The January plan that Fiorentina hope will help them beat the drop

Fiorentina manager Paolo Vanoli continues to be backed in January as they look to avoid relegation for the first time in over two decades.

That relegation at the conclusion of the 2001/02 campaign came after the club declared bankruptcy, but they were last relegated on the pitch all the way back in 1992/93.

In this piece, we will take a detailed look at which players could potentially save Fiorentina from playing their football in Serie B next season.

Fiorentina continue to flirt with relegation

Discussing that drop down to the second division of Italian football in the 1992/93 campaign, Fiorentina were relegated after finishing in 16th position with only 30 points.

The league season has translated into a similar shadow with Paolo Vanoli’s side currently only above the relegation zone on goal difference, courtesy of their +7 superior advantage over Lecce.

Only three wins across 21 matches (D8, L10) have forced the bosses at the Stadio Artemio Franchi to invest this month.

Jack Harrison and Manor Solomon have already arrived on loan from their respective Premier League clubs, Leeds United and Tottenham, throughout the January window. The Florence-based club are now reportedly ready to make a move for Braga central defender Sikou Niakaté.

Fiorentina have spent around £80million on new signings across 2025/26, including splashing the cash on Roberto Piccoli, Simon Sohm, Nicolò Fagioli, and Albert Gudmundsson, to name a few.

It’s not like they have been throwing money up the wall; they’ve rebuilt and replaced after big players like Nico González, Sofyan Amrabat, and Michael Kayode departed.

Fiorentina need the Manor Solomon that lit up Elland Road

Solomon only participated in six of Villarreal’s 13 LaLiga matches and two Champions League phase encounters before being recalled to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after his loan spell was cut short. However, he is yet to find the back of the net or register an assist in four Serie A matches since his move.

Solomon scored 10 times and registered 12 assists in 39 appearances to help Leeds win the 2024/25 Championship trophy. If the entertaining attacker can recapture that aforementioned piece of seasonal form, it could easily translate to Fiorentina remaining in Serie A for at least another season.

With Solomon out of contract in the summer and Tottenham seemingly unwilling to offer the Israeli international a new deal, a second-half impression across Serie A could result in a permanent move.

Jack Harrison brings Premier League quality to Italy

Another addition in Fiorentina’s final third is Leeds’ loanee Harrison. In a very similar bracket to Solomon, in terms of rediscovering that past form in front of goal, the attacker could very soon make his debut for his temporary employers.

That opening act on the pitch could come on Saturday with Vanoli’s side tackling fellow relegation candidates Cagliari.

While Solomon’s form in the Championship was impressive, Harrison was influential for Leeds in the 2020/21 and 2021/22 Premier League seasons. Eight goals in each of those campaigns were accompanied by the same number of assists as in the former year.

He capped off a hat-trick of seasons across the top flight of English football for Leeds by scoring five goals and adding seven assists for his teammates.

Things haven’t gone to plan since for the former England Under 21s man, but his opportunities have certainly been limited this season with the substitutes’ bench being his primary destination.

Can Harrison help save Fiorentina from relegation is certainly one of the many questions that could be actively being discussed across the four stands of the Stadio Artemio Franchi.

Niakaté could be the answer to plug the leaky defence

Niakaté is currently plying his trade in Portugal for Braga, where the Mali international has already made 20 appearances across all competitions this season.

He has been a resident at the Estádio Municipal de Braga for over two and a half years after joining from French outfit Guingamp. The Mailian centre-back, who is also a previous French Youth International, could be the man to plug Fiorentina’s leaky defensive frailties.

Only bottom-of-the-table Verona and Torino (34) have conceded more goals than Fiorentina’s 32 in Serie A this season.

The 2023/24 Taça da Liga trophy winner has also helped Braga currently occupy fifth position in the Liga Portugal standings, only a single point adrift of the Conference League qualification positions.

Despite starting nine league matches this season, Niakaté has been left out of three of the previous four Braga starting line-ups, so a move could potentially be on the cards.

He could easily fit into Fiorentina’s strongest starting XI in my personal opinion across the remainder of the 2025/26 campaign.

Fiorentina’s starting XI: De Gea; Dodô, Niakaté, Pongračić, Gosens; Fagioli, Mandragora, Ndour; Solomon, Piccoli, Harrison