OFFICIAL: Milić sold to Olympiakos

Well, Fiorentina fans, there’s no easy way to break this news, so we’ll just be blunt: Hrvoje Milić has been sold to reigning Greek champions Olympiacos. It’s a real blow to the Viola, but it’s hardly a shock; Fiorentina could have never hoped to hold onto a player of Milić’s talents, especially given the whopping €1.5 million offer the Piraeus-based team made. Unfortunately, these days of massively inflated transfer fees are the ones we live in.

The 6-time Croatia international arrived in Florence last year for just €1 million from Hajduk Split and immediately endeared himself to the Gigliati faithful with his pacy, technical displays on the left flank which often left observers breathless and comparing him to Neymar. He produced 4 assists in 19 appearances across all competitions.

In all seriousness, Milić is a solid backup player. He’s probably not as good as Maxi Olivera, but he’s the sort of low-cost squad depth that a team like Fiorentina needs. The backup for Olivera now is probably 18-year-old Primavera player Luca Ranieri, which simply isn’t a tenable solution. We should see another leftback, but it’ll be difficult to replace the sheer, mad brilliance that Hrvoje Milić brought to the Viola table.