OFFICIAL: Fiorentina snap up Daniela Sabatino

If you thought that Fiorentina Femmenile were done signing players after adding Louise Moore, Katja Schroffenegger, Camilla Forcinella, and Tessel Middag, you would be wrong. The club today announced the addition of veteran center forward Daniela Sabbatino of Sassuolo. The 35-year-old striker adds another poaching presence for the Viola up top.

Sabatino may be approaching the end of her career but she’s still really good. She’s more of a finisher with a sense of where to be and when to get there than a dribbler or an aerial presence, but her all-round game makes her one of the league’s better forwards, as her 12 goals in 16 games for the Neroverdi and 17 in 22 for AC Milan the year before indicate. She’s also struck 20 goals in 45 appearances for the Azzurre and just barely missed the cut for the World Cup.

How she fits into the current setup is a bit murky. Tatiana Bonetti is simply undroppable up front, and Lana Clelland should be fully fit by the time the season starts. That’s arguably the best striking pair in the league, but Cincotta could shift Bonetti out to the wing and move Sabatino up top. Alternatively, she might work as the top backup and energy sub, which might fit better with her age and with Clelland’s return from injury.

Either way, it seems like a pretty safe guess that we’ll see at least one more center forward arrive in town fairly soon, as Bonetti, Clelland, and now Sabatino are the only three on the roster right now; a younger option who can make the odd appearance off the bench and learn behind three top-notch goalscorers feels like the right move, but you can never be sure with the Viola.

What you can be sure about is that Daniela Sabatino is a top-notch professional and will add goals to this Fiorentina attack, and that’s worth celebrating. Welcome, Daniela!