One of the silliest parts about signing a new manager is trying to figure out which of their former players they’ll bring to the club. It’s important, the thinking goes, to have someone in the squad who knows the mister, how he’ll operate, and effectively serve as a liaison with the squad. Never mind that it never seems to work out (e.g. M’Bala Nzola, Andrea Colpani, Pablo Marí). This is a tradition as sacred as Santa Croce wearing blue.
Grosso’s former employer Sassuolo has some interesting players,
ones who could improve Fiorentina in positions of need. That said, he’s a new coach and might not have much say in transfers as Fabio Paratici consolidates power at the RBCVPetc. That won’t stop me from baselessly speculating, albeit within reason. Yes, I’ll lay out some rules for this entirely intellectual exercise.
First, I’m ignoring Tarik Muharemović and Ismaël Koné because they’re both going to move to Europa or even Champions League level clubs, a category which excludes Fiorentina. Second, I’m ignoring players currently on loan, so no Woyo Coulibaly or Alidu Fadera. Third, I’m ignoring Domenico Berardi because I’m sick of Berardi-to-Florence rumors after a decade of such foolishness. Anyways, here’s what I came up with.
CB Jay Idzes
The Indonesia captain joined Sassuolo from Venezia for €8 million last year, which seemed high to me, but turns out Francesco Palmieri and company are much smarter than I am. Idzes was on the bench for the season opener but started every other game except a couple he missed late on with injury. Defensively, he cut out the mistakes and did a good job of stepping forward to close down opponents. He’ll never be Franz Beckenbauer in possession but he was better than I thought there, too. If Fiorentina moves on from Marin Pongračić and/or Pietro Comuzzo, Idzes would be a competent replacement, although I think he’s playing right about at his peak.
CM Luca Lipani
Sassuolo snapped him up in 2023 from Genoa for €4.5 million and will probably triple that fee if it sells this summer. Lipani started the season slowly but forced his way into Grosso’s plans around the new year, albeit mostly a substitute. My guess is that the Neroverdi see him as Nemanja Matić‘s successor at the base of midfield because he’s got a good combination of size, technical ability, and intelligence out of possession. He’d offer some cover for Nicolò Fagioli as the regista and allow Beans to play higher up. Lipani’s a player on the rise—he earned his first 2 senior caps for Italy last week—and seems like a high character guy, too, having captained the Azzurri at every youth level.
Kristian Thorstvedt
He’s reportedly turned down an extension offer, setting the stage for a move after the World Cup; if Norway’s golden generation makes a run, Thorstvedt’s value could skyrocket. As the son of a 97-cap international, he’s got the genes, growing up at Viking before moving to Genk as a teenager. Sassuolo swooped a couple years later, shelling out €10 million for the then-21-year-old. Thorstvedt started as a 10 but has shifted to a more box-to-box role that highlights his combativeness and physicality. He’s decent on the ball but seems more of an off-ball player to me, which could overlap with Giovanni Fabbian and Marco Brescianini. On the other hand, he has scored against Fiorentina so this one’s probably a fait acompli.
Cristian Volpato
The oriundo from down under joined the Roma academy aged 16 and grew up there before Sassuolo pounced with a €7.5 million fee in 2023. Volpato’s got all the gifts: he’s a big, quick guy who can dribble and pass. The Neroverdi have brought him along slowly and he’s mostly been an impact sub as Berardi’s blocked his path. He ought to score more (2 goals this season) but his 4 assists show his creativity. He ruffled some feathers by coming through the Italy youth system before switching his allegiance back to Australia just in time to make the World Cup—he made his debut last week—but I’m not too worried about that. He’s just the sort of player on the rise who could thrive with a larger role. And yes, he’s also scored against Fiorentina.
Armand Laurienté
If Volpato’s too unproven, Laurienté‘s proven that he’s a quality Serie A winger over the past 4 years, reaching double digits in goals+assists in all 3 tries. He’s got live wire quickness and good pace over long distances; combined with his excellent dribbling and eye for the killer pass, his game should be portable to any system, especially since he’s willing to maintain width on the left rather than meander infield. He does drift out of games at times and doesn’t contribute as much defensively but he’s still an outstanding player. If Paratici wants to make a statement, Laurienté would be a good replacement for Albert Guðmundsson, although he’d probably cost something like €20 million at the minimum. Bizarrely, he hasn’t scored against the Viola.
M’Bala Nzola
This post is over.
