Is it time for Fiorentina to move on from El Capitan?

Let me just start this off by saying that Germán Pezzella has been a tremendous asset to the club over the last few years. Not only has been a tremendous leader on the pitch, but also in the dressing room. Following the death of Davide Astori, the club looked for a leader worthy of wearing that captain’s armband and Pezzella has been nothing short of class. He’s even contributed a few goals over the past few years and has been a stabilizing force on the back line filled with a bunch of promising young players. However, I think it’s time for the club to move on from the Argentine international.

Yes, he’s only 29 but his performances over the past year have left a lot to be desired. When he is fully fit (and that’s pretty rare these days) he seems a step slower than we’ve come to expect. He’s often cautioned in games and looks out of sorts for large spells of the game. If you look back at the last two “Player Grades and 3 Things We Learned” articles for the Torino and Sampdoria matches you’ll notice one common theme, Pezz was at fault for at least one goal. I’m sorry, but you can’t have the leader of your team gifting the opposition goals when you’re trying to stave off relegation. Is that a bit harsh, maybe, but generally this club needs a massive overhaul and that starts with the skipper.

As noted above, he’s only 29 and will have plenty of suitors in Europe and back home in South America. With Nikola Milenković also likely to move on, it’s the perfect time to give the defense a fresh makeover. As we’ve discussed on this Blog in the past, starting LMQ and Igor together might be a recipe for disaster, but it also might be genius. The only way to truly find out is to put them out there for a run of games and see how they perform. Plus, Fiorentina has a few decent CBs in the youth set-up that should get a run sooner rather than later.

We here at VN appreciate all of Pezzella’s contributions over the past four years, but it’s time for both sides to move on. Given his contract is up at the end of next season it’s best to move him now instead of letting him walk for free.

If he does in fact leave, who would you like to be the captain? Let us know below in the comments!