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Fiorentina have officially confirmed that Paolo Vanoli has returned as head coach, replacing Fabio Grosso after only three matches of the 2026-27 season.

Fiorentina announced on Sunday night that the club had decided to part ways with head coach Grosso, who had only been appointed in June following a poor 2025-26 season in which the Viola spent much of the campaign battling near the relegation zone.

During Fiorentina’s Serie A match against Frosinone at the Stadio Artemio Franchi on August 29, 2026 in Florence, Fabio Grosso was on the touchline as head coach of ACF Fiorentina.

But Grosso’s competitive start in charge of Fiorentina could hardly have gone worse, with three consecutive defeats leaving the Viola rooted to the bottom of the Serie A table.

Grosso’s Fiorentina let in nine goals across their opening three league matches, including a 4-0 thrashing by Roma, a 3-0 home loss to newly-promoted Frosinone, and most recently a 2-1 defeat against Torino.

The club moved quickly to appoint a replacement, confirming on Monday afternoon that Vanoli has returned to the role of head coach.

Vanoli had previously been in charge during Fiorentina’s UEFA Conference League 2025/26 quarter-final second-leg match against Crystal Palace at the Stadio Artemio Franchi on April 16, 2026 in Florence.

“ACF Fiorentina announces that Paolo Vanoli has been appointed as head coach of the first team,” read a statement on the club’s official website.

“We would like to thank Vanoli for the enthusiasm with which he immediately accepted the opportunity to take charge of the team once again.

“The coach will hold his first training session with the squad this afternoon.”

Vanoli had only left Fiorentina at the end of the 2025-26 season. He had originally been appointed in November last year and succeeded in turning things around for the Viola, guiding the side away from the relegation zone and eventually to a 15th-place finish.

Vanoli was also in charge during Fiorentina’s Serie A meeting with Lazio at the Artemio Franchi on April 13, 2026 in Florence.

At the end of the 2025-26 season, Fiorentina chose not to extend Vanoli’s short-term contract and instead opted for a different direction by appointing Grosso.

However, after a disastrous opening to the 2026-27 campaign, Grosso has been dismissed and Vanoli has been brought back to try and steer Fiorentina out of the relegation zone once more.