Earlier this week, Serie A club Fiorentina scooped up Villarreal’s injured striker Giuseppe Rossi for $13 million. As Goal.com’s Zac Lee Rigg points out, that is one third of the price Villarreal asked for its star striker 18 months ago.

But, as Rigg says, nobody is complaining about this deal, because things were very different 18 months ago. Rossi tore his ACL in October 2011 and then Villarreal was relegated to the Spanish second division at the end of the season. Both events caused Rossi’s street value to plummet, as it was clear the injured New Jersey native wanted out and Villarreal needed to sell. Fiorentina has now signed the 25-year-old to a deal worth a reported $2.5 to $3 million per season through June 2017, which Rigg says is a lot given Rossi’s experience and the uncertainty of his rehabilitation (which has required three surgeries).

Nevertheless, La Viola management feels they’ve landed a talented striker on the cheap. "Signing Rossi was a real coup," coach Vincenzo Montella said. "This is a talent we hope to recover for the end of the season and we will wait until he has completed his rehabilitation." Sporting Director Daniele Prade added: "Rossi chose us because we’re doing good work; I can assure you he had many other options. Giuseppe is part of a medium to long-term program. He’s our future, and we got him to become a great team."