OFFICIAL: Bryan Dabo loaned to SPAL

In news that comes as a shock to nobody, Fiorentina announced this morning that Bryan Dabo has been loaned to SPAL for the remainder of the year, with the Estensi given the option to purchase him outright for an unknown sum in June, although we’d guess that it’s not in excess of €2million. The Burkinabé international has already chosen his beloved number 14.

SPAL is a good landing spot for Perestroika, as his physicality and ability to charge forward in possession should quickly earn him a spot in Leonardo Semplici’s XI; he should comfortably beat out the likes of Mattia Valoti and Simone Missiroli for a starters’ berth. We are a bit sad that he’s staying in Italy, both because playing him sounds difficult—he’s as agile and lanky as an octopus—and because he reportedly wanted a return to France.

Dabo first arrived in Florence for a €3 million fee from Saint-Étienne in January 2018. Billed as a versatile option all across midfield and defense, he made 10 appearances, mostly off the bench, but despite some outstanding performances in his spot minutes over the next season, neither Stefano Pioli nor Vincenzo Montella ever gave him an extended run as a starter for reasons that they alone can know; he wasn’t even called for the matchday squad this season.

A fan favorite for his work on the pitch and his obvious warmth and charm off it, we wish Dabo nothing but success in every future endeavor. Unlike so many other personnel blunders in Fiorentina’s recent history, his relative “failure” in Florence—36 appearances, 2 goals, 2 assists, 5 bookings, and a sending off—are functions of managers who couldn’t use him rather than a DS who made a bad judgement. Hopefully this doesn’t happen again, and Bryan thrives for the rest of this season and his career.