Fiorentina landed the first big transfer coup of the summer when they snapped up Lina Hurtig. The Swedish striker, who turns 30 on Friday, recently won the UEFA Women's Champions League with Arsenal and previously spent time in Serie A with Juventus. She spoke to us about her decision to swap London for Florence.

CHOOSING FLORENCE

Was it an easy or difficult decision to join Fiorentina? What made you choose Fiorentina over other clubs?

“When I first heard about Fiorentina's interest, I felt pretty quickly that it was interesting for me and it all went pretty fast. I came here and saw the facilities, got to meet people and they were all very welcoming and friendly so I had a very good first impression.”

RETURNING TO SERIE A

You won everything with Juventus between 2020 and 2022. Do you think you can stamp your authority on Serie A with Fiorentina now? 

“It's been three years since I played here. I know the league and the teams have moved forward. It's a better league now than when I left, so of course it's going to be challenging.”

SERIE A WOMEN’S CUP

What do you make of this new competition? Do you see it as a bridge between pre-season and Serie A?

“I think this competition and these matches are important to us. We're building something new here – not just for me but for everyone, with Pablo [Pinones-Arce] coming in. These matches are important for us to prepare in the best way possible for when the league starts.

INTER

The winners of Group B could be decided on Saturday. What are you expecting from inter? 

“To be honest, I don't know much about Inter now. I know they're a good team who qualified for the Champions League last season. It's going to be a great test for us”

TARGETS AND SUCCESS 

There are lots of potential Scudetto contenders this season. Have you spoken about targets in the dressing room? 

“Our goal is to win. That's why we're all here. We want to win the league. But we also know it's a long way, a long season with many games and lots of things can happen. A lot of things have to click together for it to be possible but our main goal is to win.”

LINA'S FUTURE

What's your wish for yourself come June? 

“The most important thing for me is to be happy, to be on the pitch,stay fit and then I think a lot of good things will happen.”

Lina and her team-mates are set to play Inter at 18:00 CEST on Saturday. Their final Group C match will be against Genoa at the Stadio Curva Fiesole on Sunday September 14. Should they reach the Final Four, it will be played at the Stadio Romeo Menti in Castellammare di Stabia between September 23 and 27.

The Viola will kick off their Serie A campaign with a trip to Napoli on October 5.