Alexandre Pato - A New Hope?

I struggle to recount a player that has fallen off the scale as big as Alex Pato. Injuries during his stint at AC Milan thwarted him from fulling his potential as one of the most exciting prospects in world football, but now aged 26, could he be about to return to the big stage?

Rumours sparked at the start of the transfer window that the former wonder kid was on his way to the red side of Merseyside. Recently however, Pato has attracted some attention from Chelsea with various outlets describing the announcement as 'imminent'.

Milan signed Alexandre Pato from Brazilian side Internacional after he impressed in his first competitive season, scoring 6 goals in 11 matches. He scored within 60 seconds on his debut for the Brazilian side at just 17 years of age, meaning that he was touted as the next Ronaldinho after leaving the field that day to a standing ovation.

His first season in Italy was very good, especially for an 18 year old. He continued his tradition of debut goals and then went on to score another 10 in all competitions. In his early years, Pato was talked up and rightly so, as he had a lot of talent, it's a pity that the injuries wrecked his chances of really making the big jump. 

He featured in every game bar two in his second season, notching 18 goals in 42 games. He also formed one third of the famous trident that tortured Serie A defences for so long in the league. The 2009-2010 season saw him make less appearances, but still record a respectable 14 goals in all campaigns.

It was the 2010-2011 season when all started to unravel for Pato. He featured in 33 games in all competitions for Milan, suffering achilles and thigh problems, as well as being out for a short stint at the start of the season courtesy of a tear in the abductor muscle. He featured in even less the following season, just 18 times before being sold to Sao Paulo in January 2013.

In his first season back in Brazil he amassed 38 appearances, fighting his way back to full fitness, but never won over the fans at Corinthians and struggled to appear interested on the pitch. They cited his poor attitude as the reason they failed to relate to him and even the players found it hard to get on with him, considering his high weekly wage - the biggest in the club. Relations were not helped with his penalty miss in the 2013 Brazilian Cup quarter final loss to Gremio.

Currently, Corinthians cannot wait to get rid of the playmaker as they he is widely regarded as one of the clubs worst ever signings for the club. With the club financially unstable, getting their highest paid player off the wage bill would prove beneficial. Step forward potential suitors.

While Alex Pato will never reach the heights that were once touted of him, he is still only 26 and will be a useful player for Chelsea if they sign him. Playing in a wide role in his younger days, the injuries have affected his pace, so is normally deployed up front. He has the ability to play on the shoulder of the defence and will cause trouble for the players.

Joining Sao Paulo on loan, the Brazilian had a 2015 to remember with the goals returning in abundance. 23 to his name as Sao Paulo finished fourth in the Brasileriao and again 4th in the Paulista.

With Diego Costa as Chelsea's first choice striker and prone to the odd suspension, Alex Pato would be a player that Guus Hiddink could take a calculated risk upon. Radamel Falcao is struggling just as bad as he did last season at Old Trafford and Loic Remy could be soon departing Stamford Bridge. His price is currently a fuzzy area with various media outlets reporting that the £8m is required to buy his services while others believe that Corinthians are looking towards $20m.

It's hard to believe that Pato is still just 26 years of age, but to completely write the player off would be foolish. I tip the Brazilian to get back to where he was envisaged he'd be at this point in his career.