The Viola hope to have found a consistent source of goals.

The rumors have been bubbling for a week or two and now we’ve got a real transfer stew. Yep, Andrea Belotti has passed his medical tests and signed on the dotted line, finalizing a transfer move from AS Roma. It’s a loan for the remainder of the season with no option to make it permanent, with Fiorentina picking up the remaining €1 million on his salary and paying a €750,000 fee for the privilege.

There’s now a logjam at striker with Belotti joining Lucas Beltrán and M’Bala Nzola, although the latter’s ben linked to a move over the past few days. The real question is which version of Belotti the Viola just acquired: Is it the guy who averaged 15 Serie A goals a season for Torino between 2015-2016 and 2020-2021? Or is it the guy who’s averaged under 4 league goals for his past 3 seasons?

If it’s the former, this is a fantastic bargain. At his best, il Gallo is a hardworking center forward capable of occupying multiple defenders and scoring a variety of scrappy goals. Even if he’s not at his most efficient in terms of shooting, his presence should open space for Nicolás González to work his magic.

If it’s the latter, though, there’s a problem. The previously-durable Belotti has struggled through a succession of injuries over the past 3 years, including a series of hamstring issues that have may have sapped some of his athleticism and led to some pretty significant underperformance since he moved to Rome.

Hopefully, though, those drumsticks are healthy and Belotti unlocks this sputtering Viola attack, helping Fiorentina stay in the European places. If he knocks in some goals and falls in love with the city, maybe he’ll lean on Roma to make the move permanent, as his contract runs out in 2025 and the Giallorossi need to free up salary space. In a perfect world, it’d go this way and everything would be beautiful and nothing would hurt.

Anyways, benvenuto, Gallo!