Fiorentina owner Rocco Commisso insists Federico Chiesa and Dusan Vlahovic joined Juventus ‘for the money’ and mocks Chelsea: ‘They spent millions to finish 12th.’
Commisso spoke to the students of the Economy University in Florence on Tuesday morning, as reported by Violanews.
He once again hit out at former Fiorentina stars Chiesa and Vlahovic who left the Stadio Franchi over the last few years, joining the Tuscans’ arch-rivals Juventus.
“Fiorentina will never have financial problems,” said Commisso.
“As for transfers, English clubs make all more complicated. They do the same as Juventus used to do, paying players more than their worth.
“We lost the likes of Chiesa, Vlahovic and Bernardeschi. They didn’t go to Turin for the shirt but for the money.
Chiesa joined Juventus on an initial loan deal with an obligation to buy for €40m in 2020, while Vlahovic moved to the Allianz Stadium for €80m including add-ons in January 2022.
The Serbian has been struggling to justify his price tag this season with only 13 goals in 40 appearances across all competitions.
“Chelsea spent millions to finish 12th in the Premier League,” Commisso added smiling.
“At least, I spent nothing, Premier League has done incredible things, but we are doing well in Europe this season, hopefully, we’ll win [against Basel] and go ahead.”
Fiorentina will meet Basel in the second leg of the Conference League semifinal on Tuesday, one week after a 2-1 loss in Florence. The Tuscans sit 8th in the Serie A table with 49 points, nine below 7th-placed Atalanta.