clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Fiorentina reportedly in for Amer Gojak, who is definitely a soccer player

Goals and creativity from midfield at a reasonable price sound just fine.

FBL-EURO-2020-QUALIFIER-ITA-BIH Photo credit should read MARCO BERTORELLO/AFP via Getty Images

One of Fiorentina’s biggest problems this year has been finding creativity against a deep defense. Franck Ribery has been the only player to consistently find those passes, as Federico Chiesa and Gaetano Castrovilli doesn’t consistently deliver that killer ball. The links to Mario Götze make sense, then, but if Daniele Pradè wants a cheaper option, Amer Gojak may be the choice, at least according to Tuttosport (as reported by Fiortentina.it).

The 23-year-old has impressed at Dinamo Zagreb in his 5 years there, racking up 151 appearances, 14 goals, and 19 assists across all competitions. While I won’t pretend to be an expert in the Hrvatski Telekom Prva Liga, Gojak seems like a pretty good player. He seems to like the responsibility of being his side’s main creative hub, which is important. Skill-wise, he’s got a bagful of tricks to help him beat his man, both the eye and the technique for either long switches of play or slide rule through balls, and a knack for scoring goals in the box. He’s also a physically big dude, which helps him hold up to some rugged challenges.

His best position seems to be as a trequartista with the freedom to run in behind the striker, as he’s quite adept at getting into the box and scoring from crosses and through balls, although he usually plays as part of a midfield three for his club. His 4 goals in 10 caps indicate that he could add more goals. He’s also played on the left wing for his country but seems to prefer working through the middle. For the Viola, he’d likely back up Gaetano Castrovilli for the most creative midfield role (sorry, Kevin Agudelo) unless next year brings a formation requiring an enganche.

While his contract runs through 2022, he hasn’t signed an extension since 2017. That could mean that he intends to play to the end of the deal and move on. If so, Dinamo could look to sell him in this window, when his value would be highest. Atalanta are also rumored to be interested (and if la Dea are in for an attacking player, he’s probably good), so Pradè may need to move quickly to wrap Gojak up. We’d guess that an offer somewhere in the €8 million range would be enough, which makes him a fairly low-risk gamble. Have a look for yourself: