Brentford full-back Michael Kayode has admitted he didn’t want to leave Fiorentina in the manner that he did, and plans to return to Florence in future.
[Viola News have an interview](https://www.violanews.com/esclusive/le-nostre-esclusive/kayode-a-vn-non-volevo-finisse-cosi-quasi-nessuno-credeva-in-me-firenze-e-tutto/) with the defender today, in which he admits his departure from the Italian side was not how he would have wanted it to happen.
He joined Brentford in a €17.5m deal in the summer having previously spent the second half of last season on loan with the Bees.
That brough an end to a four-year spell with Fiorentina, where he arrived in 2021 as part of their U19 side before moving in to the first team in 2023. He went on to make 49 appearances for them in total before his departure.
Last season was something of a disaster for him at the club, though, as he managed just one start in 20 appearances in total and only reached 90 minutes once. His other appearances totalled 17 minutes, one minute, seven minutes and nine minutes.
He was very much out of the picture, hence his move to Brentford, but he wishes he hadn’t departed in such circumstances.
“The last six months in Fiorentina were difficult, I won’t deny it,” he said.
“Because I was coming off a period where I was playing, and I expected to play more; I had even spoken with the coach. But I think those months were crucial for me, especially for me, being young and entering a new world.
“I tried to take advantage of this to train and give it my all, being one of the last to leave the pitch. And this helped me grow, and in fact I arrived here, in another world, already prepared. When you don’t play, when almost no one believes in you, it’s not easy mentally.
“This helped me grow a lot, and I’m absolutely proud of it. My intention was definitely not to leave Florence like this. After a year and a half at Fiorentina, I would have liked to leave differently, but that’s also football.”
That disappointment doesn’t seem to have ruined Kayode’s opinion of Fiorentina or Florence, though, and he admits he intends to return in future.
“I send a huge hello to everyone, thank you,” he added.
“If I’m here, it’s thanks to Florence; I’m in love with the city. At the end of my career, I’ll definitely come and live there; my partner is from there. For me, Florence means everything. So, thank you, and good luck with everything. Especially for the match against Napoli; I’ll be watching.”