Reggina want Bangu on loan again

So here’s a full disclosure: I think that Andy Bangu is going to be a superstar. He may be my favorite youth player in the Fiorentina ranks. He was a dynamo for the Primavera and he impressed quite a bit with Reggina last year. He’s a powerful figure in the middle of the pitch who charges forward on the ball like a rhino, but he’s got fantastic dribbling technique, good vision, and solid defensive instincts. But more than that, he’s got a truly remarkable eye for goal and worms his way into creases in the defense all the time. He’s awesome.

And yeah, normally it isn’t huge news when a Lega Pro team asks for 19-year-old on loan, but this is Andy Bangu, so I’m making it huge news. He made 35 appearances for the Amaranti last season and scored 6 goals, good for second on the team. Perhaps more impressively, the club wants him back even after sacking manager Karel Zeman (yes, Zdenek’s son), who turned the dynamic midfielder into one of his focal points.

With all due respect to Reggina, though, Andy’s ready for a bigger challenge. I’d love to see what he can do in Serie B, because he could certainly handle the challenge. (For the record, I’m not the only one who thinks so; several Serie B clubs are reportedly lining up for him as well.) It’d also be nice to see him play more often, as finding Lega Pro games online can be tricky. But more than anything, it’s time to turn the Congolese loose and watch him cook. Because Andy Bangu is going to be a star, and now I have an excuse to post some of his highlights.

Here are some of his best moments with the Primavera from a couple of years ago.

More recently, here he is starting and finishing a goal against Vibonese in the Coppa Italia.

Maybe you’d like to see him closing down a defender, pouncing on an error, and coolly rounding the keeper.

Perhaps the most representative of his goals this year was this one against Juve Stabia, in which he motored forward, picked up possession on the edge of the area, held off a defender or two, and powered it home.

And finally, here’s audio of him and Cedric Gondo, er, singing? Rapping? Doing something, at least, with their not-quite hit song “Nino.”

ANDY BANGU ROCKS.