Nottingham Forest were in the hunt for Viery in the summer transfer window. It appears as if they have dodged a bullet, for now.
The Brazilian had attracted interest from several clubs, with the Midlands side being one. Fiorentina signed him on a permanent deal and he has instantly become a squad player for them.
He’s started three games, showing signs of becoming a regular in the future. In the most recent tie against Napoli though, he was hooked at half time.
As a result, his signing has become a bit of a hot topic in Italy.
Player has a long way to go
Brazilian football expert Sabatino Durante spoke to Radio FirenzeViola about the 21-year-old, who had played 39 times for Santos before joining Fiorentina.
He made it clear that Nottingham Forest’s Jair Cunha is better than him, as evidenced from his showings for Brazil.
Durante clarified: “This summer I said that I saw the same situation for him as Natan [Ex-Napoli] . Viery is a second choice, a young man who hasn’t been touched by holy water.”
“In that position there are other players like Jair Cunha, also born in 2005, sold for €12m to Nottingham Forest and who yesterday made his debut as a starter for Brazil. I said that Fiorentina hadn’t signed Passarella, saying that the €18m spent was a huge expense for a player who isn’t worth that amount, just like Palestra going to Chelsea isn’t worth €60m.”
Despite that, Durante still backed Viery to succeed. He believes he will come good in the future.
“They’ve signed a boy with quality who maybe will find his niche in a year’s time, but who now needs time to learn the defensive phase in Italy. Vanoli did well to put him at full-back, there even if you commit a foul you risk less. He has quality.”
Glasner’s side have a better deal
Cunha, who is also 21, has started four Premier League games and Carlo Ancelotti rewarded him with a call-up to the national team. He now has two appearances for the Selecao and things are looking up for him.
Nottingham Forest would’ve had to pay more for Viery. While he has shown glimpses of his quality on the ball, he hasn’t thrived off the ball.
He has a long way to go before he becomes an undisputed first-choice. Clearly, Cunha is a stop above his compatriot in his development and is on the right track.
