Fiorentina have dismissed head coach Fabio Grosso after a disastrous start to the new Serie A season, the club confirmed on Sunday. In spite of overseeing a major €150 million squad rebuild during the summer, the 2006 World Cup winner has been removed after three straight league losses left La Viola at the foot of the table.

Dismal run seals fate

Grosso's spell at the Stadio Artemio Franchi was cut short after three successive league defeats kept the club stuck at the bottom of the standings. La Viola were thrashed 4-0 by AS Roma on the opening day, then suffered a poor 3-0 home loss to Frosinone, followed by a 2-1 defeat against Torino. Having conceded nine goals across their first three league matches, even a 4-1 Coppa Italia win over Benevento was nowhere near enough to preserve the manager's position.

Club hierarchy pulls plug

The board's patience ran out, leading to quick and firm action to stop their ambitious sporting plan from falling apart further. In an official statement released on their website, the club said: "ACF Fiorentina announces that Fabio Grosso has been relieved of his duties as first-team head coach, effective today."

Hefty investment yields nothing

The move to end the relationship comes after an aggressive transfer window in which the club spent €150 million to reshape the first team completely. Despite bringing in Beto, Christ Oulai, Arthur Atta, Mateo Pellegrino, Giovanni Fabbian, Marco Brescianini and Victor Valdepenas, along with notable loan signings Franco Mastantuono, Radu Dragusin, Wilfried Gnonto, Alex Jimenez and Pedro Goncalves, results on the pitch did not meet expectations. Transfer expert Matteo Moretto has reported that former coach Paolo Vanoli is now the leading candidate to return to the Franchi.

Gruelling tests await successor

The club's leadership are now in a race against time to name a replacement before an important league trip to Venezia on Friday, September 11. Fiorentina will then host Pisa in the Coppa Italia round of 32 four days later, before welcoming title challengers Napoli to the Artemio Franchi on Sunday, September 20. Picking up their first league points and lifting the mood within an expensively assembled squad will be crucial before the autumn international break begins.