MUNICH, GERMANY - MAY 28: Franck Ribery poses for a picture with the Bundesliga trophy and the DFB ... [+]
For all those with at least a passing interest in Serie A football, the potential acquisition of Franck Ribery by Fiorentina is enough to raise at least a few eyebrows. The former Bayern Munich winger looks set to have a medical with La Viola on Wednesday, reportedly having accepted a salary of €4 million plus €0.5 million in bonuses in each of two seasons in Florence.
Yet for the supporters in the Tuscan city, this deal represents much, much more. It has been a long time since Fiorentina fans have celebrated the signing of a big name from a top European club, perhaps even since Stefan Effenberg joined the side from Bayern Munich back in 1992. Even the revered Gabriel Batistuta was picked up as a relatively unknown youngster from his native Argentina, the striker making his debut for a European club in Florence back in 1991 after a move from Boca Juniors.
During the last 17 years, Fiorentina supporters have watched on as other teams in Italy have captured some of Europe’s most exciting players, while under previous owners Andrea and Diego Della Valle, the focus lay very much on adhering to a strict budget.
US magnate Rocco Commisso has this year successfully purchased the club and made promises to make sensible investments into the playing squad, a move that has very quickly shifted the landscape at Fiorentina. The signing of Ribery will show and prove that he meant what he said.
Whereas previous sporting director Panaleo Corvino was handed the task of building a squad on a shoestring budget—since his return for a second stint at the club in May 2016—new man Daniele Pradè has been given a much healthier sum to work with by the new owners. Supporters had seen whole summers of previously unknown players arrive at Fiorentina in the past, with the odd few, such as Nikola Milenkovic, ending up as a success.
This summer has seen a refreshing break from this strategy of bulk buying cheap players in the hope that the law of averages means some work out, as Pradè has so far made purchases that are already familiar names. The capture of Erick Pulgar from Bologna sees a well-known Serie A prospect join the Viola midfield, while Kevin-Prince Boateng—who spent the second half of last season on loan to Barcelona—is another well-known footballer who has already made the move to Florence.
However, even at 36, Ribery remains the signing that will truly mark a shift in approach for Fiorentina. Here is a world-famous player, winner of the Champions League, with numerous Bundesliga titles to his name and named in 3rd place in the Ballon d’Or voting in 2013. The Frenchman also arrives with 81 appearances and a World Cup runners-up medal with Les Bleus and a wealth of experience that Fiorentina have been so sorely lacking in the recent past.
The very fact that players of this calibre will even consider Fiorentina serves to highlight a firm plan that has convinced these new arrivals of their potential future success.
This signing is by no means purely an empty big-name gesture from the Tuscan side, either. Ribery played over 1100 minutes for Bayern in the league last term, and added to 439 Champions League minutes, this proves that the veteran is not ready to step off the pace just yet.
This capture marks the start of a new era for Fiorentina, one that will see the investment in the squad rise exponentially as the team’s results improve. For their supporters, this means that they at last have something to be genuinely optimistic about.
