Time to wrap up this remarkably depressing season overview with the most depressing positional group. At the start of the season, one might have thought that having Italy’s best striker, a €25 million center forward, and a genuine legend of the game would be more than enough for a functional attack. Nothing could’ve been further from the truth. Come on, let’s get it over with.
He was never going to maintain last year’s unholy form but nobody expected quite such a jarring impact upon his return to earth. He played through an ankle injury for most of the year and deserves credit but his club from was simply awful. A lot of the underperformance under Pioli came down to the Moose missing chances and he finished the year with Serie A’s biggest difference between xG and goals scored, which passes the eye test. He missed the final 7 weeks nursing a shin issue that feels a little odd. Even more frustrating for Fiorentina fans was his sparkling form for Italy; he was far and away the best Azzurri player in their World Cup qualification failure.
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Stats: 33 appearances (26 starts), 9 goals, 2 assists, 5 yellow cards, 1 red card
Best moment: This brilliant finish at Torino marked his return from a 2-game injury absence and kicked off a 3-game goal streak that got us thinking maybe, just maybe, 2024-2025 Kean was back.
What’s next: His contract extension in July was more of a gentleman’s agreement with the club; I’m certain that he intended to move this summer but wanted stability ahead of the World Cup, which suited Fiorentina fine. He’s got a €62 million release clause but Fabio Paratici will probably accept a significant discount to get his salary off the books.
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Final grade: D+ The injuries and unreal misses doomed Fiorentina as much as anything on the pitch, although the blame for the whole problem lies well beyond him.
It’s not his fault that Fiorentina paid Cagliari €25 million for him but that fee means he was saddled with sky-high expectations in preseason. It quickly became apparent that he was too stylistically similar to Kean for them to coexist, relegating Bobby Smalls to a bench role until Moise got hurt. Given a chance to impress, he fumbled badly. His technical limitations were starkly apparent as he constantly dribbled out of bounds or let the ball clang off his shins and his attitude went from stoic to petulant as he became the fans’ favorite target of abuse, a symbol of everything Daniele Pradè got wrong. He’s much better than he showed but I fear the narrative around him is set in stone now and there’s no way to change it.
Stats: 43 appearances (26 starts), 8 goals, 2 assists, 2 yellow cards
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Best moment: That 1-4 at Cremonese wasn’t great, honestly. He pouted and completely quit pressing in the second half. But he scored an excellent left-footed goal and set up Albert Guðmundsson’s with a lovely little backheel so you have to give him some credit.
What’s next: He’s already rumored to be on the way out. There’s no hope to recoup that €25 million but it sounds like Paratici’s trying to use him as a makeweight in various transfer deals. It’s probably for the best that this is his only season in Florence, honestly. A fresh start should benefit everyone involved.
Final grade: D- He was put into an unwinnable situation but managed to make it even worse.
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He was supposed to back up Kean and Piccoli while providing a Plan B and steely leadership. He didn’t do any of those things. His physical deterioration was immediately obvious because he simply couldn’t run the way a Serie A striker needs to. He showed the occasional flashes of technical ability but was peripheral to the action on the pitch while being an important part of the squad off it. Too important, maybe, as he chafed at his role on the bench and was eventually bundled off to Schalke on a free in January, where he helped spark the Königsblauen to first place in the 2. Bundesliga.
Stats: 18 appearances (8 starts), 2 goals, 1 yellow card
Best moment: He didn’t get off the bench in the 2-0 loss at Atalanta in November but he made his presence felt afterwards, seizing a megaphone and demanding patience and support from the rebellious tifosi in the away end. This was the Grownup in the Room role we’d hoped he’d fill.
What’s next: Schalke’s triggered his extension so he’ll return to the Bundesliga 15 years after leaving as the division’s best striker.
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Final grade: D- His influence in the dressing room was deleterious and he simply couldn’t run but there was clearly a bit more juice to be wrung from him.
The youngster was good in preseason and excellent with the Primavera (17 goals in 27 games). Naturally, fans began clamoring for his promotion to the senior side with Kean and Piccoli injured/misfiring but Vanoli mostly refused them. Braschi finally got a chance as a sub in the 4-0 thumping at Roma and immediately hit the post, denying him a goal on his Serie A debut. He started the following week and demonstrated why Vanoli was right to leave him on the bench. There’s certainly some talent there but we’re talking about a teenager with no senior experience. He needs to tighten up his touch and learn to play in rhythm before he’s close to ready for the top flight.
Stats: 3 appearances (1 start)
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Best moment: Smashing the upright against Roma was super cool, especially for a kid born and raised in Florence.
What’s next: He’ll go to Serie B on loan and we’ll get a much better look at him; he’s got a contract until 2027 with an option for another 2 years, so he’s got the club’s backing for the long-term.
Final grade: B He gave us something positive to talk about during a dreary couple of months and he didn’t look scared.
