Marcello Trotta

Marcello Trotta (born 29 September 1992) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a striker for club Brindisi.

Born in Santa Maria Capua Vetere, Italy, Trotta began his career in the youth team at Serie A club Napoli and decided to leave to experience "a new culture, a new language, a new type of football" in England.

He joined the academy at Premier League club Manchester City in 2008.

The club described him as one of the club's brightest young talents, with his skill and ruthlessness in front of goal.

He only lasted three months with the club.

Trotta signed a professional contract with Premier League club Fulham in September 2009.

He made six appearances in the Premier Reserve League South during the 2009–10 season and scored two goals.

He received his first call up to the first team for a Europa League qualifying match versus Crusaders on 21 July 2011, where he was an unused substitute for a 4–0 win.

Trotta made two senior appearances during the 2011–12 season and also clocked up 14 Premier Reserve League South appearances, scoring 15 goals.

He netted five times in a 7–0 thrashing of Bolton Wanderers on 30 August and scored four in a 6–2 win over Norwich City on 4 October.

Trotta moved on an initial one-month loan to League One club Wycombe Wanderers on 24 November 2011 and scored on his debut against Milton Keynes Dons in a 4–3 loss.

He scored in the following fixture against Chesterfield on 20 December and again in the next fixture, away at Carlisle.

He made his first senior appearance for Fulham in a 2–1 FA Cup fourth round defeat to Everton on 27 January 2012.

He replaced Danny Murphy after 87 minutes.

In the days after the game, Trotta was the subject of loan attention from Scottish Premier League club Rangers as a replacement for Nikica Jelavić, but a deal never materialised.

After featuring as an unused substitute through the latter months of the 2011–12 season, Trotta made his Premier League debut in Fulham's away match against Bolton Wanderers on 7 April 2012.

He was brought on for Alex Kačaniklić after 88 minutes and almost scored a goal in the dying minutes of a comfortable 3–0 win for the Cottagers.

At the start of the 2012–13 season, Trotta signed a new deal which would keep him at Craven Cottage until the summer of 2015.

He was called into the first team squad on one occasion during the 2012–13 season, when he was an unused substitute for a 3–0 win over West Bromwich Albion on 15 September 2012.

He made six U21 Premier League appearances and scored three goals during the 2012–13 season.

Fulham confirmed that Trotta's loan had been extended until 14 January 2012 and on Boxing Day 2011 he scored a hat-trick (the first professional hat-trick of his career) against Exeter City in a 3–1 win.

After the match, Manager Gary Waddock labelled him a "goal-scoring machine" after Trotta took his tally to six goals in four games.

On 14 January 2012, Trotta netted a brace in Wycombe's 3–2 loss to Preston North End at Deepdale.

Despite being offered an extension, he ended his loan spell at Wycombe on 17 January 2012.

After his loan spell ended, Waddock insisted he had no hard feelings about Trotta choosing to test himself at a higher level.

Trotta made eight appearances for Wycombe and scored eight goals.

On 23 February 2012, Trotta joined Championship club Watford on a one-month youth loan.

He made his debut in a 3–0 league defeat to Southampton two days later.

He started the match and was brought off after 59 minutes for Joe Garner.

He was an unused substitute for the following three games and returned to Fulham after his loan expired having made only one appearance for the club.

In September 2013, he revealed that he would be interested in signing again for Napoli in the future if the opportunity arose, as England provided no new football at all.

Trotta made his only appearance of the 2013–14 season in a 1–0 U21 Premier League win over Middlesbrough on 16 August 2013, lasting 81 minutes before being substituted for Dino Islamović.

In September 2013, then-manager Martin Jol stated that Trotta is not "the finished article yet" and challenged him to "step up a gear and then maybe he can play for Fulham in the next couple of years".

In January 2014, Trotta was the subject of loan attention from a number of Italian Serie B clubs.

After returning to Craven Cottage on 4 May from his loan away from the club, new manager Felix Magath cast his eye over Trotta in training prior to the final Premier League match of the season against Crystal Palace, but the Italian failed to make the squad.

With the Cottagers playing in the Championship for the 2014–15 season, it was reported on 13 May that Trotta was keen to sit down for talks with Magath over his future.

The talks were subsequently postponed until June, casting further doubts over his future.

Those doubts were confirmed when Trotta submitted a transfer request on 3 June.

He failed to receive a first team call under Magath or his successor Kit Symons and departed Craven Cottage on 9 January 2015.

He made just three senior appearances in five years at Craven Cottage.