Fiorentina has always been a team that has a sort of elegance on the pitch. Some of it had to do with their kits without a doubt; however, it was also how they played. Players like Batistuta played in the city for years and showcased how important Fiorentina was to Italian football.
The Tuscan side has also always given players a chance to really shine and develop. Long ago, Mohamed Salah and Juan Cuadrado played for the club before moving on. Exciting local talents like Federico Chiesa and Federico Bernardeschi also flourished and became big names in Serie A. Nicolò Fagioli and Cher Ndour are also recruits who they believe can reach the potential set out for them. With all this in mind, Fiorentina really can get back into being a team capable of competing for Europe. Especially with new spots like the Conference League.
The 2025-26 season was a huge step back for the club, finishing 15th just a handful of points from relegation. In past seasons, they’ve finished around 8th place, with an impressive 6th place finish the previous season in 2024-25. Another number that stands out is the sharp decline in goals, averaging around 60 goals to scoring a meagre 41 goals in the 25-26 season. Naturally, that would mean the forwards are to blame and to an extent that would be true, but they needed more goals from other departments.
Rolando Mandragora was their highest goalscoring midfielder with 7, and Cher Ndour had 3, along with Fagioli bagging 2. In total, out of 41 goals, 13 were scored by midfielders, putting them tied for 10th in the league. Teams like Inter Milan, Napoli, and Como had well over 20, with Como getting an impressive 29. Of course, all teams are different, and some clubs have more goalscoring midfielders or attacking midfielders, but it’s fair to say Fiorentina needed more from their midfielders.
For attackers, it was worse. Fiorentina gave Kean a platform to deliver goals, and for the time he was at the club, he did well, but consistency was always a concern, like it was at Juventus. Fiorentina ranked 13th for forward goals, and the highest scorer was Moise Kean with 8 goals. Next was Gudmundsson with 5, then Roberto Piccoli with 4. That shows that big players like Kean just didn’t produce enough, and Piccoli, a player who had some promise at Empoli and Atalanta, ultimately struggled. Of course, Kean starting would reduce Piccoli to the bench. Bringing in players like Edin Dzeko seemed like a smart move, including an experienced poacher to the front line, but that too failed. Dzeko played in 11 matches for the Tuscans and didn’t score a single goal, and only played 236 minutes. After all that, Fiorentina needed to change their core, and they did just that. Kean, Gudmundsson, Mandragora and Piccoli all left. Kean was definitely a big miss for the club, but they needed to shake up the team, and his time was over.
The summer window of 2026 was a historic one for the Florence side. The Ivorian Christ Inao Oulaï arrived from Trabzonspor, while Arthur Atta added another option in central midfield. Wilfried Gnonto brought youth and pace to the attack, while Franco Mastantuono and Pedro Gonçalves were recruited to provide creativity, goals and the ability to beat opponents one-on-one. Fiorentina clearly tried to address their lack of goals and creativity from midfield, while rebuilding the squad across several positions. The signings showed ambition from the board, but with so many changes, the challenge would be getting the new players to gel and giving the team a clear identity.
Fiorentina’s struggles have continued into the new season. Fabio Grosso was brought in to blend the new signings into the team and start getting results, but three consecutive defeats, with just one goal scored and nine conceded, saw him dismissed. Paolo Vanoli returned to the club, but the problems have persisted. After eight league matches, Fiorentina had managed just one win and sat in the relegation zone. David de Gea has continued to provide experience at the back, but the defence has struggled to offer him enough protection. With so many new arrivals, the club needs to find a settled system before the season slips further away.
Fiorentina has some similarities to Sevilla FC in La Liga. Both are fairly historic teams in their respective divisions, and over the past few years they have both lost their identity and ability to challenge at the top of the table. With the signings Fiorentina have made this past summer, it’s very possible to see them challenging around mid-table this season; for their sake, around 10th would be a step in the right direction. Having newcomers like Como and Bologna makes getting into those European spots even more competitive, so they will need to sign the right players for their manager. The key for Fiorentina is to find their identity and footballing philosophy, and rebuilding their core is a good place to start.
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