It’s been a minute since we last checked in Fiorentina’s loanees. Since then, Tommaso Martinelli and Simon Sohm have joined the ranks of the guys playing outside of Florence, making this list a bit more unwieldy. Still, I think it’s better to keep them all in one place rather than separating them out, so let’s get through the lucky dozen guys who seem likeliest to have a first team future in Florence.
Lorenzo Amatucci (Las Palmas)
The 21-year-old midfield general continues to impress. Since last we checked in, he’s racked up a couple
more assists while continuing to start every game for los Granotes while earning plaudits from every side. The stats are outstanding.
I haven’t gotten to see a ton of his work but what I have has impressed me immensely. What’s most impressed me is his awareness. He’s always checking over his shoulders before receiving the ball so he knows what to do with it as soon as it arrives. That quick decision making, paired with an excellent reading of the game, an admirable comabtiveness, and good technical ability has done nothing but convince me that he has a future at Fiorentina as soon as next year. Depending on how the Viola end the season, his expertise in the second division could be a deciding factor in the centenary season.
Stats: 23 appearances (23 starts), 3 assists, 1 yellow card
Lucas Beltrán (Valencia)
After starting the season as a supersub, el Vikingo has worked his way into Carlos Corberán’s XI over the past 6 weeks and repaid that trust with back-to-back assists. His aversion to goal remains a problem—he’s got just 1 the league this year despite taking 2.28 shots/90—but he’s been his usual active self, helping with the buildup and buzzing around without the ball. I’m not certain he’ll ever reach his potential as a forward but he seems like the perfect guy to reinvent himself as an all-action midfielder a la Joelinton, although I’m not sure we’ll ever see that happen.
Stats: 21 appearances (13 starts), 3 goals, 2 assists
Alessandro Bianco (PAOK)
The 23-year-old continues to struggle for minutes in Athens. His only league start was in a surprise 2-0 defeat at Atromitos and he’s failed to shoulder past Soualiho Meïte, Christos Zafeiris, or Mady Camara for a major share of the midfield minutes, sopping up opportunities in the domestic cup or against minnows in the Europa League. With the Dikefalos flying high, manager Răzvan Lucescu probably isn’t going to change things much. Bianco probably needs some misfortune to the guys ahead of him in the pecking order to get an extended run of play. Barring that, I doubt PAOK will trigger the €4ish million option to make the move permanent.
Stats: 15 appearances (8 starts), 2 goals, 3 yellow cards
Maat Daniel Caprini (Mantova)
The 19-year-old (who turns 20 in a week) was playing regularly, albeit mostly off the bench, before picking up an injury that’s kept him out for at least a month. I can’t find any information on the severity of it but it could be a little while, although the fact that he hasn’t been recalled to the Viola Park for rehab gives me hope that he’ll be back at some point this year. He’s been used mostly at wingback rather than as an attacker, which is where I think his future is, but maybe this will teach him some invaluable lessons about the defensive side of the game. Hopefully he bounces back soon regardless.
Stats: 12 appearances (6 starts), 2 yellow cards
Filippo Distefano (Carrarese)
The 22-year-old forward and his excellent eyebrows have been slowly working back to fitness after a serious knee injury last year. Distefano’s mostly been a bench option this year and has offered some level of impact in his limited minutes. Even though his contract in Florence runs until 2028, I’m not sure he’s ever going to make it to the first team, so proving himself in Serie B isn’t just about his Viola future. Maybe he can seize a larger role over the back half of the season and use the preseason as a springboard but my guess is that he’s en route to a good career outside of Florence.
Stats: 11 appearances (2 starts), 2 goals, 1 assist, 1 yellow card
Jonas Harder (Padova)
The 20-year-old Florence-born midfielder’s doing everything you’d want to see from him. While he’s still stuck on 1 goal for the season, his overall performances have convinced manager Matteo Andreolotti to move him into the XI. Harder’s started 5 of the past 6 games—although he’s already picked up a suspension for accumulated yellow cards—and he’s done nothing to hurt his chances of adding to his 8 U20 caps at the next international break. In short, he’s bubbling along nicely.
Stats: 20 appearances (11 starts), 1 goal, 6 yellow cards
Lorenzo Lucchesi (Monza)
The 22-year-old’s firmly established that he is, at minimum, good enough for Serie B, and could well be even better than that. This will make his 3rd successful campaign in the second tier. Fiorentina, however, seems to he’s approaching his ceiling, having given Monza a €2.5 million option to make the move permanent, although at least the Viola have 50% of his next sale. If he keeps doing stuff like this, that could make for a tidy little profit.
Stats: 18 appearances (9 starts), 2 yellow cards
Tommas Martinelli (Sampdoria)
After spending a couple weeks settling in, the 20-year-old heir to David de Gea’s spot has nudged past fellow Viola academy graduate Simone Ghidotti to take over the starting job, which was likely the reason for his move. He’s not just grandfathered into the role, though: he’s 2 straight clean sheets for the Blucerchiati, helping them move out of the relegation places in Serie B. He made some really good saves against Catanzaro and had a couple wobbles against Spezia but the sky remains his limit.
Stats: 2 appearances (2 starts), 2 clean sheets
Matías Moreno (Levante)
The 22-year-old Argentine’s struggled to nail down a spot with los Granotes. Part of that is fitness, as he’s dealt with soft tissue injuries, but new manager Luís Castro has promoted him to the XI since taking over in December. Unfortunately, Moreno might be out for a little longer after a terrifying collision with Atlético Madrid striker Alexander Sørloth at the weekend; the Swede left the pitch on a stretcher, while the Viola loanee left under his own power but was bleeding like crazy en route to the hospital. Hopefully everyone involved is alright.
Stats: 15 appearances (13 starts), 3 yellow cards
Tommaso Rubino (Carrarese)
The 19-year-old attacker has found his feet for the Marmiferi, starting the last 3 games and scoring a lovely low drive to equalize against Avellino last month. He needs to clean up the sorts of issues you expect from a kid his age and become more consistent but he’s well on his way. I doubt he’s ready for a first team in Florence next year but he’s on the right track to make his way into the first team at some point.
Stats: 13 appearances (5 starts), 2 goals, 3 yellow cards
Simon Sohm (Bologna)
It’s not fair to blame the 24-year-old for the Oscar Meyers’ recent swoon; he’s made a 17-minute cameo since moving across the Appennines and it’s not his fault that Vincenzo Italiano’s men have lost both games since acquiring him. The Rossoblu struggles might actually help him if Cousin Vinnie decides he needs to shake things up and try some new faces in the middle. Either way, it’s too early to determine if he’ll stick with Bologna or not.
Stats: 1 appearance
Riccardo Sottil (Lecce)
The 27-year-old’s shaken off his early-season injury problem and reestablished himself as a regular for Eusebio di Francesco. While he’s regained fitness, his form hasn’t followed suit; he hasn’t troubled the scoresheet since early October, although maybe that’s not all him: the Salentini have scored 1 goal in his past 7 appearances. The most Sottil possible outcome is a productive back half of the season that convinces Fiorentina that maybe this time he’s ready to contribute to the first team.
Stats: 17 appearances (10 starts), 1 goal, 1 assist, 1 yellow card
Nicolás Valentini (Hellas Verona)
The 24-year-old centerback just can’t catch a break. He started the year on the sidelines with a hamstring injury, worked his way back into form after a month, and now he’s back on the trainer’s table. Verona hasn’t been as disappointing as Fiorentina despite being a worse team (despite the Mastini winning at the Franchi) and that’s probably as frustrating as anything for Valentini, given his uncertain future. My guess is that he’s shown enough that the Gialloblu will trigger his option, although he may not want to drop down to Serie B. Poor guy must wonder where it all went wrong for him.
Stats: 13 appearances (9 starts), 2 yellow cards
