Fiorentina Club Focus: Joaquin – Will he stay or will he go?

Date: 26th August 2015 at 4:17pm
Written by:

After a fantastic 2-0 victory for Fiorentina over AC Milan on Sunday evening, courtesy of goals from Marcos Alonso’s spectacular free-kick, and a second half penalty from Josip Ilicic, Viola fans left the Stadio Artemio Franchi dreaming of what lies ahead for Paulo Sousa’s men in the coming 10 months.

fiorentina Milan

But it wasn’t just the win and three points the Gigliati faithful were discussing in the streets and bars around the famous old ground after the game, but the future of a player that has become a fan favorite in Florence over the past two seasons, Spanish winger Joaquin Sanchez Rodriquez.

The former Valencia wide-man officially missed the game through a thigh injury, but after a week of speculation about the future of the 34-year-old, its suspected there were other reasons behind his absence from the Viola’s matchday squad.

It has been reported his former side Real Betis, his boyhood club, have sent representatives to Florence to try to agree a deal for their former pupil, as they look to consolidate their position in La Liga following their promotion from the Segunda division last season and the El Puerto de Santa born winger is keen on the move back to Spain for one last shot in the Spanish top flight, with the team he made 218 appearances for between 2000 and 2006.

Joaquin - Fiorentina v AC Milan

With personal terms apparently already agreed between Beticos and the player, it’s now thought it’s just a matter of a fee being agreed between the clubs that’s stalling the move. With one year left on the former Malaga winger’s contract, Fiorentina have put a €5 million price tag on the flying wide-man’s head, a fee which Los Verdiblancos are unwilling to pay for a player they could pick up on a free next summer.

If a deal does materialize before the transfer window shuts, the Viola number seven will leave the Stadio Franchi with his head held high after enjoying two fine seasons in Tuscany. After spending all of his career in his home country, the 34-year-old decided in 2013 that a move abroad, after two years with Malaga, would broaden his football education, also stating at the time Serie A was always a league that attracted him, and knowing Borja Valero and Giuseppe Rossi helped made the move to Florence an easy decision.

The winger penned a three-year deal, with the Viola paying Los Boquerones just over €2m plus bonuses for the Spaniard, and on the 29 August 2013, the winger made his debut against Grasshopper Club Zürich in Fiorentina’s 1-0 home loss in the Europa Legaue Play-off round 2nd leg, and has since gone on to make 71 appearances, scoring seven goals for the Florence side.

Borja Valero Joaquin Juan Cuadrado Fiorentina

Perhaps his first goal for the Viola will go down as the favorite among the Stadio Franchi regulars, as the former Los Che man came off the bench to net a goal in the famous 4-2 win comeback victory over arch rivals Juventus, which saw his pal Giuseppe Rossi bag a hat-trick on the 20 October 2013, a date that will never be forgotten in Florence.

Another highlight was again from the bench, this time against AC Milan, as former Viola coach Vincenzo Montella threw the winger on at half-time, and with the team finding themselves 1-0 down with just over 20 minutes renaming in the game, Joaquin produced a sublime performance, sending in an inch perfect cross for Gonzalo Rodriquez to head the equalizer, and then head the winner himself to send the tifosi into dreamland.

These memories, among others, made Viola fans come out last week and place a huge banner pleading for the winger to stay – “Matador: Don’t leave us. What you have done with the ball has made us fall in love,” the message read.

joaquin fiorentina banner

Only the coming days will tell us the future of the fans favorite, but one thing is for sure the Spaniard has left his mark in the hearts of the people of Florence for ever.

 

Comments are closed.