Pieta Hotspurs may be languishing at the bottom of the Premier League but the club has developed a reputation of signing young and talented local and foreign players and then transferring them to Italy.

Some of the local and foreign players Pieta have transferred to Italy in the past include Andrew Hogg and David Camenzuli both of whom are back in Malta and are currently playing for Pieta.

Others are Bulgarian Valeri Bojinov currently on loan with Juventus, and Hungarian Attila Filkor who actually never played for Pieta but was transferred by the local club to Inter.

The next foreign player who may follow in Attila Filkor’s footsteps is Samir Garci, (photo) a 24-year-old Tunisian-born player who carries an Austrian passport. Although Garci has signed for Pieta since September 2006 and has been training with the club since then, he has never actually played in Malta.

In the meantime, he has been sent twice to Italy by Pieta President Edward Schembri for trials. In December, Garci went to Cosenza but it is believed that negotiations with Pieta fell through. The player is currently in Sicily with Acicatena, a serie D2 club. According to reliable sources, discussions between Pieta and Acicatena are in progress.

Damian Iwueke, one of the player’s advisers, confirmed to The Malta Independent that Garci has left a good impression on two serie D clubs in Sicily. Iwueke, who believed that Garci’s potentials can fetch him a contract with a higher club, said that the player will not be rushed into signing for a serie D club. He confirmed that if Garci does not sign with Acicatena this week, he will return to Malta to play for Pieta until next summer.

Before coming to Malta, Garci played several times for the Tunisian U-20 and senior teams. He also played for some clubs in Austria, Germany and Switzerland.