Former Fulham FC prodigy showed Brentford potential but faded into obscurity | OneFootball

Marcello Trotta was once one of the most exciting strikers in the EFL, but he now plays in Italy's Serie C.

Marcello Trotta was once a very exciting prospect in the Fulham academy, having spent time in the youth ranks at Napoli and Manchester City.

The attacker's name will likely ring a bell with EFL fans, as a bit of a blast from the past.

It's been over ten years since Trotta set foot on a professional pitch in England, which is crazy to think after his strong emergence onto the scene.

Despite his failure to make it at Craven Cottage, the Italian certainly made his impact on English football before returning to his native country. A goal machine in League One, the young forward looked to be on a path to success at the pinnacle of the English game. However, that wouldn't be the case, as he made just one single Premier League appearance in his entire career.

Since his return to Italy, Trotta has enjoyed some successful spells at different clubs but has gained himself a bit of a journeyman reputation. Currently, the ex-Fulham prodigy is now playing for Serie C outfit, SS Turris Calcio. Now 32, Trotta is approaching the twilight of his career, and will surely wonder what could've been had he continued the consistency he showed in his early years in the EFL.

Trotta showed promise in Brentford loans

The forward put himself on the map after making his Premier League debut for the Cottagers in early 2012. Before that, he'd been at Wycombe Wanderers on an initial one-month loan deal. He became somewhat of a cult hero at Adams Park, scoring eight goals in eight matches, including a hat-trick against Exeter City. He was offered the chance to stay in Buckinghamshire but rejected the opportunity in favour of testing himself at a higher level.

The following season would see the Italian catch the eye in the EFL, as he joined Fulham's London rivals, Brentford, on loan. A memorable goal in a 2-2 FA Cup draw against Chelsea was one of the highlights of this first stint at Griffin Park. However, his time at the club would be overshadowed by an incident that ultimately cost the Bees automatic promotion to the Championship. Trotta's side needed to beat Doncaster Rovers to secure a place in the second tier and were awarded a penalty with the score at 0-0 in the 94th minute.

Defender, Kevin O'Connor, was Uwe Rosler's designated penalty taker, but the loanee had other ideas. Trotta wrestled the ball from the grasp of the Brentford legend, stepping up to take the spot-kick. Unfortunately, his effort rattled the bar and came flying back out. To add insult to injury, Donny broke with a quick counter-attack and snatched the three points, condemning the Bees to the play-offs. This ultimately cost the club promotion, as they lost the play-off final to Yeovil Town.

Despite the fall-out from Trotta's actions in the must-win game, he returned to Griffin Park on another loan deal the following year, which was met with less-than-positive reviews. Even his manager, Rosler, had publicly addressed the outrage at his re-signing. Any hard feelings would soon be forgotten though, as the ex-Napoli hotshot bagged 13 goals in 37 league matches for his loan club, helping them secure that promotion they'd been craving.

At the end of the season, Trotta felt his contributions towards success had helped him write the wrongs of the season before. In an interview, the striker said: “I’m so happy, and it’s unbelievable to be promoted. I felt I owed something to Brentford, that’s why I decided to come back after what happened last year."

When all was said and done, Trotta left Griffin Park with 23 goals in 69 appearances for the club. This provided him with a great springboard to take the next step in his career, but sadly, that wouldn't prove to be the case.

Trotta slowly faded into obscurity after exciting start to life in Italy

With Fulham playing Championship football after Trotta returned from Brentford, it seemed likely that the Italian would finally get his chance at his parent club. However, this wouldn't be the case for the budding young striker, as Felix Magath didn't hand him an opportunity.

This ultimately led to Trotta handing in a transfer request at the London club, following a short-term loan at Barnsley. He got his move in early January 2015, heading back to his home country to play for Serie B side, Avellino.

This move would prove to be a huge success, as the then 23-year-old continued his fine goalscoring form he'd shown in England. Trotta scored 13 goals in 36 appearances for the second-tier side, which caught the attention of Sassuolo.

He'd make the move to the Mapei Stadium in January 2016, which would go on to become quite a common theme of Trotta's transfers. However, this move would be the beginning of the ex-Fulham forward's disappearance into obscurity.

He made just 13 appearances in Serie A for his new club, which yielded a solitary goal. Multiple loan spells at FC Crotone came where his goal tally was solid, but not indicative of a top-flight striker. Trotta left Sassuolo permanently in 2019, remaining in his homeland with Frosinone Calcio. Once again, Trotta failed to have the intended impact and was spat out on multiple different loan spells. He left in 2021, with 22 appearances under his belt and not a single goal to his name.

Since then, the former Premier League prospect has embarked on a journey across the Italian lower leagues. His employers over the last four years have included; US Triestina, a return to Avellino, Pistoiese, Brindisi, and Turris, where he plays at the time of publishing.

The 32-year-old will surely be feeling somewhat disappointed with how his career has panned out after leaving Sassuolo, failing to find a long-term home where he could become a consistent goalscorer. There were certainly reasons to be excited about Trotta's potential after his electric start to life in England, but he never lived up to the potential he clearly had.