Kokorin: “Fiorentina said that they needed me, but they didn’t really let me play”

Aris striker Alexander Kokorin told how he spent the summer training camp with Fiorentina before returning to the Cypriot club.

The 32-year-old Russian moved to the Italian team in January 2021. After a season on loan at Arisa, Kokorin returned to Fiorentina in the summer of 2023. In September, the clubs again entered into an agreement for the player, who will spend the second season in Cyprus. By the summer of 2024, his contract with Fiorentina will expire.

“I returned to Fiorentina with a great desire to train and play. Staying at Fiorentina for a season with a stable place in the squad is another story, and there were no special illusions. A topic for a separate conversation.

In any case, the task was to get in good shape, no matter how the situation turned out. To be honest, I didn’t expect everything to go so well in terms of preparing for the season. Didn’t miss a single workout. “Physics”, playing conditions, confidence, emotional background – I was happy with everything at Fiorentina as never before. It’s obvious to me that I’m ready to go out and play at this level.

I would like to note the attitude of the coaching staff and the entire team and fans. During this visit, my opinion about me changed. Positivity came my way. The club noted that I was fine and supported me. During this time, Fiorentina received two requests for me, the club rejected them and replied that “We need Kokorin.” At the same time, they didn’t let me play much. This situation is twofold… But now this is a thing of the past. “I thanked Fiorentina and, I repeat, we worked very well in the summer,” Kokorin was quoted as saying by the Championship.