Will Veretout flourish in Florence?

There has been a major reshuffle with the midfield in Florence. Following the departures of Matias Vecino and Borja Valero, Jordan Veretout has very big shoes to fill.

Veretout’s arrival is very similar to one of Borja Valero’s. After failing at a Birmingham based team in the Premier League, he went back to his home country. After a successful spell, he found his way to Florence. If the Frenchman can even play half as well as Valero, it will have been a great acquisition for Fiorentina.

With a new manager at the helm, there are open spots available in midfield and Veretout must seize the opportunity when presented. However, with an abundance of competition at this time it’s uncertain who will be playing at the base of the midfield. Marco Benassi, Milan Badelj, Carlos Sanchez and Sebastian Cristoforo are all vying for a starting spot come the opening day trip to the San Siro.

With Badelj being rumored to leave the club at every transfer window, Pioli may look towards the future and play Benassi (22) and Veretout (24) in midfield. However, this would mean a lack of defensive presence in the midfield. Veretout may prefer to play with former teammate Carlos Sanchez; who is more of a ball winning midfielder. Therefore, Veretout can roam free and be able to create plays for the players further forward.

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Veretout is very much a box to box midfielder. One of his greatest assets is turning defence into attack, by intercepting the ball and driving the team forward, he can be a great asset on the break. The Frenchman was brought up in an exciting class of talent, with the likes of Geoffrey Kondogbia and Paul Pogba, who have become more established. It’s now Veretout’s time to catch up and really fulfil his potential in Florence.