Che Adams joined Torino on a free transfer after his exit from Southampton in 2024. The Scotland international has now become a hero for Il Toro, having started the season well.
The striker has already found the net twice in this campaign and both of those goals have been acrobatic finishes. The best of the two came against AC Milan.
Milan won the game 2-1 but Adams’ impact off the bench was evident.
The goal against Fiorentina at the weekend carries more value. Adams came up with an unorthodox finish in a 2-1 win, helping Ignazio Abate’s side to their first triumph of the campaign.
This comes after he scored six times last season and nine times in the 2024/25 campaign. Adams is already a cult hero in Turin.
Adams’ renaissance in Florence
Today’s Gazzetta dello Sport explains things could’ve been very different for the striker. Due to family concerns, he was tempted to leave in January 2026. This summer too, he had drawn interest from other clubs.
It was fitting that he scored a crucial goal in Florence – a city closely associated with the Renaissance. It is seen as a turning point in his spell at Torino and the newspaper believe ‘something has clicked’ in his soul again.
He is also declared a genius for how he ‘chiseled’ out the two goals in an almost artistic way. The fact that he scored is due credit to his instincts as a forward, which have come alive again.
The newspaper say: ‘In the city, the birthplace of the Renaissance, his genius has created a work of art worthy of a place in the Uffizi Gallery. Chiseled just enough with his right foot, built with an unnatural rotation and dynamics of the hip and body.’
Manager Ignazio Abate also has no doubts about Adams’ abilities and he offered background into his situation.
After the win in Florence, he said: “I spoke to Che during the training camp, and I was very clear. I told him I’d be very happy if he stayed. As long as he kept his head in the right place, and he’s always trained, showing me that Torino is his priority.”
“He’s a quality player, he’s strong, he scores goals, he’s a key player. He’s important. We’ve always been determined to keep him: he’s kept his head in the right place.”
Decision to stay can pay off
Even if Adams scored close to 50 goals at Southampton, it is at Torino that he is attaining cult status. A big reason behind it is how the Scotsman always scores goals when the team desperately needs them. Many of them come in big games or at decisive points of those games.
And Torino haven’t exactly been a stable club since Ivan Juric’s departure. Owner Urbano Cairo has constantly been the subject of protests for selling on players when he shouldn’t. At a time like that, Adams has provided hope when the Granata needed such.
He now has goals and confidence in his bag to start regularly under Abate. There is every chance the decision to stay pays off.
From Southampton to a Serie A cult hero is quite some story.
