Serie A setback forces World Cup hero Grosso to quit after three games

As the evening twilight falls over the Stadio Artemio Franchi, the supporters of La Viola stand in silence; only a few minutes earlier the club had officially announced that Fabio Grosso, the 2006 World Cup hero, has been dismissed with immediate effect as Fiorentina's coach.

Grosso was only appointed in Florence this summer and had just four matches, three of them in Serie A, to lead the club. The results were disappointing: in the first round Fiorentina lost 4‑0 to AS Roma, partly thanks to a hat‑trick from Donyell Malen. The second round ended in a 0‑3 defeat to Frosinone, and the subsequent home game against Torino ended 1‑2.

Big spending and ownership

Fiorentina owner Giuseppe Commisso, who took over the reins after the death of his father Rocco in January, promised the fans improvement after lean Serie A years. He turned that promise into huge spending on the transfer market, with a total sum of €150 million for players such as Christ Oulaï, Arthur Atta, Mateo Pellegrino, Beto, Viery, Giovanni Fabbian, Marco Brescianini and Víctor Valdepeñas.

In addition, Franco Mastantuono, Radu Dragusin, Wilfried Gnonto, Álex Jiménez, Pedro Gonçalves and Alieu Njie were brought in, with or without a purchase option. Only Moise Kean and Rolando Mandragora left the club among the bigger names.

Paolo Vanoli as successor

Precisely Paolo Vanoli, who left Fiorentina before Grosso's appointment, is now the top candidate to take over the reins. The 54‑year‑old Italian signed in November 2025 for one year plus an option for an additional year, when the club was in the relegation zone. Vanoli guided the club to fifteenth place, but decided to step down because the board doubted the option in his contract.

"ACF Fiorentina announces that Fabio Grosso is dismissed as head coach of the first team effective today," reads the short statement on the official website.

The 48‑year‑old Fabio Grosso, who did lead his team to the next round of the Coppa Italia, experienced much brighter times twenty years ago. Back then he scored the decisive penalty in the World Cup final against France.