Pioli responds to Allegri’s Fiorentina prediction and reveals Dzeko-Milan background

Stefano Pioli has responded to Massimiliano Allegri not putting Fiorentina in the top four race, while revealing some background on Edin Dzeko nearly joining AC Milan.

It was recently confirmed that Pioli will be returning for another stint in Serie A after his experience in Saudi Arabia with Al-Nassr ended. He has rejoined Fiorentina, a club that is close to his heart given he was there during the tragic passing of Davide Astori.

Pioli also had the chance to respond to Allegri. More specifically, during his presentation press conference on July 7, the new Milan coach was asked a question about who the teams are in the fight for the Champions League places.

His response was: “The teams that are always at the top are Napoli, who are the favourites, Inter, Juventus, Atalanta, Roma, Lazio. Getting into the top four is not easy, that’s why it’s important to work well.”

Photo by ISABELLA BONOTTO/AFP via Getty Images

In his press conference, Pioli was asked about the words from Allegri, with his response relayed by MilanNews.

“It will be a challenge between clubs, not between coaches. I could still be among the top 10 highest-paid coaches in the world, but I wanted new challenges.

“I’ll have to prove I’m up to par: Allegri didn’t put us among the candidates for Champions League qualification. Well, I wrote this sentence on the board for my players.”

Asked about the signing of Edin Dzeko, he sated: “At the end of the year, when I was at Milan, there was still no chance of Zlatan [Ibrahimovic] staying, and I specifically asked for Dzeko.”