Transfer window update: so what’s the plan here?

We’re nearly two weeks into 2020, and we’re not much clearer on Fiorentina’s plans than we were last decade. Earlier last week, we published a summary of the initial rumors for the Winter transfer window; this is a brief follow-up to talk about what’s new, what fizzled out, and what in the world is going on in Florence. Buckle up.

Arrivals

Even though Patrick Cutrone’s signature seemed like a sure thing at the beginning of this window (which is now confirmed), it wouldn’t be a proper Fiorentina signing if the deal wasn’t cast in doubt just hours before it eventually went through. After initial reports all-but-confirmed Cutrone’s arrival, he returned to Wolves training and put all of our heads in a tizzy. Thankfully, he’s now been spotted in purple—but we’re all too familiar with the theatrics and disappointment that typically follows these rumors. Frankly, regardless of how he performs, it’s good to see the brass putting forward some real funds to improve this attack.

Apart from Cutrone however, it’s anybody’s guess as to who else will sign for Fiorentina. It’s unlikely that we’ll sign another starting-quality striker, so we can safely disregard some of the names that were put forward when the transfer window first opened (Piątek, Kalinić, Petagna, Zaza, and Farias). However, with Ribéry still out and nobody else seeming up to the task in replacing him, a Berardi or Politano would make quite a bit of tactical sense. That said, it wouldn’t be Fiorentina if a few holes weren’t left unfilled—especially considering the price tag on those guys.

Regarding potential midfield and defense reinforcements, only two names have come up since our initial rumor rundown: Franck Kessié and Juan Jesus, the latter of which we recently published a write-up on here. Kessié would be quite a coup; his reputation in Milan has been on quite a roller-coaster for the past couple of years, but his talent has been more than proven in the league. Like Politano though, Milan will likely charge an arm and a leg for the dynamic midfielder, even though he’s found himself relatively out of Stefano Pioli’s favor as of late.

I don’t think I’m alone when I say that we’d like to see a few higher-profile transfers as opposed to a cabal of journeymen, but we’re far more used to the second option. Names like Berardi, Politano, and Kessié have always been associated with Fiorentina, but finances have consistently kept them just out of reach. However, Rocco has some deep pockets and an obvious disdain for losing, so we’ll see if that translates into some big moves this Winter. Our fingers are crossed.

Departures

It’s no secret that Fiorentina has a surplus of players. Some have been pushing for a departure for quite some time, while others seem to be clinging on like leeches (yes, I’m looking at you, Cyril). Thankfully, there’s no time like January for a little Spring Winter cleaning.

Unfortunately, our first big piece of news regards a player who is the polar opposite of dead weight. In a recent interview, Rocco Commisso publicly gave Federico Chiesa the green light to depart Fiorentina, so long as there’s a reasonable offer on the table. This is unlikely to happen in the Winter, especially given the collapse this team would inevitably have following the loss of their best player, but this news is heartbreaking nonetheless. Commisso also had some choice words about wanting leaders on this team, implying that Freddy Church will never join the ranks of Antognoni and company. We’d best appreciate the rest of this season, as Federico doesn’t sound like he’ll be a part of the next one.

Typical Fiorentina heartbreak aside, some additional funds should be coming in over the next couple weeks. Sebastián Cristóforo is reportedly close to signing for La Liga sweethearts Eibar, Jacob Rasmussen is on the verge of departure to a German second-division team before we’ve even seen signs of his existence, and SPAL is ready to finalize Bryan Dabo as a replacement for Jasmin Kurtić—and that’s without mentioning the ongoing discussions following Pedro’s six-month vacation in Florence. None of these are blockbuster moves, but hopefully they’ll help fund one in our favor.

There’s still a couple players we’d like to see offloaded (Valentin Eysseric and Cyril Théréau), but there’s a clear desire to clean up the roster a bit. Riccardo Saponara also seems to be cutting his loan short at Genoa in favor of joining Lecce, but there’s no indication that this will make any difference to Fiorentina’s operating budget.

We’ll give you all a couple more updates as this transfer window proceeds, but in the meantime—what are your thoughts? Do you expect us to make another splash in the market, or just a few quiet pieces of business? Or, are you in too much agony with this team to even bother thinking about it anymore? Don’t worry, we understand.