perceptive distribution of the Nice-born player that allows him to stand out in a Lorient side adept at playing quick passing football of a kind unrivalled in France.<\/p>\n

The dynamo of les Merlus, he is a player who has flourished relatively late in his career. Already in his mid-20s, it\u2019s only been in the last couple of campaigns that the Cannes youth, who has never played for his country at any level, really captured some deserved critical acclaim.<\/p>\n

Although his form has been irreproachable over the last 12 months, Amalfitano\u2019s signature would still be seen as something of a gamble by a top European side simply because he has yet to prove himself either on the continent or with les Bleus. With a forward on his wavelength like Gameiro, Lorient\u2019s prompter looks like a star in the making, but he\u2019s yet to make such a meaningful transition in his career, and the step to another league will simply mean the jump to a bigger club will be made all the greater.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2010-11 LIGUE 1 STATISTICS
<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n\n\n
35<\/td>\nAPPEARANCES<\/strong><\/td>\n33<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
5<\/td>\nGOALS
<\/strong><\/td>\n		20<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
10<\/td>\nASSISTS<\/strong><\/td>\n3<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

\nEven though many of the clubs linked with one of these players have been linked with the other \u2013 testament to the implicit understanding between the two – the likelihood is that they will be separated this summer, and it is a move that will require careful consideration as this switch will either make or break their respective careers.<\/p>\n

Though the split is just around the corner, both Amalfitano and Gameiro will feel they owe something of a debt to Lorient, who have acted as a terrific springboard. As the last three games of the French season loom, they can still pay Christian Gourcuff\u2019s amiable side back to some extent by reaching the Europa League.<\/p>\n

In order to achieve this goal, Marseille will likely have to be overcome on Sunday, but having gone unbeaten at the Stade du Moustoir since September, the two stars of the Breton club would be justified in going into the match confident of unseating the defending champions, claiming one last great scalp before moving on to bigger and hopefully better things.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

See the article here:
\nWhy Arsenal, Juventus and more are watching Lorient \u2013 the stunning partnership of Kevin Gameiro and Morgan Amalfitano<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

14 May 2011 12:34:00 Related Links Teams Players COMMENT By Robin Bairner The names of Morgan Amalfitano and Kevin Gameiro would not immediately spring to mind when considering European football’s most dynamic attacking partnerships but the Lorient duo have been lighting up Ligue 1 all season long. Statistics published earlier this week in France Football tell their own story. Mesut Ozil has made 11 assists for Cristiano Ronaldo this season, the most that any single player has set up for one specific team-mate. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":423782,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-423858","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-local-news"},"yoast_head":"\nWhy Arsenal, Juventus and more are watching Lorient \u2013 the stunning partnership of Kevin Gameiro and Morgan Amalfitano - Ghanamma.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/05\/14\/why-arsenal-juventus-and-more-are-watching-lorient-the-stunning-partnership-of-kevin-gameiro-and-morgan-amalfitano\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"Why Arsenal, Juventus and more are watching Lorient \u2013 the stunning partnership of Kevin Gameiro and Morgan Amalfitano - Ghanamma.com\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"14 May 2011 12:34:00 Related Links Teams Players COMMENT By Robin Bairner The names of Morgan Amalfitano and Kevin Gameiro would not immediately spring to mind when considering European football's most dynamic attacking partnerships but the Lorient duo have been lighting up Ligue 1 all season long. 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