Pioli and his love for Fiorentina: the word is worth more than the blue

First Fiorentina. This seems to be the idea of ​​Stefano Pioli whose name immediately circulated for the bench of the Italian national team after the dismissal of Luciano Spalletti. But for the Parma coach the word is worth much more. In a prestigious club. Where you have already been, both as a player and as a coach, where you have a strong bond due to the relationship created after the death of Davide Astori also with his family, where you feel courted, wanted, desired. It has been like this since Raffaele Palladino resigned with two years of a rich contract and with nothing in hand, even if now it seems that Parma, where he was as a player, is thinking of him.

Pioli is determined to take over the team left by Palladino in sixth place and with the Conference League playoffs to be played between August 21 and 28. He has now chosen to abandon the rich Saudis of Al Nassr after just one season where he has a three-year contract worth 12 million a year. Landing at Viola Park would guarantee him little more than three, but do you want to put it in terms of returning to Italy and, moreover, going to a place you know and not far from your Parma... And, above all, in a top-level championship with the possibility of playing for a European cup and relaunching himself on a personal level after the disappointments suffered in the last season at Milan. Pioli, a skilled manager, a man of great balance, good at dialectics and human relationships, has promised himself to Rocco Commisso and his management staff. But first he must free himself from the "precious" commitment with the Saudi club. Until July 2 for tax reasons he cannot move from there. 183 days are needed. In short, another twenty or so to wait. But no problem. The meeting at Viola Park should start on July 12 and, by that date, tanned or not, Pioli should show up regularly to lead his new Italian team, the fifteenth adventure of a professional career that began in 2003 in Salerno (in '99 he started with Bologna's Allievi). And continued in big clubs like Fiorentina itself, Lazio, Inter, Milan where he won the Scudetto in 2022.

Plan Bs must be mentioned but now Thiago Motta and Francesco Farioli, indicated several times as possible outsiders, seem far away. Farioli himself could continue to coach abroad. The Viola market managers Daniele Pradè and Roberto Goretti are united in the direction of Pioli and count on having the definitive yes as soon as possible to then be able to plan the Fiorentina of the future and that cannot fail to enter the Conference draw, where this time there is no opponent out of reach like Chelsea.

Pradè and Goretti must first decide on the many loans that are returning to Viola Park. One of the most highly rated is the offensive winger Jonathan Ikoné that Como (at 8 million) has not yet redeemed, but who yesterday posted a photo with Moise Kean. Pioli may have the right arguments to restore his confidence and motivation in Florence. Still on the subject of attack, the Bosnian Edin Dzeko, who will turn 40 in March 2026, a free agent, is still a centre forward that many clubs like. And among these there should also be the Viola. Who has always looked for a deputy Kean. Even if the most likely thing is that he will have to look for a Kean...