Fiorentina’s squad is more complete at this point of the year than it has been since Rocco Commisso bought the club, but the midfield remains a work in progress, as evidenced by the interest in Adrián Bernabé. According to Matteo Moretto, though, Daniele Pradè’s turned his attention to Bernabé’s midfield colleague Simon Sohm.
Sohm is a very different sort of player from Bernabé. Where the Spaniard is a prototypical little midfield schemer, Sohm is mobile and robust. He covers a lot of ground out of possession
and can carry the ball forward fairly effectively, but he’s never been much of a passer and doesn’t especially look like becoming one any time soon. He also chipped in 4 goals last year after going scoreless over the previous 3 seasons, which makes his impact in the final third a little more difficult to predict.
Per Nicolò Schira, Parma wants €8 million for him, which is a fair price. Sohm is 24 and has 2 Switzerland caps, so there’s definitely some upside, but he’s under contract until 2027. He currently earns about €650,000 a year and I imagine that the Viola would bump that number up to something around a million.
He was linked to Fiorentina about 5 years ago (albeit as a rightback/midfielder hybrid) and I liked him as a prospect back then. He’s looked like a functional Serie A player since, although his technical limitations are a mild concern. I think he’s got some Michael Folorunsho in him as a big, physical, and versatile midfielder who can drive forward but isn’t going to pick apart a defense with his passing.
If this is a depth signing, I like it. Sohm could serve as a runner and destroyer in the middle; pairing him with Jacopo Fazzini in particular would give Stefano Pioli a couple of diesel engines in the middle. That said, I don’t think Sohm is a better player than Fazzini, Nicolò Fagioli, or Rolando Mandragora, so adding him shouldn’t preclude a regista down the line. He’s a change of pace, the sort of powerful midfielder with whom Pioli’s had success in the past, but he’s not a star by any stretch.
I’m also intrigued by the timing of this rumor. I’ve heard chatter coming that Pioli wants to evaluate the options currently in the team—Amir Richardson (out of the group to deal with a family matter), Alessandro Bianco, Cher Ndour—before dipping back into the mercato, which is sensible. If a relatively reliable reporter like Moretto believes Fiorentina’s ready to snap up a new midfielder right now, that makes me think that Pioli’s judged his backup options and found them lacking.
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