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Fiorentina have made several signings during the summer transfer window which might not have garnered much attention or been those which were highly discussed as quality signings. They acquired Joaquin from Spanish side Malaga and then signed defensive midfielder Massimo Ambrosini on a free transfer.
On Monday, it was announced that Fiorentina had come to terms with Bayern Munich to acquire forward Mario Gomez for a fee of 16 millions Euros which could end up being a 20 million Euro transfer depending on certain bonuses being achieved.
The signing of Gomez once again shows that since coach Vincenzo Montella and sporting director Daniele Prade took over in the summer of 2012, Fiorentina have made shrewd and smart player acquisitions which now have Fiorentina poised as one of the five best teams in Serie A and one capable of challenging for a Champions League spot.
For Fiorentina, the acquisition of Gomez means acquiring a proven and consistent goal scorer as Gomez scored 75 league goals in 115 league games while at Bayern Munich. In addition, it also means that the club can now sell Stefan Jovetic, whom has been rumored to be sold since the end of the 2012-13 season as they now have acquired the player who slots into the position Jovetic would occupy.
For Gomez, the move to Fiorentina will mean a chance to once again play on a week in and week out basis, something which he did not have the privilege of saying last season at Bayern Munich or would get a chance to do with Pep Guardiola now in charge of the Bavarian club.
Gomez will be playing for a top five Serie A club who will be playing in the Europa League, thus giving him some European competition to which he can also play in during a very important season. As a result of getting to play regularly, Gomez will give himself the opportunity to continue to be on the radar for German national team coach Joachim Loew as he ponders which forwards to take to the 2014 World Cup.
Gomez doesn’t need to look too far at what playing in Serie A can do for a German national team forward, as former club teammate Miroslav Klose made a similar switch back in 2011, moving from Bayern Munich to Lazio. In his two seasons with the capital club, Klose has established himself as one of the best forwards in the league and also remained a part of the German national team fold as a result.
Fiorentina were considered to be the team that played the most attractive and best attacking soccer during the last Serie A season. A large part had to do with the team having midfielders who were provided quality service through precise passes or crosses to the forwards.
The best quality/attribute of Mario Gomez as a forward is his ability to anticipate and be at “the right spot at the right time” to pounce in a ball for a goal. Playing for Fiorentina, Gomez will get a chance to continue to show why he is a Matador when it comes to scoring goals as the style of play sets up to give him the chance to continue shining and producing as a forward.
Lucas Carreras is a contributing Soccer writer for www.RantSports.com. You can follow Lucas on Twitter by following him @maldini3fan and you can add him to your circle on Google+.
