Kevin Mirallas “gave up on a lot of money to join Fiorentina” after Everton scuppered a move two years earlier. “I’ll rediscover the joy of playing football in Serie A.”
The Belgium international arrived from Everton in August, on loan with option to buy for a total of €7.5m.
“(Director of sport Pantaleo) Corvino had already tried to bring me to Florence two years ago, but at the time Everton asked for crazy money and quite rightly Fiorentina left it,” Mirallas told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
Kevin Mirallas “gave up on a lot of money to join Fiorentina” after Everton scuppered a move two years earlier. “I’ll rediscover the joy of playing football in Serie A.”
The Belgium international arrived from Everton in August, on loan with option to buy for a total of €7.5m.
“(Director of sport Pantaleo) Corvino had already tried to bring me to Florence two years ago, but at the time Everton asked for crazy money and quite rightly Fiorentina left it,” Mirallas told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
“This time to make sure the negotiations didn’t fail, I accepted a reduced salary. I gave up on a lot of money to join Fiorentina, but I’m happy.
“I think I’ll rediscover the joy of playing football in Serie A. The objective is to get the Viola back into Europe and that is within our grasp.”
Fiorentina have started the season strong with two wins out of two, including a 6-1 demolition of Chievo.
“We want to continue along this path with humility, but also the desire to grow and hit new heights. I can’t wait to make my Serie A debut, as I have now shaken off those fitness concerns I had when I arrived.”
The Tuscans have two of the brightest young talents in Serie A right now, Federico Chiesa and Giovanni Simeone.
“They are both very talented and very different players. Chiesa has quality and the desire to improve every day. Cholito is a warrior hitman who fights for every ball.
“What struck me about these two lads is their effort and intensity during training. Stefano Pioli is a Coach with very good ideas and can create a strong rapport with all his players.”
Mirallas is a Belgium international and came to Serie A in part inspired by teammate and friend Dries Mertens.
“As kids, we played in a five-a-side team. Dries scored more goals then, I was better at taking men on. We were great friends and we still are. In all honesty, I never thought he’d become such a prolific striker at Napoli.”