Loanee reports: Serie A and Serie B

As you may have noticed, keeping track of all 30 (!) players Fiorentina have loaned out is a bit of a hassle, and makes for a really, really lengthy read. We're therefore going to break things up a bit to make this a little less painful for everyone. Serendipitously enough, it's almost an even split between the guys in Serie A and Serie B and those in the lower Italian leagues and out of the country. We'll start off with the former, then alternate weeks with them from here on out.

Maxwell Acosty (Latina): The 24-year-old Ghanaian attacker was surprisingly not in the squad for Saturday's scoreless draw with Ternana. It's only the second game he's missed all season; he may have picked up a knock. With 7 goals and 4 assists, he remains Latina's most dangerous attacker, whether used as a winger or a striker, although it remains to be seen how he'll fit into new manager Carmine Gautieri's plans.

Jaime Báez (Livorno): The 20-year-old Uruguayan attacker played 58 minutes at left wing in Saturday's scoreless draw against Virtus Entella. He did get his first assist with the Triglie in the 1-2 loss at Avellino (1:15 in the video), along with his first yellow card. He's looked lively thus far under manager Christian Panucci's tutelage, demonstrating pace, technique, intelligent movement, and some nice set piece delivery. Indeed, the former Azzuri defender recently compared his young striker to Eder. He looks fully settled in; next up is getting his first goal.

Ricardo Bagadur (Salernitana): The 20-year-old Croatian centerback started Saturday's 1-3 loss to Virtus Lanciano. Last week, however, he headed in a stoppage time winner in the shock 1-2 win at Cesena for his first senior goal in Italy. With this dramatic moment now in his dossier, manager Leonardo Menichini really can't drop him, especially since the floundering Ligurians have gotten 6 of their 30 points in the five games Bagadur has started (W1 D3 L1). Looks like all Ricardo needed was a chance to play, and now he's really grabbed it and run.

Filippo Bandinelli (Latina): The 20-year-old winger remains frozen out of the squad. Maybe he'll figure into Gautieri's plans a bit more, but things look bleak for him.

Joshua Brillante (Como): The 22-year-old Australian midfielder was on the bench for Saturday's 3-1 loss at Cesena. After briefly nailing down a spot in the first XI as a rightback for the Lariani, he's fallen down the pecking order and remains more of a bench option. With a birthday this month, he's running out of time to show that he's got anything to offer Fiorentina. Winning his spot back in manager Gianluca Festa's starting lineup would maybe prove otherwise, though.

Leonardo Capezzi (Crotone): The 20-year-old midfielder has had a rough month, as he was benched for 2 matches (probably to get him some rest), then was sent off in the 57th minute in Friday's 3-0 loss at Brescia (0:45 in the video) for a sliding challenge from behind. Manager Ivan Jurić will probably keep faith his faith in the youngster after he's reinstated, as Capezzi has been one of the standout performers in Serie B this year, but it's definitely a sudden sour note for the U20 international.

Nicolò Fazzi (Crotone): The Italian U21 international attacker (whose 21st birthday was a couple weeks ago) isn't finding life with the Pitagorici any easier than it was with the Diavoli Neri. He hasn't even made the squad for Crotone in more than a month, which is hardly surprising; why would Jurić try to fix what's clearly working? Fazzi's got the quality to fight for a spot, but he's probably not going to blow anyone away this year, and may need another couple of seasons out on loan. He remains an excellent prospect, but not much more at this point.

Gilberto (Hellas Verona): The Brazilian wingback (who just turned 23 last week) was benched for an entirely forgettable match in Florence last week. The week before, he was an injury sub at leftback against Samp and was absolutely skinned alive. He's running out of time to impress Gigi Delneri as anything more than an energy sub.

Cedric Gondo (Ternana): The 19-year-old Ivorian attacker came off the bench to play 7 minutes on the left wing in Saturday's scoreless draw against Latina. Manager Roberto Breda is finally giving him consistent minutes on the right wing, usually as a substitute but with the occasional start thrown in as well. After spending much of the year shuffled between the front three positions, a steady spot seems to agree with him. It'd be nice to see him claim that spot for his own, but overall it's been a solid, albeit unspectacular, year of growth for him.

Gianluca Mancini (Perugia): The 19-year-old centerback played the full 90 in 0-2 upset win at second-placed Cagliari. After spending several months banished from the squad, manager Pierpaolo Bisoli has given him a handful of starts over the past few weeks, so let's hope the young defender can keep that momentum up and make the most of his chances.

Ante Rebić (Hellas Verona): The 22-year-old Croatian attacker got his second start in the draw against his parent club, starting on the left wing. Finally healthy after a rocky start to his stint in Verona, he's hardly up against a bunch of world-beaters and should have a chance to get significant minutes, which he desperately needs. There's a good player in there, and once he's got his temper in check, we should see him.

Amidu Salifu (Brescia): The 23-year-old Ghanaian defensive midfielder came in at the 67' mark in Friday's 3-0 win against Crotone, picking up a yellow card in the 86th minute. After missing nearly the entire season with a knee injury, it's good to see that he's easing his way back onto the field. Next step is to lock up a starting spot.

Andrés Schetino (Livorno): The 21-year-old Uruguayan midfielder was on the bench for the scoreless draw against Virtus Entella. He's now made Livorno's matchday squad for the past two weeks, although he hasn't actually set foot on the field. It's slow, steady progress for a player who just recently left home. Next step: convince Panucci to put him on the pitch.

Lorenzo Venuti (Brescia): The 20-year-old rightback played all 90 minutes in the win over Crotone. He's apparently back in Roberto Boscaglia's good graces, as this is his fourth start on the trot; three of those four have been wins, so it's clearly working for both club and player. Honestly, following his bad tackle a couple months ago, this is the best thing that could have happened to him: a lengthy period on the sidelines, then a chance to win back his spot; he sounds pretty happy right now, too, from this interview. Good stuff.

Luca Zanon (Virtus Entella): The 19-year-old fullback hasn't gotten off the bench since October, and manager Alfredo Aglietti shows no sign of bringing him into the setup. This one'll probably go down as a learning year for the U20 international.