OFFICIAL: Fiorentina sign Giovanni Simeone

The general rule when it comes to being a Fiorentina fan is to assume any player that you have heard of linked with the club will not sign with them unless a deal is concluded right away. Well, today is the exception, as Fiorentina have officially signed Argentine forward Giovanni Simeone from Genoa for approximately €18 million.

The 22 year old has signed a five year deal. With Nikola Kalinic on the verge of completing a move to AC Milan, Fiorentina have replaced him with a younger player while making a profit. This is surprising as Simeone was also linked with free spending English clubs such as Tottenham and Everton, however it appears Pantaleo Corvino has been negotiating for the forward all summer.

A product of the River Plate youth system, Cholito Simeone made his professional debut with River in 2014, although he didn’t break out as a goal scorer until the following year while at Banfield on loan. He then moved to Italy last summer after being purchased by Genoa for €3 million. He immediately showed promise for the Rossoblu, scoring 11 goals in 30 games including a brace in Genoa’s 3-1 victory against Juventus.

As a young player with only one year spent in Europe, Simeone remains a work in progress; he already can finish with both feet and his work ethic and defensive contribution already live up to his last name, but his passing was often sloppy as he adjusted to the speed of Serie A. Although a natural CF whose career will be made off his finishing, he was considered a technically skilled player in Argentina capable of playing on the ball, and will likely improve his overall game with him.

While a very different player than his father, the legendary Diego Simeone, if Giovanni inherited even a fraction of Cholo’s legendary drive to win, we are in good hands. Together with Federico Chiesa and Ianis Hagi, Fiorentina is now betting their future on the children of 90s football legends.