Better than Jose Mourinho? Edin Dzeko picks 'unique' coach as the 'absolute number one' for strikers

The Bosnian forward, who joined Fiorentina this summer, looked back at his career and picked Spalletti as the coach who stood out above the rest. Dzeko admitted the first few months with the former Italy coach were frustrating, but once he understood Spalletti, everything changed. 

Fresh off a two-year stint in Turkey, where he played under Jose Mourinho, Dzeko signed a one-year deal with Fiorentina this summer, with the option of a second season. The 39-year-old has worked under 19 different coaches in a career that has taken him from Wolfsburg to Manchester City, Roma, Inter, Fenerbahce and now back to Serie A. Stefano Pioli will be the 20th coach of his career, but the veteran forward reserved his highest praise for Spalletti, with whom he spent around two seasons at Roma before the latter’s departure in 2017.

Dzeko looked back on his time at Roma and explained why Spalletti stood out from the many coaches he has played under.

He told Tuttomercatoweb: "Spalletti is one of the best I've had. In the first four or five months in Rome, I didn't play much and was disappointed... Spalletti is different from the others; he has a unique character and you have to understand him. Once I got to know him better, things improved significantly. He knows how to get into the players' heads. I'm disappointed he didn't do well with the national team; perhaps it wasn't his job. 

"Spalletti needs to be on the pitch all the time, in constant contact with the team... For the forwards, he's the absolute number one. With him, all the balls reach the attackers. When I scored two goals, he'd say to me, 'Are you happy, Edin...' And I'd say, 'Of course.' 'I think you could have scored four.'"

Dzeko is set to make his official Fiorentina debut this week in the Conference League playoff against Polissya Zhytomyr before opening the Serie A campaign against Cagliari on Sunday. With his wealth of experience, the veteran striker will be counted on to guide Fiorentina’s attack.