“I am happy with the agreement, I wanted to continue, strongly, to coach Fiorentina, which is why I gave up something. I am charged and convinced that we will do great things “, these (more or less) the words of Vincenzo Italiano hotly spoken to a friend on Sunday afternoon shortly after having found the agreement on the renewal of the contract with Viola after a confrontation that had been going on for a month between continuous ups and downs. Finally the story ended with a happy ending too if the face-to-face meeting between Ramadani and the Italian lawyer with the purple leadership will only take place today.
Today is the big day of the signing, there should be no other setbacks, we are positive and confident as we have always been on the possibility that in the end an understanding could be found and we are also in the decisive moment. It was tiring, at times incredible, at others unexpected, but this journey that began on the Monday after the end of the championship with a summit with the coach at Campini, finally ended in the way we had always hoped for. Let’s leave a little room for doubtthe negotiations are negotiations for this too, but we do not expect any kind of twists and turns.
Ramadani in fact made it clear (and Fiorentina knows it) that if the general agreement reached on Sunday after so much effort were not to be confirmed or modified in some of its parts, there would be no further margins for negotiation, the Italian men would get up immediately. submitting the resignation of their client. But it will not happen, they are only school hypotheses.
Italian strongly wanted Fiorentina and Fiorentina after having “bought” Italian from Spezia and having launched him into great football, he had no intention of losing him. The marriage will continue amidst smiles, even the tough fights of the last few weeks are behind us and to close it makes me want to quote a wise proverb: all is well that ends well.
Italian is happy and very motivated to have stayed “after the news of the agreement, all the players who are more loaded than me call me, they want to leave again” he told his entourageFiorentina are happy to have satisfied the emerging coach of our football that many were courting underground and who will still remain on the purple bench for a long time.
Today the signing, as mentioned, but the agreement has different meanings, the first, the most important is this: Fiorentina has great ambitions. The coach would not have stayed to get by or just because there is a contract, today he will sign because he got a good dealbut also because he has had assurances from the club that seven important players will arrive (the formula does not interest) to make a further leap in Italy, but also in Europe.
And now we can underline it after having always said that on Italian you shouldn’t have to save too much because he is the real champion that Fiorentina bought from Spezia last year: Commisso gave the coach what he deserved. It is an effort by the club, but it is money well spent that now places the Italian behind the highest paid coaches (such as Allegri, Mourinho and Spalletti), just below Italian champion Pioli. I repeat: Italian deserved them. But let’s face it, after some effort Fiorentina also realized that the investment had to be made.
Italian, as you already know, will earn 1,750 million euros a year which with the bonuses could rise to two million. The increase is evident, it started from 850 thousand euros last year plus bonuses that brought the whole to around two million. In the general agreement signed on Sunday, in addition to the figure of the agreement, great attention was also given to the position of the nine staff members, as requested by Italian, who will be regularized. The agreement is essentially extended for two years, one is certain until 2024, another with an option until 2025. The Italian thus has the necessary strength and the confidence to try to work in depth, open a cycle and make it last. What he has always asked for since the beginning, a month ago.
It wasn’t an easy month, let’s face it. Even though trumpeters have always told partial and convenient truths “all is well”, it often felt like being on a roller coaster, from the positivity of one encounter to the negativity of another. Let’s face it, even if Italian has always thought that coaching Fiorentinawith these fans, on this square, it was the best for his temperament and his way of understanding football.
As we have always informed you on time, we do it again this time, summarizing what happened to the face of those who now say “have you seen? He stayed “. And I take this opportunity to thank the thirty thousand who regularly follow me in this editorial that does not take sides with anyone, just tries to give news and think about what could be more useful for Fiorentina. Blocking Italian on the Viola bench was a great blow, at least for me, and I must say that after some hesitation, Commisso was far-sighted, he understood what to do.
The Monday after the end of the championship did not go quite like that. Italian was told, brutalized, that there was little to discuss and ask. The contract was there for another year with options. The trumpeters said it was all right, in reality it was not like that. Italian claimed from the first day of meetings that he wanted to renew to arm himself in Florence and also to have strength and an increase after the great work done. After discussions and discussions, a general agreement was found in Milan (as revealed by us exclusively) on June 6th, when Joe Barone, who should have still been in New York, actually met in great secret with Fali Ramadani.
Wednesday 8th and Thursday 9th (we discovered the altars here too) Viola and Italian leaders with Ramadani continued to discuss over dinner in Florence. Peacefully. We told you about a phone call from Italian to an acquaintance, overjoyed for the two million engagement and the agreement in principle with Fiorentina. All seasoned with handshakes and smiles, pure technical programs with names and surnames on seven to eight boxes of players to buy. A few days after the twist. Fiorentina, writing the proposal and sending it by email, cut the offer to 1,350 million for the renewal, with the staff essentially left out of the increases. Hence the great anger of Italian with outburst on Monday thirteen, “Without a renewed contract I am not going to Moena,” he said decisively to Ramadani, with the darkest scenarios. While Fiorentina essentially makes the trumpeters write and everyone understand “there is a contract to respect and we go on without renewal “.
The tension lasted a short time, a week, and there was no lack of low blows with someone who also took care to let people know that “De Zerbi at Fiorentina has always been liked”. The negotiation, however, has always gone on underground, we had hoped that Ramadani’s intelligence and diplomacy, but also the availability of Fiorentina who was trying to play games with him, eventually they found a meeting point. This finally happened last Sunday morning in the manner we have already written to you. To repeat instead: Italian has never asked for 2.5 million and it was not he who wanted Torreira’s head even if he did not faint if he went away. We told you a normal negotiation, no drama. Everyone pulls the water on his side, plays his game. More or less this happens everywhereor. The important thing is that in the end an agreement was found to give continuity and a future, but if I had been a Viola manager I would not have pulled it out for long. The coach is the driving force of this project, he is not a player who thinks of giving up to get another one. You can’t go on like this for a month.
As I have already written they had to close in a room a month ago and only go out with a deal found with complete satisfaction of all parties involved. Fiorentina does not need uncertainties and negativity, but certainties and positivity after a great season and the return to Europe. We now hope to find it again quickly and we also hope that today there are no hitches whatsoever, on both sides. It would be intolerable. Italian is charged as a spring, he can’t wait to leave for Moena, this is how his entourage describes him. And, of course, after the signing, the market will start. I’ve always been optimistic about this. It was not the technical problems that held back the agreement, on the issues of strengthening there has always been an understanding and even more so now. We have you already told that at least seven players will be arriving and so it will be.
In summary, there will be: goalkeeper, right winger, left winger, playmaker, mid-winger, right winger, center forward. This is thinking that Milenkovic will remain in the end if Italian manages to convince him as he did last year, with the push of Ramadani. The chances are good. Anyway, back to us, today the hottest names are two: Jovic and Mandragora. For the director there are also other names at stake such as Sensi or Maxime Lopez and others, but either they cost too much or there are doubts. Mandragora, on the other hand, could be an opportunity because Toro has not redeemed him, his value has dropped and Juve (owner of the card) owes a lot of money to Fiorentina. They could discount it from there. It should not be forgotten that in addition to the director he also plays inside midfield.
Jovic is the icing that Ramadani has pledged to bring at the end of the grueling Italian-negotiation. Almost an award to the coach and to Fiorentina. It goes without saying that Serbian is potentially a crack. Three years ago, Real paid 60 million for him. It has to be relaunched, re-motivated, put into a mechanism and Italian is the right man, Fiorentina the ideal team. As we wrote to you some time ago, Ramadani has guaranteed the ok of the player who now only wants Florence, but an agreement has to be found with Real for the payment in half of a top player salary. A matter of hours, Ramadani knows what he is doing. “With Italiano I think Jovic can go back to scoring twenty goals”, they are sure of this in the Serbian clan.
More difficult, however, to report Odriozola as someone continues to support. It is obvious that the player is not saying otherwise, but yesterday the chances were zero. Real keep it or sell it, but we await the events and turning points. In the meantime, for the same role there is the ok of Dodò (Italian dotes), but the Shakthar does not give up on the fifteen million. Another meeting is scheduled for this week. For the goalkeeper, the new name in addition to the Vicarious and Cragnos of all time is that of Milinkovic Savic of Turin. I don’t like it, I’m frank. I see it unfinished, poor fundamentals. But they tell me that he does not mind the Italian for his feet as a midfielder and the physical qualities on which the coach would know how to work. If so, I suspend my judgment even though I think there is better around.
For the midfielder and the left winger this week there could be a meeting with Empoli for Bajrami (midfielder) and Parisi (left winger) with Zurkowski as an exchange pawn. Also like Maggiore dello Spezia and Amiri ex Genoa and not from today. And with Grillitsch the agreement remains pending understanding what the father will want to do. Politano was offered for the outside, but it costs too much and the idea is to start with Nico and Ikonè as owners. But we are only at the beginning, Rocco wants to make the team, the important thing is to get Italian signed. Appointment today, pens at hand and no jokes.
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