Fiorentina Swoop for Croatians

After a bit of frustration in the days following the Rome opener and missing out on both Fernando and Benjamin Stambouli, Fiorentina have finally signed some new talent. The Viola back office moved quickly with little time left in the window to tie up two potentially important deals.

Croatian international Milan Badelj looks to be Fiorentina's most immediately useful and important signing of the summer. The 25 year old mediano was in the last year of his contract with Hamburger SV, and although undeniably talented, seemed often frustrated and unmotivated as his club limped to a 16th place finish last season. Enter Prade and Macia, and the deep-lying technician comes to Fiorentina reportedly as a €5 million bargain. He will certainly be challenging Alberto Aquilani and David Pizarro for a starting role (he can play in front of the defense or further forward), and will hopefully ensure that we never see Juan Manuel Vargas in central midfield ever, ever again. Despite having "Milan" in his name, I am clearly very excited to see how he will grow with Montella and this team.

Less immediately impactful but still of note is the signing of Ricardo Bagadur from HNK Rijeka, an 18 year old tank of a central defender. Bagadur is very raw but gifted, and has featured for the Croatian U-19. He will likely be a key player in the Primavera this season with an eye towards promoting him to better competition next season.

The two signings were confirmed in quick session yesterday by official Fiorentina media, taking fans and reporters alike by surprise. The announcements kicked off a furious final 48 hours of Viola summer transfer business, with deals for Jasmin Kurtic, Micah Richards, and a loan away for Facundo Roncaglia all nearing official confirmation.