Barak is a big boost for Fiorentina. What will be his position in the traditional club and what to expect from this connection?

That’s it. Antonín Barák has passed his medical and is changing clubs. And he’s improving considerably as he leaves for the famous Fiorentina. He’s certainly not being bought to make up the numbers. On the contrary.

Barak proved his quality again last season

Antonín Barák has always been perceived as a great talent. He left Příbram for Slavia in Prague, but he didn’t last long there. In 2017, he was transferred to Italy, to the traditional Udinese team.

He had a fantastic start to his new engagement, but he couldn’t build on his first season. He spent the second half of the 2019/20 season on loan at Lecce, but managed to start again. Although he wasn’t as productive, nobody expected him to do that in a team fighting for retention. He did more than enough work.

A successful loan spell earned him a place in an interesting project at Hellas Verona. The city made famous by William Shakespeare really suited the Czech talent. And so did the club, which tried to play attractive attacking football.

He had already played a great first season at Hellas, but the second? That was outstanding. You could hardly find a more productive offensive midfielder in Europe in terms of goals. In total, Barak played 68 games for Verona with a record of 18 goals and 8 assists.

The engagement at Fiorentina is a great reward

Antonín Barák found confidence in Verona and confirmed not only to himself but also to the football world that he has great qualities. During the last season there were already talks that he could leave for a better club. There was talk of Napoli, for example. However, the Czech midfielder is heading to the beautiful Florence.

Barak will be on a one-year loan at Fiorentina. However, this includes an option for a permanent transfer if the terms of the agreement are met.

It is worth mentioning that Fiorentina are now on the rise. Moreover, after five and a half years, they have made it to Europe. It will play in the Europa League Conference group stage. They will want to confirm their rise in the league.

Where will Barak play? Don’t expect a repeat performance

Antonín Barák scored 11 league goals last season. But don’t expect that in the new season. The reason is simple. While in Verona he played right under the spike as an offensive midfielder, in Fiorentina this position is practically non-existent.

Coach Vincenzo Italiano mostly uses a 4-3-3 formation. Barak will therefore be used mainly in a three-man midfield line. For this reason alone, he will not be in the end zone as often.

The Czech midfielder may not mind that at all. He already played in the three-man midfield in Udinese, where he cooperated with Jakub Jankt. In addition, Barák has also occasionally played a more defensive midfield position.

In this respect, he is a great reinforcement for Fiorentina. Barák will accept any assignment. From offensive to defensive. However, defensively, Amrabat is mainly responsible for the Viola.

Italiano is now waiting for his star Gaetano Castrovilli to recover. Barak will take his place as soon as he arrives. All the playmaking will fall to him. Although he will be assisted by Giacomo Bonaventura.

However, once Castrovilli recovers, he will form a trio with Barak and Amrabat in the middle line. In short, Barak should be in the starting lineup for at least the first few months. But everything will depend on him.

Fiorentina doesn’t have a similar quality midfielder with a similar package of skills, so we can look forward to seeing what Barak will do in a traditional and famous team.

Source: ACF Fiorentina, WhoScored, Transfermarkt