Antognoni explains leaving Fiorentina: I was embittered

Giancarlo Antognoni has explained leaving Fiorentina.

The former director also revealed he came close to signing Inter Milan striker Marcus Thuram for the Viola.

He told Il Corriere della Sera: "They made other choices, for my part I was there and I hope to be there in the future. I was Club Manager and they offered me a place in the youth team. I wanted to stay with the first team and I said no. I don't deny that relations with director Joe Barone were very tense, but obviously I was very shocked by his passing.

"He did things his way and I didn't accept them, which is why I left two years ago. I have always been consistent with myself and it is a choice that I would make again. I don't deny that I would still like to work in the new Viola Park, I haven't been there yet. Often, however, my suggestions were not considered by the other managers and this made me was embittered."

Asked for an example Antognoni continued: "Thuram. Marcus, who is now an added value for Inter, I followed when he played in Germany, at Monchengladbach. He had a price within the parameters of Fiorentina and an obvious talent: however, in the club they said he was 'too young'. You know the rest. C'est la vie, I might say.

"In the nineties, at the time of Cecchi Gori, we needed a defender and we had already signed Lilian, his father, but at the moment Monaco stopped everything. Let's say that with Thuram I wasn't lucky..."