At Fiorentina, Thiago Motta’s name is gaining traction as a potential replacement for Fabio Grosso (who was fired on Sunday)

Just a few minutes after Fabio Grosso was fired, there was already talk of possible replacements. According to Sport Mediaset, the most likely candidate at the moment is Thiago Motta. Sources in Cologno Monzese note that, although there has not yet been any official contact between the Fiorentina club and the former Bologna and Juventus coach, initial assessments have pointed to this name.

As early as Sunday morning, however, some were speculating about the arrival of Alberto Gilardino, who played for the Viola from 2008 to 2012 and again in 2015. The chances of a return by either Paolo Vanoli or Raffaele Palladino are virtually nil.

Gilardino’s name, however, had already been circulating over the summer as a possible coach for Torino, before the Granata opted for Ignazio Abate—the very coach who handed Grosso that fateful defeat at the Franchi. A curious twist in the transfer market that illustrates just how much the 2006 World Cup champion was considered an attractive prospect by several Serie A clubs.

Grosso’s tenure in Florence proved to be very brief and bitter. Having arrived in the summer after his stint at Sassuolo—where he had first secured promotion to Serie A and then comfortably avoided relegation—he signed a two-year contract worth 1.2 million euros per year, taking over from Paolo Vanoli. The stated goal was to make up for the disappointing previous season, but the reality turned out to be quite different from expectations.

The results of his tenure speak for themselves: three losses in three games, with a very heavy goal differential. First came the 4-0 defeat at the Olimpico against Roma, then a 3-0 home loss to newly promoted Frosinone, and finally a comeback suffered at the hands of Abate’s Torino at the Franchi, where the Viola had even taken the lead through Pellegrino before succumbing 2-1 to goals by Mandragora and Adams. A start not seen in Florence since the 1935–36 season.

The club’s decision came as a surprise within a matter of hours, considering that on Sunday morning the club had hinted at a policy of continuity, deeming a dismissal premature. Evidently, something changed decisively over the course of the day, leading up to the official statement released just minutes before midnight: “ACF Fiorentina announces that Fabio Grosso has been relieved, as of today, of his duties as head coach of the men’s first team.”