Fiorentina: Summer overhaul brings new life to the Viola

Their qualification for the Europa League, assuming they make it through their one round of qualifying, helps them attract yet more players, as they have done with Josip Ili?i?, a man supposedly wanted by both Liverpool and Bayer Leverkusen, in a deal thought to be just worth around £7.7 million.

Massimo is on board too!

Having Ili?i?, Joaquin, Giuseppe Rossi and new Ukrainian signing Oleksandr Yakovenko and others in an attacking sense, and with Borja Valero, Massimo Ambrosini and Alberto Aquilani providing cover behind them, Fiorentina have an exceptionally well balanced squad. Vincenzo Montella has a great tactical eye, and is learning more and more about being a coach.

What Montella has on his hands now with Fiorentina is a squad with a great balance between youth and experience, with pretty much two players worthy of playing in each position, any coach’s dream. The new arrivals could force a tactical overhaul, while the likes of David Pizarro, who handed in a transfer request and then withdrew it, may perhaps need a new role to the one he starred in last year.

However, with the experience of Valero, Joaquin, and of course Ambrosini, there should not be any kind of dressing room friction. A young yet respected manager, a whole heap of experienced heads, an exciting array of attacking talents means that for Fiorentina, all the ingredients are there for a season that fans of the Viola can enjoy and be proud of.

The question remains, can this club from Tuscany win their first Serie A in what will be 45 years? Last season, the traditional big guns of Roma, Lazio, Internazionale and AC Milan were way off the pace, as were Fiorentina, as Juventus and Napoli battled away. Although Juventus have bought in Carlos Tevez and Fernando Llorente, it appears as if their key focus will be the UEFA Champions League, potentially giving a team like Fiorentina a window of real opportunity.

Despite the arrival of highly respected former Valencia, Liverpool, Inter and Chelsea boss Rafael Benitez, as well as Gonzalo Higuain, Napoli will almost certainly miss Edinson Cavani, who was comfortably Serie A’s top scorer last season with 29 goals. Both Milan clubs, as well as Roma and Lazio will probably be thinking the same thing; however Fiorentina have more proven players all over the pitch than these clubs.

With such excitement around Fiorentina now, they could well spring a few upsets, as they did last season. It will be difficult to juggle possible Europa League football with consistency in the league, but with the amount of depth and ability to adjust tactically that Fiorentina possess, they are ideally placed to be successful in perhaps both.

The ever improving former Manchester City man Stefan Savic, the ever solid and intelligent Borja Valero and the man with some of the best timing in European football Mario Gomez, will all be the spine of a team that are undergoing an exciting new project much like Klopp’s Dortmund team are in the middle of, except under Vincenzo Montella.