Alieu Njie joined Fiorentina from Torino late in the summer and is already being compared to Liverpool‘s Bradley Barcola.
While the Frenchman cost the Reds a huge amount, the same can’t be said for the Swede. He ended up at the Artemio Franchi for a package worth €16m plus bonuses.
This came after the attacker hadn’t exactly been a regular across two Serie A seasons for the Granata. Still, he commanded that fee, as Crystal Palace also appeared to be in the race throughout the window.
Njie has started life in Florence quite well and big praise has come his way.
Player compared to big money transfers
Former Fiorentina goalkeeper Giovanni Galli spoke to Lady Radio about La Viola’s summer business. He placed special emphasis on Njie, who started and did well against Napoli. He sparkled against Venezia, also starting against former club Torino.
Galli had big praise, expressing belief he could offer as much value as Liverpool’s Barcola.
He said – via Calciomercato: “Unlike in past years, where there wasn’t anyone else who brought in any money, apart from Kean, this year Paratici has built a team that’s a treasure trove of young players.”
Bringing in the comparison, Galli said: “There’s one player I’m crazy about and I think he could be a real powerhouse in two years: Njie. I don’t think Barcola and Diomande are much better than this guy, who still needs to put together a few things like finding some goals, but he’s someone who can beat players both left and right, has the pace and stamina.”
The ex-player also didn’t shy away from making a comparison to Rafael Leao.
“Some have compared him to Leao, who is certainly a great talent, but has very different attitudes.”
| Every Liverpool signing 26/27 | Previous Club | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Player | Previous Club | Transfer Type / Fee |
| Bradley Barcola | Paris Saint-Germain | £123m |
| Jérémy Jacquet | Rennes | £60m |
| Víctor Muñoz | CA Osasuna | £34.5m |
| Lucca Brughmans | KRC Genk | £30m |
| Djylian N'Guessan | Saint-Étienne | €5m |
| Ifeanyi Ndukwe | Austria Vienna | £2.6m |
| Ronald Araújo | Barcelona | Loan |
Player has a long way to go
Barcola cost Liverpool over €100m because he is clearly regularly amongst the goals. This has been evident in the Champions League and he has also done it for France.
Njie is yet to prove that, as he is still quite raw. While he has had good games for Fiorentina, it is evident he is yet to develop a final product. He is very good at 1v1s and can beat defenders at will. The next step will be to contribute to goals regularly.
So while he could reach Barcola’s level, he still has a distance to go.
