Aleksandr Kokorin arrived in Italy today to take the medicals with Fiorentina ahead of the completion of his transfer from Spartak Moscow, the club informed. The forward landed in Roma and underwent part of the tests at the Gemelli hospital and completed them at the Villa Stuart clinic and at this point only the official announcement is missing.
He had a short interview on the team’s site: “I am happy to be here, I have chosen Florence for its beauty. My wife and soon influenced this decision. I will try to give my best, score many goals and win a lot with Fiorentina. Among my teammates, I know Franck Ribery, José Maria Callejon, Dusan Vlahovic and Giacomo Bonaventura. I will take number 91 if it is available.”
The 29-year-old attacker will sign a three-and-a-half-year contract worth €1.8M plus bonuses per year, while the Viola paid €4.5M for his services, Corriere dello Sport reports. He will start practicing with the rest of the group tomorrow.
Gazzetta dello Sport’s Russian League expert Giorgio Kudinov commented the acquisiton to Lady Radio: “It is a big gamble. Spartak were very happy to get rid of him. His talent is undeniable, he is one of the best in the last 20 years, but a lot of stuff happened to him over the years. He is no longer the player he used to be before his legal troubles. He did ok at Sochi, which is a mid-table team, but not so well at Spartak. He is at his best as center-forward, but Dusan Vlahovic is playing great. He will start off as a back-up and will have to earn his spot.”