Dodô
Developed a serious case of the yips early on and made a series of increasingly wacky mistakes but eventually steadied himself. Like everyone else on the team, he was worse this year than last year and, as one of the most important players, that’s partly on him. I’d still give more of the blame to Stefano Pioli especially because our favorite smiley Brazilian eventually perked up, even if he was more subdued than we’ve ever seen.
Stats: 47 appearances ( starts), 2 goals, 3 assists, 10 yellow cards
Best moment: Has to be his first league goal in nearly 3 years. Sure, it didn’t matter in the grand scheme, but this might well have been the goal of the season. Look at that trail of prone bodies across the pitch. Lovely.
What’s next: With just a year left on his contract and no talks reported, I’m pretty sure he’s on the way out. It’s a disappointing end for the best rightback Fiorentina’s had in decades but sometimes it goes that way.
Final grade: C- Failed to meet his own lofty standards.
Robin Gosens
The move to a back 3 should’ve suited him but the lack of movement elsewhere meant that he struggled as much as everyone else early on. His physical deterioration was notable, too, as opponents routinely targeted him in space to take advantage of his inability to stay in front of quick wingers. Even so, he came up nails in both boxes time and again. More importantly, he was a paragon of professionalism when Vanoli dropped him towards the middle of the season, encouraging his teammates from the dugout and wearing the armband on occasion.
Stats: 36 appearances (31 starts), 4 goals, 3 assists, 3 yellow cards
Best moment: He scored in both games against Lazio but for me, it was what he did off the pitch. Guy’s got more 4th-division player-coach energy than anyone I’ve ever seen. I really like him.
What’s next: He’s under contract for 2 more years with a major salary so Paratici might see him as someone to move on. He’s still got plenty in the tank, depending on what role he’s playing, so I wouldn’t be shocked to see him leave. Would much rather keep him around, though.
Final grade: C+ Pretty average season on balance but he gets a boost for the emotional labor he put in.
Fabiano Parisi
Had some decent moments early on but really clicked into place when Vanoli had to play him on the right wing. His ability to beat opponents 1-v-1 drove Fiorentina up the pitch, although the end product was shaky. Still, his transformation from defensively fragile fullback to miniature aggro winger was a ton of fun and his burgeoning relationship with Dodô was promising. For what it’s worth, I still see him as more of a fullback than a winger because he’s not decisive enough in the final third but for the first time since landing in Florence, he looked like making good on the potential he showed back at Empoli.
Stats: 32 appearances (23 starts), 1 goal, 2 assists, 7 yellow cards
Best moment: When he opened the scoring at Cremonese by dusting Romano Floriani and banging it home, you just knew it was going to be a good day. Also, any situation that makes Floriani look dumb is fine by me.
What’s next: After tearing his cruciate ligament against Juventus in the penultimate game of the season, he’s out until October at the earliest. It’s brutal news as he’d built up some momentum and could’ve been a major asset but for now he’ll rehab at the RBCVPetc and hope to hit those heights in 2027.
Final grade: B One of very few bright spots in a pitch dark season.
Nicolò Fortini
Expectations were really high for a teenager who’d played just a single senior season. While Fortini didn’t meet them, it’s hard to put too much blame on him, given how awful the Viola environment was. He showed good physical traits but his decision-making, both with and without the ball, was pretty poor. Vanoli benched him in January and he made just a couple more Conference Leauge appearances before a back issue knocked him out for a month.
Stats: 26 appearances (10 starts), 1 assist, 1 yellow card
Best moment: A perfect cross to set up Edin Džeko’s tap in at SK Rapid.
What’s next: His contract runs out next summer so he needs to prove his skill set extends beyond athleticism. Whether he does that in Florence or on loan elsewhere should tell us all we need to know about Paratici’s assessment.
Final grade: D+ Hamstrung by a terrible situation that didn’t allow him to flourish.
Luis Balbo
Despite making his international debut for Venezuela in November, the Porto youth product didn’t make it into Vanoli’s plans until injuries to Gosens and Fortini forced his hand. All credit to Balbo, though, who was pretty good in his first start (in the Coppa Italia against Como), showing a spiky competitiveness that’ll stand him in good stead. It wasn’t all roses, of course, and he got cooked in his first Serie A start against Lecce, but he showed that he might well have a future in the top tier.
Stats: 10 appearances (2 starts)
Best moment: Got to be that his first Viola start against Como. He was so unafraid of anything the Lariani could throw at him that I couldn’t believe he’d never started at this level.
What’s next: With Parisi injured, he could stick around as the backup leftback until the winter window. Either way, he’ll probably take a loan move at some point to get regular minutes and improve his standing with Venezuela.
Final grade: C+ Closer to ready for Serie A than expected.
Eddy Kouadio
A well-regarded young prospect but not one tipped for immediate success, Kouadio came off the bench in the 2nd game of the season at halftime, replacing Pietro Comuzzo. It was rocky for him, sure, but he looked physically up for it, even if his reading of the game and technique need some work. He became something of a regular under Stefano Pioli, playing spot minutes both in defense and at wingback, but Paolo Vanoli sent him back to the bench for the back half of the season.
Stats: 8 appearances (1 start), 1 assist, 1 yellow card
Best moment: How about an assist on his European debut? That was cool.
What’s next: He might stick around next year as the 4th centerback but he’ll probably head out on loan to Serie B.
Final grade: B- Good moments, bad moments, whatever. Looks like he’ll have a good career.
