Batistuta open to joining Fiorentina board

If you’re looking for more reasons to like new Fiorentina owner Rocco Commisso, his apparent desire to bring back the glory days of the club is definitely one of them. Besides committing to Vincenzo Montella as the manager (and maybe a certain DS who fueled Vinnie’s run), he’s also reportedly contacted civic icon Gabriel Omar Batistuta for a place on the board of directors, where he’d join Giancarlo Antognoni.

Batistuta, for his part, stated in an interview with Lady Radio that he would be “very flattered and happy” to accept a role with his old side. It’s a very encouraging sign for Commisso and company as they try to resurrect this fallen Viola side, as the name of Batigol still carries a lot of weight, both in Tuscany and the world at large. Fiorentina’s all-time leading goalscorer is currently the DS at Colón in his hometown of Santa Fe, a title he’s held for 7 years.

With Batistuta joining Antognoni in the boardroom, though, you do have to wonder which other legends Commisso’s got in mind. Adrian Mutu’s got plenty of experience running a club, although he may not want to venture into Europe right now. Luca Toni seems to be a bit at ends right now. Anyone have Francesco Toldo’s number handy? Houssine Kharja?

On the other hand, it could well be that Commisso has taken a look at the finishers available to Montella and has made the decision that Batistuta would represent a significant upgrade. After all, the opportunity to see a Chiesa wearing 25 take the pitch alongside il re leone in his number 9 is enough to spark the imagination of any fan of the beautiful game.