Arturo Lupoli (born 24 June 1987) is a former Italian footballer who last played as a

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People * Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Sm ...

for Borgo San Donnino. His former clubs include

Parma Parma (; egl, Pärma, ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, music, art, prosciutto (ham), cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,292 inhabitants, Parma is the second mos ...

, Arsenal and

Derby County Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Derby, Derbyshire, England. In 2022, it was announced that DCFC was acquired by Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, a Derbyshire-based property group. Founded in 188 ...

, where he spent the 2006–07 season on loan.

Club career

Parma

Originally from

Frattamaggiore Frattamaggiore (locally also known as Fratta) is a ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Naples, Campania, Italy. It is located north of Naples and southwest of Caserta. It was awarded the title of "City of art" in 2008 and named Benedictine ci ...

, Lupoli began his footballing career with Italian side

. During his Allievi (Under-17) season he scored 45 goals in 22 games, one of the best tallies ever recorded in Italian youth history. However, by mid-2004 his contract had expired. Lupoli signed an Arsenal contract by way of a scholarship, the Gunners paid Parma £200,000

training compensation In professional association football, football, a transfer is the action taken whenever a player under contract moves between clubs. It refers to the transferring of a player's registration from one football club, association football club to ano ...

Arsenal

Lupoli's debut in the Arsenal first-team was in a match against Manchester City in the

League Cup In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...

on 27 October 2004. His next match, against Everton in the same competition, brought him his first goals for the club, two of Arsenal's three goals in the 3–1 victory on 9 November. He also played in the match against Manchester United which saw Arsenal's exit from the competition. He was Arsenal's top scorer at youth/reserve level in 2004–05, with 27 goals in 32 appearances. That season he started Arsenal's

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...

fifth round replay against

Sheffield United Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history of cutlery production. The team have played home games at ...

due to

Robin van Persie Robin van Persie (; born 6 August 1983) is a Dutch football coach and former professional footballer who played as a striker. Regarded as one of the best strikers of his generation, Van Persie was known for his excellent technique and ball c ...

, Dennis Bergkamp and

Jose Antonio Reyes Jose is the English transliteration of the Hebrew and Aramaic name ''Yose'', which is etymologically linked to ''Yosef'' or Joseph. The name was popular during the Mishnaic and Talmudic periods. *Jose ben Abin *Jose ben Akabya *Jose the Galilean ...

all being suspended, and

Thierry Henry Thierry Daniel Henry (born 17 August 1977) is a French professional football coach, pundit, and former player who is an assistant coach for the Belgium national team. Considered one of the best strikers of all time and one of the best player ...

being injured. Arsenal went on to win the cup that year but Lupoli was left out of their

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...

squad. Lupoli scored prolifically at youth/reserve team level during the 2005–06 season, alongside

Nicklas Bendtner Nicklas Bendtner (; born 16 January 1988) is a Danish former professional footballer who played as a forward. His preferred position was centre-forward, but he has also played on the right side of attack, and occasionally on the left. A large, ...

. He also figured in the Gunners' 2005–06 League Cup campaign, winning the League Cup New Talent Award. He scored his third and final Arsenal goal in the 3–0 win over Reading in this campaign. It was during this season that he made his only league appearance for the Gunners, in a 1–0 loss at

Blackburn Blackburn () is an industrial town and the administrative centre of the Blackburn with Darwen borough in Lancashire, England. The town is north of the West Pennine Moors on the southern edge of the Ribble Valley, east of Preston and north-n ...

. Lupoli moved to

on a season-long loan on 18 August 2006, and debuted for Derby in the 0–0 draw at home to

Norwich City Norwich City Football Club (also known as The Canaries or The Yellows) is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. The club competes in the EFL Championship following their relegation from the Premier League in the 20 ...

the following day. He then got a brace against

Colchester United Colchester United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Colchester, Essex, England. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1937, the club spent its earl ...

in a game which Derby lost 4–3. On 6 January 2007, Lupoli scored Derby County's first hat-trick for over a decade in a 3–1 victory third round

tie against

Wrexham Wrexham ( ; cy, Wrecsam; ) is a city and the administrative centre of Wrexham County Borough in Wales. It is located between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley, near the border with Cheshire in England. Historically in the count ...

. Lupoli was linked with a transfer to either of the two Milan based football giants;

A.C. Milan Associazione Calcio Milan (), commonly referred to as AC Milan or simply Milan, is a professional Association football, football club in Milan, Italy, founded in 1899. The club has spent its entire history, with the exception of the 1980–81 ...

and

Inter Milan Football Club Internazionale Milano, commonly referred to as Internazionale () or simply Inter, and colloquially known as Inter Milan in English-speaking countries, is an Italian professional football club based in Milan, Lombardy. Inter is ...

. However, Pierpaolo Marino, General Manager of

Napoli Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

, announced he had Lupoli's word he'd come to Napoli when his contract with Arsenal had expired, since it was his dream to play for his home city club. Despite this, on 26 February 2007, Lupoli signed a pre-contract with

Fiorentina ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as Fiorentina (), is an Italian professional football club based in Florence, Tuscany, Italy. The original team was founded by a merger in August 1926, while the actual club was refounded in August 2002 fol ...

. Lupoli stressed, however, that he would do his absolute best for Derby for the remainder of the season, and in his first match for Derby after confirming the Fiorentina move, scored a goal and provided an assist.

Fiorentina

Lupoli finally completed his move to

ACF Fiorentina ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as Fiorentina (), is an Italian professional football club based in Florence, Tuscany, Italy. The original team was founded by a merger in August 1926, while the actual club was refounded in August 2002 fo ...

on 1 July 2007, signing a five-year deal with the ''Viola'' in a free transfer. However, he never made his debut with the Tuscan side after joining

Treviso F.B.C. 1993 Treviso Foot Ball Club 1993, commonly known as Treviso, is an Italian association football, football club based in Treviso, Veneto, which competes in Eccellenza, the fifth tier of Football in Italy, Italian football. ''Football Club Treviso'' w ...

on loan for a period. On 22 July 2008, Lupoli moved to

Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this system ...

side

on loan for the 2008–09 season. Manager

Glenn Roeder Glenn Victor Roeder (13 December 1955 – 28 February 2021) was an English professional football player and manager. As a player, Roeder played as a defender for Arsenal, Leyton Orient, Queens Park Rangers, Notts County, Newcastle United, Watfo ...

's connections with Arsène Wenger are believed to have been behind the club's interest in the player.

Norwich

Following the finalisation of his loan move to the Canaries, Arturo told the club's official website "I am very happy to be here and hope to contribute for a great season for Norwich City and to be successful. I spoke to the Manager and I really feel that he wants me here. I know a lot about Norwich City – I was with Arsenal when they and my teammate

David Bentley David Michael Bentley (born 27 August 1984) is an English former professional footballer who played primarily as a winger, but also played as a central midfielder or as a second striker. Bentley started his career with Arsenal in the Premie ...

were in the Premier League and have followed their progress." He took the squad number 18, and made his competitive debut for the club against

Coventry City Coventry City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Coventry, West Midlands, England. The team currently compete in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. The club is nicknamed t ...

in a 2–0 loss. His first goals for the club came on 23 August 2008 versus Cardiff City at

Ninian Park Ninian Park was a football stadium in the Leckwith area of Cardiff, Wales, that was the home of Cardiff City F.C. for 99 years. Opened in 1910 with a single wooden stand, it underwent numerous renovations during its lifespan and hosted fixtu ...

, as Norwich came from two goals behind to draw 2–2, Lupoli scoring both late on. After spending a long time out of favour with manager

, Lupoli publicly stated that he would leave the club in January if not given a run in the team. In the following game, an

tie against

Charlton Athletic Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, south-east London, which compete in . Their home ground is The Valley, where the club have played since 1919. They have also played at The Mount in ...

at The Valley, he proved his worth by coming off the bench to score Norwich's equaliser after fans chanted his name throughout the match. However, after getting frustrated at a lack of first team football Lupoli's loan was terminated on 2 February 2009.

Sheffield United

On 2 February 2009, Lupoli joined

on loan until the end of the 2008–09 season. He made his debut for ''The Blades'' a few days later when he was given a starting role in the

Steel City Derby The Steel City Derby (also known as the Sheffield Derby) is a local derby that takes place between Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday, the two professional football league teams based in the city of Sheffield, England. It is widely consi ...

against local rivals

Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an offshoot ...

. He needed only five minutes on the pitch to find the net but despite scoring on his debut he was unable to prevent United's loss to their bitter rivals. Although suggesting he wished to stay at Bramall Lane beyond the length of his loan deal he returned to

after the Blades failed to clinch promotion having made eleven appearances and scoring two goals in a disappointing loan spell.

Later career

On 25 June 2009, Lupoli transferred to

Ascoli Ascoli may refer to: Places in Italy *Ascoli Satriano, a town and ''comune'' in the province of Foggia in the Apulia region *Province of Ascoli Piceno, a province of the Marche region ** Ascoli Piceno, a city which is the seat of the province above ...

in a co-ownership deal. Two years later, he transferred to fellow

Serie B The Serie B (), currently named Serie BKT for sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It has been operating for over ninety years since the 1929–30 season. It had been ...

side

Grosseto Grosseto () is a city and ''comune'' in the central Italian region of Tuscany, the capital of the Province of Grosseto. The city lies from the Tyrrhenian Sea, in the Maremma, at the centre of an alluvial plain on the Ombrone river. It is the ...

on a free transfer. In July 2013, after two years at Grosseto, Lupoli moved to another team of the same league on a free transfer, this time

Varese Varese ( , , or ; lmo, label= Varesino, Varés ; la, Baretium; archaic german: Väris) is a city and ''comune'' in north-western Lombardy, northern Italy, north-west of Milan. The population of Varese in 2018 has reached 80,559. It is the c ...

. On 21 February 2014, Lupoli joined

Budapest Honvéd Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population of ...

, and on 2 February the following year he was signed by

Frosinone Frosinone (, local dialect: ) is a town and ''comune'' in Lazio, central Italy, the administrative seat of the province of Frosinone. It is located about south-east of Rome close to the Rome-Naples A1 Motorway. The city is the main city of the ...

. In summer 2015 Lupoli was signed by

A.C. Pisa 1909 Pisa Sporting Club, commonly referred to as Pisa, is an Italian football club based in Pisa, Tuscany. The team currently plays in Serie B. The club was founded in 1909 as Pisa Sporting Club and refounded in 1994 as Pisa Calcio (and registered ...

. On 1 February 2016 he was signed by Lega Pro club

Calcio Catania Catania S.S.D., commonly known as Catania, is an Italian football club based in the city of Catania, Sicily, that plays in . Originally founded in 1908 as ''Associazione Sportiva pro Educazione Fisica'', the club boasts 17 appearances in the ...

in a temporary deal. He returned to Pisa at the end of season, and on 27 January 2017, Lupoli signed a one-and-a-year contract with Lega Pro club

Südtirol it, Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano – Alto Adige lld, Provinzia Autonoma de Balsan/Bulsan – Südtirol , settlement_type = Autonomous province , image_skyline = , image_alt ...

after being released by Pisa. On 24 July 2019, he joined

Virtus Verona Virtus Verona, founded as Unione Sportiva Virtus Borgo Venezia in 1921, sometimes referred to as Virtus Vecomp Verona for sponsorship reasons, is an Italian association football club located in Borgo Venezia, a district of Verona, Veneto. It c ...

. On 26 August 2021, he joined Borgo San Donnino in

Serie D The Serie D () is the top level of semi-professional football in the country. The fourth tier of the Italian league system, the competition sits beneath the third professional league, Serie C. It is administered by the Lega Nazionale Dilettant ...

Notes

:A. Soccerbase's stats for the match between Derby County and Birmingham City on 9 March 2007 fail to include appearances by substitutes for either side, one of whom was Lupoli. Therefore, until and unless they correct it, he ''should'' have one more appearance for Derby than given on his Soccerbase page.

References

External links

*
FootballDatabase.com Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lupoli, Arturo 1987 births Living people Footballers from Brescia Italian footballers Italy youth international footballers Italy under-21 international footballers Italian expatriate footballers People of Campanian descent Association football forwards Premier League players English Football League players Serie A players Serie B players Serie C players Serie D players Nemzeti Bajnokság I players Parma Calcio 1913 players Arsenal F.C. players Derby County F.C. players ACF Fiorentina players A.C.D. Treviso players Norwich City F.C. players Sheffield United F.C. players Ascoli Calcio 1898 F.C. players F.C. Grosseto S.S.D. players S.S.D. Varese Calcio players Budapest Honvéd FC players Frosinone Calcio players Pisa S.C. players Catania S.S.D. players Virtus Verona players Expatriate footballers in England Expatriate footballers in Hungary Italian expatriate sportspeople in England Italian expatriate sportspeople in Hungary