Thirty-six points from 23 matches was not enough to satisfy the Fiorentina hierarchy. The club let Paolo Vanoli go last season, yet less than a year later they have brought him back. Sporting director Fabio Paratici had originally installed him as Stefano Pioli's successor, but despite Vanoli keeping the side up, Fiorentina parted company with him anyway and gambled on Fabio Grosso instead.
The gamble backfired. The new project quickly unravelled, and a string of catastrophic results cost Grosso his job. Now 54, Vanoli is already overseeing his first training session at Viola Park, the club's training centre, where he was greeted with cries of "Bentornato, mister Vanoli" — Italian for "Welcome back, boss". The Italian has signed a new contract that will keep him in Florence until 2028.
