Fiorentina’s recent purchase could be a shrewd transfer move
It’s fair to say that it’s been a difficult few years for Arthur Melo, who has found regular game time hard to come by. At the age of 27, some will still feel that the Brazilian international still has something to give at a high level, and Italian side Fiorentina have taken that chance on the midfielder.
Melo spent the 2022/23 season on loan with Premier League giants Liverpool, but only made one single appearance for the Reds’ first-team, which certainly will have been frustrating for all parties involved, as injuries saw his minutes with the club disrupted throughout the recent league campaign. The midfielder did feature for Liverpool’s under 21’s side in that season, but he failed to make a notable impact in Jurgen Klopp’s plans, which makes it a far from ideal loan spell in English football.
The midfielder had previously originally caught the eye for Brazilian side Gremio, where he made 58 senior appearances for their first-team across a three-year period. He then departed in 2018 in favour of a move to Spanish heavyweights Barcelona. Melo featured regularly for Barcelona, making 72 appearances, whilst also chipping in with four goals and six assists in his time with the club.
A move to Juventus in 2020 was somewhat the start of his recent struggles, with the midfielder making 63 appearances so far, although the majority of those outings have come from the substitutes bench. That resulted in a loan move to Liverpool in search of regular game time, but as previously mentioned, that move to Anfield didn’t prove successful, with injuries hampering his time with the club.
He now finds himself at a crossroads after heading to Fiorentina on loan for the 2023/24 season, as he’s got a point to prove, with there being an option for the Italian side to make his loan move a permanent one if they wish to do so next year. It seems as though Melo’s days with Juventus are numbered, and even though he’s contracted with them until the summer of 2026, it wouldn’t come as much of a surprise to see him heading for the exit door permanently in a year’s time.
The midfielder has a point to prove after a frustrating few seasons in recent years, and a move to Fiorentina could turn out to be the ideal opportunity for him to find his feet in senior football once again. Fiorentina have shown glimpses of their quality in recent seasons, and will be hoping they can improve on an eighth place finish last season, which caught the eye for all the right reasons.
It’s been revealed by experts at Bonus Code Bets that Fiorentina are priced at 5/1 on Sky Bet to finish in the top-four of Serie A this season. Below, you’ll find the rest of the betting odds for a top-four finish in Serie A this term.
- Inter Milan @ 2/9
- Napoli @ 2/7
- Juventus @ 4/7
- AC Milan @ 4/6
- Roma @ 6/4
- Atalanta @ 2/1
- Lazio @ 2/1
- Fiorentina @ 5/1
Odds displayed are correct as of 3:45 pm, Tuesday 15th August 2023. Odds are subject to change.
