Mutu resolved to make music with Viola

Forward Adrian Mutu is determined to qualify for the group stage with ACF Fiorentina after silencing summer gossip linking him with a move to AS Roma.

Group stage
The Romania captain finally ended discussions over his future last Wednesday, signing a contract binding him to the Viola until summer 2012. Now, with the first leg of Fiorentina's third qualifying round tie against SK Slavia Praha looming, he can focus on playing again. "I want to qualify for the group stage," said Mutu. "We have to make this dream come true because we've been chasing it for a long time."

Actions speak
Mutu's summer has been a fraught one with rumours linking him with an imminent move to Roma and a reunion with former Viola coach Luciano Spalletti. The 29-year-old is glad to have put that speculation behind him. "The press told a lot of stories about my relationship with the club and the fans, but now they will have to stop as the facts speak for themselves," he said. "Now that I have signed the new contract, I can go on with the project I started when I arrived here two years ago." Indeed, the forward's decision to stay in Florence had supporters jumping for joy, while the crestfallen Spalletti acknowledged that he would have to look elsewhere for new signings. In the end, it seems that it was Mutu's respect for Fiorentina coach Cesare Prandelli which made him stay.

Prandelli factor
Mutu scored 18 goals in 31 league games for Parma FC in 2002/03 under Prandelli and likes the coach's style. "He knows me very well, better than anybody, and he's the person who has helped me improve," he told uefa.com. The decisions of Mutu and goalkeeper Sébastian Frey to stay with the club have ensured that Fiorentina start the season with a great squad. Younger stars like 20-year-old Serbian international Zdravko Kuzmanović and Riccardo Montolivo, 23, have another year of European experience behind them after helping the side to the UEFA Cup semi-finals last term, while Mutu's new strike partner Alberto Gilardino was a member of AC Milan's 2007 UEFA Champions League-winning team. "Mutu is full of enthusiasm, and now we have to concentrate on the third qualifying round because it can be the turning point of our season," said Prandelli. "The newcomers have to take their lead from veterans like him."