Fiorentina was ass this year. I know it. You know it. The world knows it. Things started going ass in preseason and didn’t really stop. Paolo Vanoli did the unglamorous work of wrenching the club back to safety but even that process was wrought with assness. Fabio Paratici is thus left with the unenviable task of assessing that assness.
Every player’s future in Florence is up in the air. Nobody is untouchable. That might change when the new coach arrives and identifies the short- to medium-term pillars
of the project. In this Heraclitean milieu, every player’s value or ability or whatever is in flux. I’ve picked out the 5 guys whose statuses are most uncertain, totting up positives and negatives to figure out what everyone’s future holds. Will Paratici agree? Probably not.
Pietro Comuzzo
The good: He’s a homegrown 21-year-old centerback who’s been called up for Italy and it’s just about impossible to find one of those lying around. He’s already strong as an ox and should get stronger as he ages. His reading of the game will also improve. Basically, this is the sort of academy product you build a team around, especially after he burst onto the scene last season as a teenager. Development isn’t linear and selling on such a talented player at his lowest point would be folly.
The bad: The mental lapses while marking, particularly when tracking strikers running into his blind spot to meet crosses, have happened enough that it’s an obvious weakness and one that opponents can target. Throw in his obvious technical limitations and you’ve got a centerback who doesn’t fit a modern, possession-based style and also doesn’t defend the penalty box well enough. That’s a rotten combination.
What’s next: I believe in the Ginger Prince. Youngsters breaking out often have a rough second season in the spotlight even without the club-wide dysfunction. We all focused too hard on a sky-high ceiling when he appeared and have overcorrected. Any offer under €30 million isn’t worth accepting; even if he never recaptures that initial form, his baseline is competence.
Giovanni Fabbian
The good: Young! Big! Athlete! Off-ball running! Box-crashing! Buzzwords! Vincent Adultman!
The bad: He’s never really put it together, has he? I’ve written this elsewhere but something I look for in a good Serie A player is a singular, repeatable standout ability and at least 2 other areas in which they’re average or better. Fabbian’s good at those late runs but at this point, he’s not good on the ball and doesn’t contribute out of possession.
What’s next: Off-ball players always look worse on uncreative teams and my bet is that Fabbian’s no exception. He’s got some similarities to Kristian Thortsvedt, a similar box-crashing midfielder who took a couple years to find his feet. If Giovanni can embrace the defensive side, he could be a good change of pace next year. Otherwise, a January loan and another few years of bouncing around are the likeliest outcome.
Nicolò Fagioli
The good: His technical ability is beyond question. He’s brilliant on the ball, possessing the ability to twist through tight spaces and play those Hollywood balls over the top. He probably deserved at least twice his 3 assists this year, given how many passes he threaded through for Moise Kean. He makes an effort defensively and occasionally does well on that end. He also deserves credit for accepting the regista role after spending much of his career in a more attacking role.
The bad: For all his talent, I don’t think he improved the team that much. He’s diffident to the point of invisibility at times and needs to be more ambitious with his distribution. He’s also loose on the ball to the point of coughing it up once or twice in his own half every game. Being Fiorentina’s best midfielder in 2025-2026 didn’t require being good. It just required being less bad, and less bad isn’t nearly enough for a competent team.
What’s next: I’m lower on Fagioli than consensus and wouldn’t mind moving off him for anything north of €15 million, especially since he signed a short-term contract and his book value’s low enough to make him a significant plusvalenza.
Fabiano Parisi
The good: Outside of Cher Ndour, nobody on this team increased their standing like Parisi this year. Moving him to the wing was a desperation move but my King of the Rats took right to it. His relationship with Dodô on the right was seamless and he was often the force driving Fiorentina up the pitch. His ability to win in tight spaces and generate free kicks was crucial. His end product will only improve as he acclimates to a more advanced role.
The bad: He’s out until November with a cruciate ligament injury and those can require a longer mental recovery, especially for guys who rely on explosiveness. For all his improvement, too, he managed 1 goal and 2 assists. I’d also guess his future is at fullback or wingback rather than winger despite his performances this year. He’s always looked good when playing on the break and attacking space but struggled to break down set defenses and in theory, a better Fiorentina will face more of the latter.
What’s next: He didn’t underachieve but his health means his future’s hazy. It’s rare to see a guy with an ACL injury move in the transfer window so I expect he’ll be in Florence until at least January, especially since he extended his contract in September. That also means that he’s amortized, though, and could represent a capital gain in a way few other players could. It all depends on how he looks through December but I wouldn’t be astonished if a big club took a flier on him.
Roberto Piccoli
The good: He’s big and strong and has a few decent Serie A seasons under his belt.
The bad: The technical limitations are obviously a problem; I haven’t ever seen a player dribble into touch as often, not even peak Jonathan Ikoné. The bigger problem for Piccoli, though, is the narrative around him. He didn’t set that €25 million transfer fee but now he’ll always be stuck with that baggage. More than that, fans have decided they know exactly what kind of player he is. Previous players have changed that perception after a disastrous first year but it’s surpassing rare.
What’s next: He’s not as bad as he looked this year. In a team that plays to his strengths and, more importantly, shows some belief in him, he’s probably as 12-goal striker. The real question is what happens if Moise Kean gets sold; replacing the Moose with an equivalent talent isn’t possible and Paratici might not want to sink more cash into a position that’s already received significant investment. The Piccoli Rehabilitation Tour might be coming soon to a Franchi near you.
