Francesco Pio Esposito: Why Arsenal are tracking Inter's striking sensation who Italy hope can end their World Cup woes

Esposito was born in Castellammare di Stabia, a coastal town in Campania roughly 30 kilometres south-east of Naples. His father, Agostino, was a former centre-back who made it as far as the third tier of Italian football before taking up coaching, so it wasn't in the least bit surprising that Esposito and his two older brothers, Salvatore and Sebastiano, all developed an early interest in the game.

"We grew up in an area where there was only the football field," Salvatore, the eldest Esposito, explained in an interview with Che Fatica La Vita Da Bomber. "There were loads of other good kids but we were lucky that we had the support of our family and the desire to get where we wanted to go. There was a lot of competition, also between us."

Sebastiano was the most naturally gifted of the three siblings and when Brescia offered to sign him when he was still only nine years of age, Agostino decided to quit his job and move the entire family north.

"I immediately said yes," Esposito's father later told Brescia Oggi. "My wife thought I was crazy but we took advantage of the opportunity. My daughter went to high school there, while my three sons played in Brescia youth teams."

After three years on the books of Brescia, the Esposito brothers were all signed by Inter in 2014. Salvatore ultimately left for SPAL without ever making an appearance at senior level for the Nerazzurri, but Sebastiano made his professional debut in a Europa League clash with Eintracht Frankfurt in 2019 while at just 16 years of age - and he's presently on loan to Cagliari. As for Pio, he was playing for Inter's Under-19s while still only 17 and, after signing a new contract with the club in 2023, he was sent out on loan to Spezia. 

Esposito scored just three times during his first season in Serie B but exploded in his second, racking up 17 goals in 35 appearances. Inter, thus, decided to bring him back to San Siro last summer and new coach Christian Chivu immediately included Esposito in his squad for the Club World Cup - which wasn't in the least bit surprising, as the pair knew one another well from the Romanian's time in charge of the Primavera.

Esposito missed the Nerazzurri's tournament-opener, against Monterrey, through injury, but came on at half-time for his brother, Sebastiano, in the matchday-two meeting with Urawa Reds. The roles were reversed in the 83rd minute of Inter's final group game but only after Esposito had marked his first start for Inter with his first goal.

"It still hasn't sunk in," the youngster told his club's official website after breaking the deadlock in the 2-0 win in Seattle with an incredibly confident finish. "It seemed like a dream. Then, I looked around and I saw Lautaro celebrating and thought, "So, it's true!" Then, I saw my brother on the touchline and I immediately ran to hug him.

"This is the fruit of all the work I've done over the years, even working hard in Spezia. My first goal after my debut in just a few days: it's incredible. The coach told me to make the most of my attributes and I think I succeeded, thanks also to the quality of my team-mates. I thank the coach for this great second chance at Inter."

In just his third appearance of the current campaign, Esposito opened his Serie A account with the killer second goal in a 2-0 win at Cagliari on September 27.

"I must admit that he is surprising me with how well he’s doing, as he plays for the team and knows how to do certain things, is not afraid of anything, and always keeps a cool head in front of goal," a visibly delighted Chivu confessed in his post-match interview on DAZN.

Italy coach Gennaro Gattuso was just as impressed by Esposito after watching him score his first goal for his country in the World Cup qualifying win in Estonia in October.

"The thing that amazes me is his technique: he's difficult to mark," the former AC Milan midfielder told reporters. "He's a real talent."

Esposito has since taken his Italy tally to three goals in just five appearances, after further strikes against Moldova and Norway, while he's also struck seven times in total for Inter this season, including twice in the Champions League.

"Despite being so young, he handles the pressure well," Chivu told DAZN. "He can also handle the physical duels on the pitch, and works hard for the team. I'm very pleased with how he is doing."

Esposito's most obvious strength is his strength. At just 20 years of age, he's capable of mixing it with the biggest and best centre-backs in Serie A.

"He's already physically ready," former Inter and Italy No.9 Vieri told the Gazzetta dello Sport. "He can even handle the strain at international level, where you have to be a beast."

Tellingly, when Ange-Yoan Bonny was asked what attributes he would like to take from Lautaro and Marcus Thuram, Inter's first-choice strikers, the French forward brought Esposito into the discussion, admitting that he is envious of his team-mate's hold-up play: "Not many players can protect the ball like he does."

Fabrizio Ravanelli was arguably one, and while he says that he sees a little of himself in Esposito,  the ex-Italy striker feels that the youngster is even more similar to Mario Mandzukic, a monstrous but multi-talented attacker.

"I saw Ravanelli's kind words and I am that kind of striker who tries to use physicality to hurt opponents," Esposito admitted. "I think I have that fighting spirit, too, like Mandzukic."

However, as Gattuso pointed out, Esposito isn't just a battering ram, he's also strong technically, with Chivu arguing that "Pio can do a bit of everything".

Esposito has been open about his wish to become as clinical in front of goal as Lautaro, and as clever with his movement as Thuram. However, he's also admitted to wanting to improve his ability in one-v-ones, and his speed off the mark.

However, Chivu has no doubts over Esposito's all-round game and says that his primary focus is on helping him keep his feet on the ground, while even the striker's agent has also admitted to being worried by all of the hype surrounding his client.

"I don't actually like to talk about Pio," Mario Giuffredi said back in October. "I don't like this media hype that's being created around a very young player. I don't like the way he's being talked about with too much importance and too much fanfare.

"I'd be cautious and calm in saying that he'll be the national team's centre-forward for the next 10 years. He'll have to prove himself, like all footballers. We're trying to instil in him a sense of remaining down to earth."

There really doesn't seem to be any risk of success going to Esposito's head - not least because of where he grew up and how he and his brothers were raised.  As Gattuso recently remarked, "Pio's main quality is humility. I'll even go out on a limb and say that it's difficult for someone like him to get too big for his boots or have a negative attitude.

"The way he thinks, the way he trains, and the way he does make him seem like a 30-year-old: like everyone else, he'll have his bad moments, but he works, he keeps quiet, he pushes, and he wants to improve."

Esposito's sole concern right now is Sunday's potential Scudetto-deciding derby with AC Milan, with the Italy international set to start up front for Inter in the injury-enforced absence of Lautaro, but there's also the small matter of a World Cup qualifying play-off semi-final against Northern Ireland later this month. 

Beyond that, though, it's difficult to see him leaving San Siro anytime too soon - and not just because he says he's living his dream representing the side he joined as a nine-year-old more than a decade ago. 

Manchester United reportedly made a move for him in January 2025, while he was still at Spezia, and it's believed that Newcastle were the unnamed English side to have submitted a £45 million ($58m) bid for his services last summer. However, Marotta's response to Arsenal's disputed interest suggested that while every player at Inter has a price, it would take a gargantuan offer to make the Nerazzurri even consider selling Esposito.

He's considered the future face of the club, a prized possession that would also be declared a national treasure were he to help Italy qualify for a first World Cup since 2014 later this month.