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Think Daniele Pradè is staying busy today? The Fiorentina DS finished what feels like his 309th deal of the day with a swoop for Genoa striker Christian Kouamé. Per the club’s announcement, the deal is a loan with an obligation to buy in June for €10 million, a fee which could rise by another €7 million if the player meets certain incentives, as well as a percentage of any future sales.
Kouamé is, like Sofyan Amrabat, a signing for next year. He shredded his ACL while on international duty in November, putting a halt to what was shaping up to be a career year. He’d already racked up 5 goals and 3 assists in 11 matches for the Grifoni and was garnering interest from the Premier League before his cruciate ligament injury.
We’re huge fans of his talent, which is prodigious and explosive (or was before the injury). He’s a complete striker, possessed of pace, technique, aerial prowess, versatility, and a cool head in front of goal. There really isn’t a whole lot he can’t do, but he’s probably at his best in a front two, where he can spin in behind to run onto flicks from a target man and generally dart around, creating havoc for an opposing defense.
His arrival does seem to muddy the waters for an already-deep striker rotation of Federico Chiesa, Dušan Vlahović, and Patrick Cutrone (to say nothing of Franck Ribery and Riccardo Sottil). While this could lead to some questions down the road, having too many good players is a better problem than not having enough.
Word is that Kouamé plans to move to Florence early to continue his rehab with the Viola medical team, which will also allow him to get acquainted with his new colleagues before joining them on the pitch. It’s a smart move from the 22-year-old Ivorian, and we can’t wait to see him in action next year.