Alessandro Florenzi’s arrival at Paris Saint-Germain was certainly a move out of left field. There were no rumors or reports speculating on any agreement between PSG and AS Roma for the player until a mere days before the club officially announced the deal. Florenzi’s stay at PSG is for a season-long loan that could be prolonged if the Ligue 1 side triggers the buy option in the agreement.
Florenzi joins a PSG side already with two other right-backs in the depth chart, including Thilo Kehrer. The Italian defender will be sure to compete for the starting role, and he could stand out thanks to his ability to play multiple positions. Former AS Roma assistant manager Frederic Bompard is well aware of Florenzi’s versatility and knows how to utilize him as he worked with the talent for three seasons alongside manager Rudi Garcia. In speaking to Le Parisien, Bompard provided insight on Florenzi as both the player and person.
“I’m not going to tell you that it’s a bad recruitment for Paris, because I love the player,” Bompard said. “He’s a great guy, he shows up in the morning with a smile at training and has a very good mentality. When we arrived, he was playing midfield on the right side, quite high on the field, and then Rudi decided to take him down to the right-back.”
The hope is for Florenzi to provide an attacking impact but his questionable defensive play could become a problem. Bompard does not think that Florenzi will pose a tactical dilemma for the reigning Ligue 1 champions.
“Tactically, it’s not a problem, he’s steeped in Italian culture,” Bompard said. “But I would add that he’s an intelligent player who thinks on the pitch.”
It remains to be seen on whether Florenzi will be the outright starting right-back to begin the season or if Kehrer will continue to hold the role there.
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