Fiorentina coach Vincenzo Montella insists the club are better off with Mohamed Salah after they lost Juan Cuadrado to Chelsea in January.
The Egyptian forward arrived in Florence on loan as part of Cuadrado’s £24m move to Stamford Bridge and he has impressed to a large extent, scoring in the Serie A side’s 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League on Thursday.
And, Montella believes that his side got the better deal in signing the 22-year-old.
“Salah is a player that, even if he takes some breaks, is devastating over 40 or 50 yards,” Montella said.
“Who did better out of the Cuadrado exchange? Fiorentina earned a lot of money and, on the pitch, they are similar players.”
Having moved past Spurs, Fiorentina will not return to league action where they are chasing Napoli for the final Champions League spot.
“We are satisfied, great credit is due to the players and to all the fans. There’s little time to enjoy it, though, as on Sunday we have a very important match.
“Inter are certainly going through a really good spell in which they have rediscovered their confidence and self-esteem.”