Diego Falcinelli vs Khouma Babacar: Did Fiorentina Make the Right Move?

As the season starts to wind down, it is time to reflect on the decisions that were made to effect the current season. One of those big moves was essentially swapping El Khouma Babacar for Diego Facinelli during the January transfer window. This was one of those bitter sweet moves for Fiorentina fans because Babacar was the longest tenured player on the roster and was always the guy that had a lot of potential that could not put it together. He would show flashes of greatness and then disappear for a few weeks. Meanwhile, Falcinelli seemed to be a guy that needed a change of scenery to reach his full potential.

At the time time it seemed like a decent move for both parties involved. Both guys got a fresh start to try to make an impact on their new teams. Did it really work out in any teams favor though? The short answer is not really.

Since Joining Fiorentina, Diego Falcinelli has played in 11 games and just scored his first goal since joining the team. He has mostly been relegated to clean up duty off the bench. in the 11 games, Falcinelli is averaging 35.2 minutes a game. Honestly, it has not been an inspiring run for Falcinelli in a violet jersey. One can argue, he has not received a big enough chance to show his skillset. Others can say he has not taken advantage of his opportunities. Either way Falcinelli has not been the clutch player that Khouma Babacar had been in the past.

Meanwhile, in another part of Italy Khouma Babacar has not been too impressive either. In typical Babacar fashion, El Khouma is going through a cold streak. That means he will probably finish out the year with like eight goals in four games. In the 11 games that Babacar played since the transfer to Sassuolo, he has two goals and two assists. That is not really a great showing either. Who really won the transfer?

So far there is no winner. Babacar has more upside than Falcinelli does. It may have been a mistake for Fiorentina to let Babacar go. He was a player that could always be counted on for a late goal to win a game. That clutch factor cannot be measured by any statistic. Falcinelli could end up being that guy for la Viola, but right now he is a bit of an afterthought in the striker pecking order.