Liverpool were well aware that Luis Suarez had vampire-like tendencies before he made his move to Anfield, having sunk his teeth into Ottman Bakkal during his time at Ajax.
If they have done their research, they will also discover that new signing Iago Aspas has a bit of a rap sheet himself.
Check out this video:
Derby matches are heated at the best of times. But back in March, Galicia’s two biggest clubs Celta Vigo and Deportivo de la Coruna went head to head in a relegation six pointer in the razor sharp atmosphere of the Riazor.
But nothing can excuse Aspas’ decision to ram his head into former Spain defender Carlos Marchena’s noggin.
The resulting red card was not his only misdemeanour in his short career however, even if the result against Depor did not eventually lead to relegation from La Liga.
In his first game back after the lengthy ban, he was booked for diving which saw him suspended again.
As a youth, Aspas’ temperament was questionable as his anger often got the better of him. In his final year in Celta Vigo’s youth team – a club he represented from the age of 8 – he ended up missing nine out of 30 games through suspension.
But there is no doubting his talent. A club hero due to the fact that he is a local and youth academy product, the 25-year-old forward is gifted technically.
A good finisher he has scored over 60 goals for the club he has represented in La Liga and the Segunda Division.
In this season’s Spanish league, he netted 12 goals in 33 games for a club that just avoided relegation on the final day. He is also a creator, having provided seven assists.
A tricky customer, blending tenacity – which can go over the top – with good close control, Aspas resembles Suarez in certain aspects of his game, although not in terms of overall quality.
His versatility means he can feature at the point of the attack and in the hole behind a main striker which gives Brendan Rodgers more options.
As you can see below he has sufficient pace when played in behind the defence against Real Valladolid, while his finish against Athletic Bilbao was as good as they come from that position.
