OFFICIAL: Lezzerini loaned to Avellino

Luca Lezzerini has moved to Avellino on a loan deal for the rest of the year. It’s a good move for all parties involved, as the arrival of Marco Sportiello had clearly thrown Lezze’s long-term Viola future into doubt; even before the transfer window opened, though, we had doubts that he would stick in Florence.

Despite bursting onto the youth scene nearly a decade ago and garnering accolades at the Primavera level as the club’s future number one, there always seemed to be something missing for young Luca. After spending a couple of years as the third- or fourth-string goalkeeper behind a series of undistinguished journeymen, he finally got a shot as the backup last year. But instead of featuring in cup competitions, he remained on the bench behind Ciprian Tatarusanu for all but 109 minutes, conceding 3 goals.

When Pantaleo Corvino signed Bartlomiej Dragowski, it looked like Lezzerini’s time was up, and he nearly left the club this summer. But he stayed on, won the backup job in Moena, and looked like he might come good. Instead, Paulo Sousa stuck with Tata, and only brought in his backup when the starter was hurt. Finally, Lezzerini got a shot against PAOK in the Europa League, and absolutely bottled it.

With that, his time in Florence was pretty much officially over. Even after Dragowski picked up an injury in training, Luca remained frozen out, and the Sportiello deal merely confirmed it. The loan to Avellino (who publicly tried to sign him this summer, too) will almost certainly be made permanent for a pittance.

It’s just further turmoil between the sticks, where Fiorentina haven’t managed to find a top-notch, long-term solution since Sebastian Frey. Lezzerini had a chance to be the future, but couldn’t ever quite grab it, and was clearly being passed up by younger teammates. Still, though, we wish him the best, as he’s been very professional throughout this very visible saga.