Loanee reports: Serie A, Serie B, and other leagues

Serie A

Matias Fernandez (AC Milan): The 30-year-old Chilean playmaker remains unavailable due to injury. With Ricardo Montolivo now out of the picture, he could make a role for himself in the second half of the season, but it looks like yet another lost year for Matigol.

Serie B

Jaime Baez (Spezia): The 21-year-old Uruguayan attacker regained his starting spot on the left wing against 0-1 loss at Carpi after a couple of matches on the bench. He was, as usual, an absolute spark plug, providing the Aquilotti with their best chances of the match. He’s got magic in his boots, no doubt; if he can become more consistent with his end product, he’s going to be an absolute star, and sooner rather than later.

Ricardo Bagadur (Benevento): The 21-year-old Croatian centerback is still unable to crack Marco Baroni’s 4-2-3-1. As the Stregoni sit 3rd in Serie B and have the 3rd-stingiest defense, they’re not likely to change anything soon, and Ricardo will continue to languish on the bench. It’s a step back after his excellent spell at Salernitana last season. He may switch clubs in January, as the Fiorentina brass can’t be happy to see his development interrupted like this.

Gilberto (Latina): The 23-year-old Brazilian rightback has missed the past 4 matches due to injury. Prior to that, he’d nailed down a role as the right wingback for Vincenzo Vivarini’s men. Without him, Latina have struggled against bottom-half clubs and tumbled into 19th place in the table. However, he’s set to return this week and will hopefully improve both the club’s and his own stock.

Jacopo Petriccione (Ternana): The 21-year-old defensive midfielder has settled in as manager Benny Carbone’s go-to change of pace option in the middle; he’s come off the bench in each of the past 3 matches. With the Feri limping along to 19th place, he may be ready to shake things up pretty soon and give Petriccione an opportunity to start a few matches.

Lorenzo Venuti (Benevento): The 21-year-old rightback just keeps on keeping on for the Stregoni. He’s played every minute of every match for them so far this year and is clearly one of the first names on the team sheet. With a decent turn of pace and an imperturbable demeanor, he could be the long-term solution to the vacuum at rightback.

Non-Italian leagues

Steve Beleck (Umraniyespor—Turkey): The 23-year-old Cameroonian striker can’t complain that he’s not getting chances, as he’s started every match in the Turkish second division. He has yet to get on the scoresheet, though, which is a troubling trend; you’d expect that a brawny center forward like him would excel in the rough-and-tumble 1. Lig, but it’s just not clicking for him. It’ll take a miracle for Corvino to renew him when his contract comes up at the end of the year.

Ante Rebic (Eintracht Frankfurt—Germany): The 23-year-old striker is finally starting to put it together. Last week, he assisted a late equalizer against Hertha Berlin with a clever cross onto Michael Hector’s head (1:44 in the video).

He’s finally starting to show his quality, although he also picked up an 85th minute booking in that match; now it’s just a matter of keeping his head and staying healthy, which have never been his strengths. There’s a talented player in there, though, and maybe this is the year he finally emerges.

Giuseppe Rossi (Celta Vigo—Spain): The 29-year-old striker remains a Europa League starter, but has been relegated to impact sub in the league. He did grab his first goal in la Liga since his Villarreal days a couple weeks ago in dramatic fashion: a brilliantly chipped stoppage-time winner at Espanyol (0:55 in the video).

He may be getting more league opportunities soon, too, as John Guidetti may miss a lot of time with an ankle injury. We’re probably not going to see Pepito in a purple shirt again, which is a shame, but at least he’s settling in somewhere.

Andres Schetino (Sevilla Atletico—Spain): The 22-year-old Uruguayan midfield destroyer has made a role for himself in the second tier of Spanish football. He’s made 6 starts and a substitute appearance for los Rojiblancos, so you can tell that the management there rates him. He’s another who’s almost certain to stay in Spain, as Corvino doesn’t seem to think much of him.