There are two things about Fiorentina not competing in Europe that I really like. The first is that I don’t have to watch Fiorentina as often. The second is that I have more time to write about stuff that isn’t match coverage, stuff such as Fiorentina’s army of loanees. I’ve had way more time to watch the rest of the league this year and have prioritized these guys. I’ll try to do more regular check-ins on them this season but for now, here’s your first batch of updates.
Pietro Comuzzo (Torino)
The Ginger Prince has already
opened his account and has been a real threat in the box so far but his defending’s been part of the problem for il Toro. It looks like his brain just switches off at the worst possible moments sometimes, allowing strikers an extra step or two inside the box, but he’s also been a bit unlucky at times. He’s still just 21 and these hiccups are part of the process. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that his best stretch came with Luca Ranieri’s constant encouragement at his side. Maybe one of the other ex-Viola contingent (Mandragora, Biraghi, Simeone, Fortini in Torino can help him find that confidence again.
Loan terms: €20 million option
Stats: 8 appearances (8 starts), 1 goal, 1 yellow card
Grade: C+ Ignazio Abate hasn’t organized his defense particularly well to my eye but Comuzzo’s been far from faultless, although the talent remains obvious.
Giovanni Fabbian (Parma)
Our favorite Vincent Adultman cosplayer has partially earned Alberto Gilardino’s trust and seized a part-time role that may have expanded to regular starter. Unfortunately, the Ducali are every bit as bad as Fiorentina and such levels of assness make it tough to evaluate an individual. My take is that Fabbian is still the same guy he was in Florence: largely invisible aside from that one time per game that he misses as decent chance. His physical attributes don’t really matter so long as his technical and tactical ones lag well behind. Gilardino’s seat is getting ever warmer and a new manager would force our guy to prove himself again; he could be the next loan yo-yo.
Loan terms: €14 million option
Stats: 6 appearances (4 starts)
Grade: D It’s not his fault that Parma’s a Serie B outfit in disguise but it’s worrying that he’s struggling to make an impact even at that level.
Jacopo Fazzini (Cagliari)
The Isolani are Serie A’s biggest surprise and Jake’s in the midfield mix so it’s not going badly. He started the first 4 games but has since dropped to the bench as a result of Fabio Pisacane’s tactical machinations; the mister used him on the left in a 4-2-3-1 but hasn’t favored him in the current 3-5-2 setup. That’s on-brand for Fazzini: none of his coaches trust him in midfield (his off-ball work and passing are problems) and that forces him into wide roles that don’t suit him either. There’ve been glimmers of the tricksy playmaker he was with Empoli but that guy feels more distant every day; that one assist was a corner that Lecce defended quite badly. That’s life for a mercurial talent but he needs to add some stuff to his game or drop down a level.
Loan terms: €8 million option
Stats: 7 appearances (6 starts), 1 assist, 1 yellow card
Grade: C- He seems like a lovely guy and I’m rooting for him but I worry that all the early predictions of stardom were very wrong and our expectations for him are way too high for what he’s shown as a pro.
Niccolò Fortini (Torino)
He always seemed like someone who just needed regular minutes to bloom and Abate was happy to oblige. Fortini had some bright moments through the first 5 games, including an incredible goal-line clearance on Alieu Njie in Torino’s win at the Franchi. We already knew he was a superb athlete and he’s showed that. I’m still not convinced by his decision making and think that his habit of ball-watching while his man sneaks in behind him is a problem, but we’re talking about a 20-year-old with every tool at his disposal. Unfortunately, a hip injury has sidelined him for the past month and could keep him out for another couple of weeks. Assuming he gets his spot back from Nathan Patterson after that, expect to hear a lot of Future Azzurri takes about him and Alessio Cacciamani.
Loan terms: €9 million option
Stats: 6 appearances (5 starts)
Grade: B- Still some wrinkles to iron out but he’s well on the way to earning a permanent move.
Albert Guðmundsson (Lazio)
It got off to a perfect start as he scored a late winner on debut at Udinese. It was always going to be an uphill battle to unseat Mattia Zaccagni but the Iceland international was fitting in and looking decisive until he dinged his shoulder against Estonia during the international break and missed a couple games in a row. He might be fit again for Saturday’s tilt against Parma but may need another week or two to regain full fitness. Regardless, Gennaro Gattuso won’t mess with a successful formula and will feature him from the bench until further notice.
Loan terms: €12 million option
Stats: 3 appearances (0 starts), 1 goal
Grade: C+ A promising moment interrupted by injury, recovery, and the slow process of rediscovering form; stop me if you’ve heard this one before.
Moise Kean (Como)
The Moose has yet to score for his new side has he’s failed to leapfrog another capocannoniere runner-up in Tasos Douvikas. Unluckily for the Italian, he’s out for the next couple of weeks at least with the same shin bruise that sidelined him for more than half of last year and largely sapped his effectiveness. The Lariani are reportedly considering a January move for another striker. Everything I saw about the deal is that it’s an obligation, not an option, so hopefully this doesn’t have any impact on the Fiorentina side of things.
Loan terms: €25 million obligation + €5 million bonus
Stats: 4 appearances (1 start), 1 assist
Grade: D If Kean’s physically compromised, getting €40 million for him and removing his salary from the books would be a coup. It’s a long season, though, and he’s got plenty of time to get right on the lakeshore.
Matías Moreno (Venezia)
The 23-year-old has struggled a bit with fitness, going the full 90 just once, but won Giovanni Stroppa’s favor and a starting berth. That didn’t count for much as Venezia replaced the mister with professional relegation escapist Davide Nicola. So far, so good: the Lagunari got their first win of the season against Napoli, although Moreno conceded a penalty. He’s really good physically but has to iron out the odd bozo moment if he’s going to ascend. In fairness, playing in the 2nd-worst defense in Serie A makes it hard to grade him, especially relative to Fiorentina, which is uh oh wait the very worst defense in Serie A.
Loan terms: €5.5 million option + 50% sell-on clause
Stats: 5 appearances (4 starts), 3 yellow cards
Grade: C+ He’s locked in as a starter and if he stays healthy, Nicola could help him soar.
Roberto Piccoli (Bologna)
Big Bobby Smalls has a goal and more importantly has kept Artem Dovbyk on the bench, although he’ll probably miss the next 3 weeks with a hamstring issue. Flanked by wingers who want to come inside to shoot, Piccoli’s primary brief has been to occupy opposing centerbacks and make space for the likes of Riccardo Orsolini, Nicolò Cambiaghi, and Federico Bernardeschi to work their magic. Perhaps he’ll grow into a more prolific role but he too often looks like he’s wearing cement shoes. Still, he’s displayed a baseline level of competence, and after his nightmarish 2025-2026, that’s all we can ask for.
Loan terms: €18 million obligation if Bologna avoids relegation, €1.8 million to Cagliari as sell-on fee
Stats: 7 appearances (7 starts), 1 goal
Grade: B- A few more goals and a few less weird touches would be nice but barring catastrophe, he’ll help the Oscar Mayers avoid the drop and get himself off Fiorentina’s books.
Simon Sohm (Venezia)
He’s playing regularly for the Lagunari but given their record as the worst team in the league, that’s not exactly an endorsement of his performances. The invisibility in possession and curious lack of forcefulness that scuppered his Viola career remain on display. I can’t help but think it’s a confidence issue because he didn’t look this tentative at Parma. If he doesn’t snap out of it, Venezia may well decline its purchase option and send him back.
Loan terms: €10 million option
Stats: 8 appearances (7 starts), 1 assist, 2 yellow cards
Grade: D+ If he doesn’t show a pulse, could well end up getting benched on a team that gets relegated and that would be a major problem.
