Fiorentina: What Juan Cuadrado's Departure Means for the Club

In medieval times, the people would proclaim the death of a monarch with the words: “The king is dead, long live the king,” and, in football terms, it still rings true in Florence.

Cuadrado ruled over Fiorentina as the team's top scorer this season with six goals and four assists, but he was just the latest in a long line of players to hold court at the Stadio Artemio Franchi.

Sold for a king's ransom at £26.8 million, the Colombian’s departure should be mourned but fans would be wise to think of the bigger picture.

Deployed just behind the striker, the 26-year-old certainly gave the Viola a cutting edge, but he was unlikely to lead the club to Champions League qualification this season.

Sixth in Serie A and seven points off third-place Napoli, even with the Colombian to call on, Fiorentina had picked up just nine points from the last 18 available in the league.

Chelsea’s substantial offer for the 26-year-old was therefore tantamount to the same kind of cash injection the Viola would have received if they had qualified for Europe’s premiere cup competition.

After a summer in which Transfermarkt estimates the club spent £8.01 million on new signings, it was also a sum that could give the club the kind of impetus to go out and spend big at the end of the current campaign with a view to pushing for a top-three finish next term.

Tim Ireland/Associated Press

The Viola have done a fine job at papering over the cracks left in Cuadrado’s absence, with the most obvious effort being the recruitment of Mohamed Salah from Chelsea.

Signed on loan, the Egyptian can not only fill in for the Colombian in the Fiorentina attack, but could prove a valuable asset in the Europa League.

With Fiorentina due to face Tottenham in the knockout phase, Salah explained in an interview with the London Evening Standard why the tie is of personal significance:

"

I played against Spurs twice in the Europa League when I was at Basle and I scored an important goal that helped us qualify.

They were very good games for me. That was an important moment for me and for Basle. I also put in five assists in that competition and am fired up for this chance.

"

Like Cuadrado, Salah can play anywhere across the attacking front three, and it could prove to be a seamless transition, with the Egyptian’s European pedigree of seven goals in 24 Europa League and Champions League outings a major plus.

Eurosport’s Paul Parker certainly believes that Salah was given short shrift at Stamford Bridge and could use the spell in Italy to remind everyone of his undoubted talents:

"

He [Salah] couldn’t get a run of form and he tried too hard—but he was never given a proper opportunity. People said he failed, but what can you do if you are playing one game in 20?

"

In the meantime, the pragmatic approach of Montella has already bore fruit, with the Viola boss showcasing the message that there is life after Cuadrado courtesy of a 2-0 victory over AS Roma in the Coppa Italia.

Fiorentina had gone seven games without a win against the Giallorossi, but with the Viola manager keen to get revenge on his former club—who opted against turning his tenure as interim boss into a permanent one—a new approach was adopted.

With Cuadrado gone, Montella opted to start with two strikers up front as new arrival Alessandro Diamanti joined Mario Gomez.

A loan signing alongside fellow veteran Alberto Gilardino from Chinese club Guangzhou Evergrande, Diamanti is the kind of left-field addition that has become Montella's trademark, having previously resurrected Luca Toni’s career following a spell in the Middle East.

In the midfield, the attack-minded Matias Fernandez was sacrificed in favour of the defensive Milan Badelj, with Fiorentina soaking up Roma’s early pressure before hitting them on the counter with two second-half goals.

Andrew Medichini/Associated Press

The presence of Diamanti meant the Roma defence could no longer focus all their efforts on Gomez, and with their attention elsewhere, Gomez struck twice to continue the fine scoring run he's enjoyed since ending an eight-month drought back in November.

A serious knee injury may have hampered the ex-Bayern Munich striker’s initial impact, but with five goals in his last four outings for the Viola, it seems as though the 29-year-old is hitting form at the perfect time.

"We can say that we have forgotten about Juan Cuadrado," Montella told reporters after the game.

"Unfortunately he has gone, but before leaving we wished him good luck.

"We celebrated with him because he is going to play in a great environment, but we must look at the present and, above all, to the future with the players we've got, who give us ample opportunities."

Another player looking to take advantage of the opportunities created by Cuadrado’s exit is Josip Ilicic, who came on against Roma.

Signed from Palermo in 2013, the Slovenian is capable of playing a similar role to Cuadrado's and with more game time could start to show the form that convinced the club to sign him from the Rosanero.

Cuadrado’s departure could therefore end up having little impact on Fiorentina’s season, with the club more than prepared to cope with the loss of the Colombian and ready to compete for big-name targets in the summer.

More importantly for Montella, it sent out a message: No player is irreplaceable or more important than the club collective.

Fiorentina will adapt and survive like they did when Stevan Jovetic left the club. They could even end up stronger for the sale of Cuadrado.