Serie A and Serie B loanee reports

Serie A

Gilberto (Hellas Verona): The 23 year old Brazilian rightback stayed glued to the bench for Sunday's 3-0 loss at Napoli. He got 25 minutes last week in the 0-1 win at Bologna, but it seems that he's frustrated with his lack of chances; those are the only minutes he's played in the past four weeks. As Fiorentina work on bringing in Hellas midfielder Francesco Viviani, they've been using an extra year's worth of Gilberto as bait for the Verona club. Unfortunately, Gilberto wants none of it, publicly discussing his irritation with being kept off the pitch.

Ante Rebić (Hellas Verona): The 22 year old Croatian attacker played the first 72 minutes in the Napoli loss after serving his red card suspension last week. He's looked very much himself in ever sense. He remains energetic and direct, willing to track back to help his defense and with a desire to drop his shoulder and make something happen, but the end result remains uneven and he's always just inches away from a bad tackle. Another full season on loan, either at a lower-end Serie A club or an upper-tier Serie B, might temper that fire a bit. With Empoli interested in bringing him aboard, don't be shocked if that's just what happens, especially with all the Empoli players Fiorentina is chasing.

Serie B

Maxwell Acosty (Latina): The 24 year old Ghanaian attacker didn't play this week due to a minor injury picked up in last week's 3-0 win over Avellino. He did have enough time to notch his 5th assist of the year (2:49 in the video), to go along with his club-leading 7 goals. He's really broken out this season, and should be entering into his prime. No telling if he'll stick with the Viola, but it's fun to watch him turn into a pretty good player.

Jaime Báez (Livorno): The 20 year old Uruguayan attacker came on as a sub for the last 21 minutes in Saturday's 1-2 loss to Bari. After beginning his stint with the Amaranti as a starter, he's settled in more as a supersub. It's a small step back, but not an unexpected one, and the powerful little striker still looks like he has a bright future.

Ricardo Bagadur (Salernitana): The 20 year old Croatian centerback played all 90 minutes in Saturday's thrilling 3-2 win against Latina; he wasn't at all at fault for either goal conceded. It's good to seem him back after he missed the past three matches with a thigh injury. He's starting to look like he could be a very solid defender, provided he gets time and space to develop.

Filippo Bandinelli (Latina): The 21 year old centerback remains way down the depth chart. Having to compete for a spot is good, but he needs to be playing.

Joshua Brillante (Como): The 23 year old Australian midfielder has been benched for the past three weeks. It'd be nice to see him get an extended run in the team at some point, because I honestly have no idea if he's any good or not.

Leonardo Capezzi (Crotone): The 21 year old midfielder was surprisingly benched for Saturday's 1-2 win at Ternana, but did play the whole of last week's 1-0 win over Virtus Lanciano. Despite his recent (albeit slight) drop in form, the Fiorentina brass are working on locking him up with a long term deal and hinting that he may have a role with his parent club next season.

Nicolò Fazzi (Crotone): The 21 year old attacker remains frozen out of the setup. With Crotone hanging onto the top spot in Serie B, it's understandable why manager Ivan Jurić doesn't want to make any changes. What's confusing is why, when young Fazzi wasn't getting playing time with Virtus Entella, the club opted to send him to Crotone, where he was even less likely to see the field.

Cedric Gondo (Ternana): The 19 year old Ivorian attacker was an unused substitute against Crotone this week. Last week, he came in for 24 minutes on the right wing in the 2-2 draw with Virtus Entella. It'd be nice to see him on the scoresheet more often, but it's satisfying enough that he's getting significant minutes. Still probably a few years away from Serie A ready, he's doing what he needs to do.

Gianluca Mancini (Perugia): The 19 year old centerback (whose birthday is Sunday) played the entirety of the 2-2 draw at Brescia. He also started last week's 0-2 loss to Ascoli. He's played his way into the first eleven over the past month or so, demonstrating some good mental toughness after he was benched following a couple of bad performances early this season, which can only help him as he develops as a player.

Amidu Salifu (Brescia): The 23 year old (seems like he should be older, considering how long he's been in the setup) Ghanaian midfield destroyer has spent the past 2 matches on the bench. This is already a lost season for him, so the focus should be on getting fully healthy and competing for a spot somewhere next year.

Andrés Schetino (Livorno): The 21 year old Uruguayan defensive midfielder has been an unused substitute for the past month and a half. He'll probably make a couple of cameos this season, but mostly he's just getting ready to try and win himself a role next season with.

Lorenzo Venuti (Brescia): The 21 year old fullback (whose birthday was Tuesday) picked up a niggle last week against Trapani, and was benched for Monday's 2-2 draw with Perugia as a precaution. He should be back in the saddle next week, as he's been a real force for the Leonessa this year.

Luca Zanon (Virtus Entella): The 19 year old rightback remains benched. It's mostly a matter of wrong man, wrong place, wrong time. He should move elsewhere and try to nail down a spot again. It's been a solid year of learning, rather than satisfaction, for him.