Serie A Fiorentina have, once again, taken the dramatic step with a manager, sacking Fabio Grosso from his role just three months after initially hiring him.
While Paolo Vanoli is coming in as a replacement months after having been axed from his role, it is just another strange turn of events in Florence. Fiorentina have, after all, not been strangers to taking decisions regarding managers that make little or no sense.
Things probably started to go wrong when Raffaele Palladino left a promising first season. He had to do the job of replacing Vincenzo Italiano and the job he did wasnโt disastrous at all.
Despite that, the Italian left when things were looking bright. This happened mainly due to disagreements over how the project should proceed.
Palladino also went public over these disagreements, clearly indicating that something in the relationship was broken beyond repair.
Just when Fiorentina couldโve used this chance to hire who fit a project they were trying to build, they went to hire Stefano Pioli. He was fresh off his spell at Al Nassr and despite the emotion attached, it was clear to many that the appointment wasnโt in line with the direction in which the club was going.
Several weeks down the line in the 2025/26 campaign. The inevitable happened. Strangely enough, even sacking Pioli wasnโt really easy. Talks stretched on for days, as the parties couldnโt come to an agreement over a compensation.
After pushing and pulling, it was Vanoli who came in as a replacement and despite initial struggles, he helped Fiorentina out of the relegation zone. In fact, La Viola finished 15th, eight points clear of the drop and ended the campaign on a high too, beating Juventus.
Despite that, new sporting director Fabio Paratici wanted to embark on a new project. Vanoli was dismissed and Fabio Grosso came in, after having done well at Sassuolo and guiding them to a 11th placed finish.
There was excitement around the appointment and it increased when La Viola splashed the money on new signings. As the summer window went on, many became confused about the project. Moise Keanโs departure was upheld only to move him on for an initial loan deal to Como. Beto came in, and late moves for Alieu Njie and Wilfried Gnonto also followed.
Grosso never had the time to make the squad his own, though. He chopped and changed the XI throughout the three games. Fiorentinaโs only goal was scored by Mateo Pellegrino and it only went in because of a Lucas Perri error in goal.ย
There is now every chance the Vanoli return works out but Fiorentina canโt take risks anymore. The stadium costs have taken a toll and so have the costs of the new signings. They canโt afford to get things wrong this season.
Kaustubh Pandey โ GIFN
