Friday Poll: Should Fiorentina sell Chiesa this summer?

Given the recent revival of the rumor that Federico Chiesa is leaving Florence, it’s probably time to actually talk about what that might look like, even though it’s a rather painful conversation. We’re all adults here, after all, and understand that expecting a player to spend his entire career in one jersey just doesn’t fit the parameters of the modern game, which is a business and thus forces players to maximize their earning potential. For the sake of this hypothetical, let’s imagine that Fede’s wage demands eventually outgrow even Rocco Commisso’s abilities, while also remembering that this is all hypothetical.

First, let’s look at the reasons to sell. First and foremost, of course, is Chiesa’s own desires. If he wants out, the club should let him go, provided that it can obtain a fair transfer fee. Self-determination of labor is a pretty simple starting point. Beyond that, you could argue that letting him leave this summer would free up a massive logjam among the forwards and would allow Christian Kouamé, Dušan Vlahović, and Patrick Cutrone a lot more room. Too, if Giuseppe Iachini is in Fiorentina’s plans for next year, fitting Fede into a 3-5-2 remains a substantial headache that you could alleviate by selling him. Finally, any fee received for him would allow Daniele Pradè and Joe Barone to significantly reinforce the remainder of the squad.

On the other side of the ledger, though, there are some pretty obvious reasons not to let Chiesa go. For starters, he’s been the face of this team for the past 3 seasons and, until the recent rise of Gaetano Castrovilli, was its unquestioned best player. Add to that the fact that Rocco has built his brief reign on the promise that he wouldn’t sell Chiesa and probably doesn’t want to lose face (although after his January spending spree, a sale wouldn’t result in accusations of cheapskatery, at least). Finally, there’s the issue of the transfer market this summer, which is going to be bizarre in the wake of coronavirus; nobody’s going to have any idea how to set player valuations and we could see fees severely depressed. If the club can’t can’t be sure of turning a sufficient profit, there’s no reason at all to let its most valuable asset leave.

Here’s your weekend thread for whatever’s on your mind. Stay loose.