Apparently unwanted by their previous clubs, a string of players are now flourishing at Fiorentina. Giancarlo Rinaldi looks at how the Viola have risen up the league with such seemingly unpromising materials.
Sometimes you have to treat them mean in order to keep them keen. Certainly, in Florence of late, they have been toasting a number of players who were not feeling a lot of love at their old clubs. The fire that has provided has helped fuel a run of fine performances that has them dreaming of great things in the Renaissance City right now.
Let’s talk, first of all, about Moise Kean – a promising player, no doubt, but one who seemed to be running out of clubs with the patience to let him prove himself. Juventus, Everton and Paris Saint-Germain is not a bad CV at the age of 24, but it would be fair to say he never delivered what was hoped for with most of them. A deal with the Viola looked risky for both sides but, so far, it has paid off in style.
The 24-year-old striker has been reborn at the under reconstruction Stadio Artemio Franchi as the undisputed leader of the Fiorentina line. He has delivered both goals and the kind of hold-up play they have been sorely missing since Dusan Vlahovic departed. Defenders up and down Italy – and beyond – have found him exactly the kind of handful all his past clubs hoped he would be. Proof, perhaps, that footballers need a little faith to be shown in order for them to flourish.
Kean finding his feet at Fiorentina
The same could be said for Yacine Adli, not much more than a bit-part player with Milan after his much-heralded acquisition in 2021. On loan with an option to buy, Fiorentina have a bad track record of letting such players slip through their grasp. Still, for the time being, he is providing the kind of sumptuous displays – including against his old teammates – that the Rossoneri dreamed of. He still sometimes spends too long on the ball, but when he is in the groove you can see exactly why he was earning some lofty comparisons not so long ago.
Alongside him in a completely overhauled midfield are two arrivals from Rome. Edoardo Bove was always a prospect, but fell out of favour with the Giallorossi before returning to haunt them recently. Still only 22, he is another loanee that Viola fans will hope can be made permanent without delay. He has been followed north by the much more experienced – but equally surplus to requirements – Danilo Cataldi from Lazio. Not exactly a name to stir the soul on the transfer market, he has been rock solid and even delivered goals which have hardly been a trademark of his career. Playing for a permanent deal seems to suit all these players.
And what to say of the biggest “reject” of them all? David de Gea left football entirely after his Manchester United experience came to an end and waited for the right opportunity to come along. He was keen on Serie A and Fiorentina took a chance on a goalkeeper some thought had no more to give. He has been proving them wrong one audacious save at a time. His latest leap to deny Genoa a draw was the culmination of yet another Man of the Match display, as the club finally appears to have found someone capable of ousting Pietro Terracciano from his post.
Fiorentina revitalising lost stars
Would it be stretching a case to put Robin Gosens in the rejected category too? Possibly, but he certainly was sent packing by Inter quite quickly when they decided he did not fit the bill for them. After his time with Union Berlin, he has come back to Serie A as if he has never been away. His goal against the Grifone crowned an impressive return to a league where he was always a quality performer.
There is even an unwanted hero in their own ranks in the shape of Lucas Beltran. He looked to be very much a peripheral figure after the acquisition of Albert Gudmundsson but has seized his chance after the ex-Genoa man suffered injury. The Argentinian has provided one of the few links with the Vincenzo Italiano regime along with Dodo back after injury and Luca Ranieri. With Andrea Colpani showing signs of life after a tricky start, these have been happy days.
A final word is deserved for Pietro Comuzzo, who has moved into the heart of the back four with an assuredness worthy of a teenage Beppe Bergomi at the 1982 World Cup. It is early to pile too much pressure on him but he has been a real standout for his team so far. If he continues this way then it will surely only be a matter of time until he becomes the latest Viola talent to be at the centre of major transfer rumours. Enjoy him while you can.
The bunch of inglorious rejects are enjoying their chance to shine with goals being scored for fun and some scintillating football as their coach has worked out a formation to suit them. How long it can last is anybody’s guess as Fiorentina fans have seen great hopes fall flat in the past. Still, a better European finish than the Conference League looks a possibility right now if they can keep everyone fit and on song. Heaven knows that would prove a point for an awful lot of the players in their squad right now.