Martin Jørgensen signs as head of Scandanavian scouting

Martin Jørgensen spent the past couple of days in Florence, meeting with Pantaleo Corvino and the Fiorentina board of directors. After a lengthy but very relaxed round of talks, which included a leisurely lunch, the former Danish international agreed to head up Fiorentina's Scandanavian scouting department, although he turned down the role of UEFA ambassador. Still, it's pretty exciting to have Jorgy back, even in a limited capacity.

The Viola bought him from Udinese in 2004, after he'd impressed in the league and on the international stage, for a fee that was never released. He went on to become a mainstay in purple, since his versatility allowed him to play pretty much any position on the pitch besides goalkeeper, centerback, or striker. He was at his best out on the wing, though, where his work rate and crossing ability supplied a steady stream of chances to the various prolific strikers he played with. He finished his Viola career in 2010, leaving for his boyhood club AGF Arhus on a free transfer to close out his career. His final statistics in Tuscany were 181 appearances, 17 goals, and 12 assists.

After his retirement, he moved into a part-time role with AGF as a talent evaluator, but Pantaleo Corvino contacted him shortly after his triumphant return to Fiorentina. The Crow asked the Hedgehog about a job, and the Hedgehog seemed, if not keen, then at least receptive. Despite having, by his own admission, little to no experience as a scout, he agreed to head up the Viola operations in the frozen north, but turned down the job as UEFA ambassador for the club on the grounds that his wife was settled in Aarhus and didn't want to move to Italy. So, everyone, a warm welcome for the former favorite, and, since we have an excuse, let's go ahead and watch some Jorgy goals.