OFFICIAL: Cerofolini and Mosti loaned to Bisceglie

Pantaleo Corvino has had quite the busy week, and it shows no signs of slowing down as he’s relocated a couple of Viola youngsters who are taking their first steps away from Fiorentina. Goalkeeper Michele Cerofolini and rightback Luca Mosti, previously with Cosenza and Arrezo, respectively, have both been reassigned to Bisceglie in Serie C in hopes of garnering them a bit more playing time.

Cerofolini, a 20-year-old goalkeeper, is probably the better known of the pair. He’s currently the number one for the Italy U20s and should be a Serie A-level custodian within a half decade or so. However, it was perhaps a bit optimistic to expect him to compete for the starting role with Cosenza in Serie B this year; the Lupi are 14th and just outside the drop zone, but this is still the second-tier of calcio. It was always a big ask for a 19-year-old to leapfrog a couple of experienced players in Umberto Saracco and Pietro Perina, and nobody should be shocked that Cerofolini wasn’t quite able to do so. He did garner a pair of starts, at least, and should easily be first choice for the Nerrazzuri Stellati, who just lost starter Diamante Crispino to Siracusa.

Mosti, a 20-year-old rightback, is a less-heralded prospect but still a solid performer at youth level for the Viola. More of an old-fashioned fullback than a wingback, he never quite fit into manager Alessandro dal Canto’s 3-5-2 formation; he hasn’t logged a minute all year. With fellow youngsters Leonardo Longo and Fabio Delvino as competition on the right flank of Rodolfo Vanoli’s 4-3-3, he should have a fighting chance to earn some playing time, although Longo seems pretty well entrenched as the starter. Still, it should help him to at least have a chance to win a berth in his first assignment outside of the Viola system.

Bisceglie, in case you were wondering, is based in the town of the same name. Located on the Adriatic coast in the Barletta-Andria-Trani region of Apulia, the club has bounced around the amateur leagues and Serie D for most of its history; the past two years in Serie C represent its zenith. The dream looks like it’s in trouble, though, as the Nerrazzurri Stellati (who don’t even have their own website) currently sit 17th of 20 teams in Serie C-C with 15 points from 21 matches. The greatest concern is certainly the attack, which has garnered a genuinely embarrassing 9 goals; the defense, which has conceded 28, is alright but nothing to write home about.