Despite the transfer window having only officially opened a few days ago, the Serie A landscape has already been vastly altered. The city of Milan has been at the centre of things, with Inter having beaten their neighbours to the signing of Geoffrey Kondogbia, before following that up with the acquisitions of Atletico Madrid defender Miranda and Martin Montoya of Barcelona to reinforce their shaky back line.
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Across town, Silvio Berlusconi unveiled Siniša Mihajlović as the new coach of Milan and demanded an immediate return to Champions League football, bringing in Carlos Bacca, Andrea Bertolacci and Luiz Adriano in a bid to achieve that goal. Maurizio Sarri has begun a revolution of his own at Napoli, while Juventus appear unperturbed by the exits of Carlos Tevez and Andrea Pirlo, thanks to their own impressive list of new arrivals.
Paulo Dybala, Sami Khedira and Mario Mandžukić will hope to help the Old Lady in her pursuit of a fifth-consecutive league title, with Max Allegri also hunting for a playmaker to complete his squad. But if the Turin giants are radiating a relaxed air, things could not be more different for rivals Fiorentina – who have already endured significant upheaval, with seemingly much more to come.
First, Vincenzo Montella – having just guided La Viola to the Europa League semi-finals – was sacked, with the club issuing a statement in which they made clear they expected “more respectful and less ambiguous behaviour from the coach”. The 41 year old had led them to three consecutive top-four finishes, yet Fiorentina insist their decision was “for the good of the club,” believing Montella had been in talks with Napoli following the exit of Rafael Benitez.
Former Portugal international Paulo Sousa has since been appointed, but there still appears to be no end to the tumultuous summer in the Renaissance city. Just six months after arriving from Chelsea, Mohamed Salah has turned his back on Fiorentina, not only refusing to extend his loan deal but also insisting via his agent that he intends to sign for another Italian side.
The Egyptian midfielder revived his career at the Stadio Artemio Franchi, moving there as part of the deal which sent Juan Cuadrado in the opposite direction. The switch to Italy breathed life into Salah, who had barely featured under Jose Mourinho. He flourished in Italy, netting six goals in as many appearances including a wonderful double against Juventus, which quickly endeared him to the club’s most vocal supporters.
Yet now player and club are locked in a bitter dispute – stemming from Salah’s decision to veto another 12 months being added to the loan agreement, with his agent Ramy Abbas telling reporters that the 23 year old had decided “not to stay with Fiorentina”. That prompted an angry response from La Viola, who believe that decision rests with them not the player; they issued a terse statement acknowledging that Salah had informed them he did not intend to report back for pre-season training.
It went on to say that the club had “placed the matter in the hands of our lawyers so that they may assess all possible courses of action in order to protect the club's rights." The situation has been slammed by the man who brought Salah to Italy, with agent Ulisse Savini immediately disassociating himself from a player he labelled “unprofessional” in an interview with Radio Sportiva.
“I think it's clear that there's another club backing him,” Savini added, a sentiment supported by many others, with Inter and Roberto Mancini seen as the driving force behind Salah’s behaviour.
“We have not moved for them and are not among the contenders,” Juve director Beppe Marotta said on Friday when Mediaset asked him about Salah and Manchester City star Stevan Jovetic. “They will play for a team that wears stripes in a stadium in Milan.”
“It’s very sad to see a great club like Fiorentina make such pathetic attempts to renege on their agreements, and their written contractual obligations. Salah would like to play for a club with different moral and professional values.” – Agent Ramy Abbas
Legal expert Mattia Grassani told the Corriere dello Sport that Chelsea has already received the agreed Dhs 4.1 million (€1m) fee from Fiorentina to extend their original deal, meaning Salah “could be sued for millions by the Viola.” There is also the prospect of a ban, though the player’s agent insists the Italian side were aware of his decision not to continue with them as far back as February.
“Mohamed will go back to Chelsea now, but I can assure you he will 100 percent never return to Fiorentina,” Abbas told Telelombardia on Friday, adding that “if he leaves Chelsea then it’ll be for a return to Italy.” He also confirmed that Milan, Inter and Roma were interested in signing Salah, but refused to comment further on his preferred destination.
The Viola will at least be boosted by Giuseppe Rossi’s return, with the striker telling Italian Football TV’s Marco Messina that he’ll “do anything to come back at a high level,” after playing just 25 times in his first three years with the club. They have also lost Norberto Neto to Juventus, however, the Brazilian moving to Turin after his contract expired – meaning the team stands to be without the coach, goalkeeper and star player who inspired last season’s success.
There is certain to be much more to come in the Mohamed Salah saga, but Sousa and a vastly altered Fiorentina must concentrate on being ready when Serie A gets underway on August 22.
