Zaniolo opens up about ‘turbulent summer’ and Alaba’s Udinese move

Italy international Nicolò Zaniolo insists he ‘always wanted’ to stay at Udinese and is delighted to welcome David Alaba: ‘It demonstrates the strength and ambition of the club.’

Former Real Madrid and Bayern Munich star Alaba joined Udinese on a free transfer during the international break and is expected to make his debut tonight against Torino.

Italy international Zaniolo spoke about Alaba’s first days at the club: “Udinese are undoubtedly a historic Italian club that, by its very nature, have always had great players and plenty of talent,” the striker told Calciomercato.com.

“David [Alaba]’s arrival demonstrates the strength and ambition of the club, which does not want to rest on last season’s positive results but is aiming for even greater things.

“David needs no introduction: he is a true champion who has played for clubs such as Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, and he will undoubtedly bring us invaluable experience and a winning mentality. We are delighted to have him,” Zaniolo continued.

“He arrived with the utmost humility, which is ultimately what distinguishes a true champion from a player who is merely very good. I can only speak highly of him. He is one of the players we needed, and I cannot wait to play alongside him.”

Zaniolo is currently injured so he’ll miss the game against Udinese. He wasn’t in good shape when Italy coach Roberto Mancini called him up during the latest international break, but Zaniolo was forced to pull out after the first match against Belgium, in which he didn’t feature.

Zaniolo extended his contract with Udinese last summer after the Bianconeri had made his move from Galatasaray permanent, but negotiations were not straightforward.

“It was a somewhat turbulent summer, which made me reflect and understand what I really wanted,” Zaniolo admitted.

“My intention was always to stay here because I have felt truly at home. Udinese is like a family to me: the club welcomed me, supported me and helped me in every way. I feel a strong sense of belonging and gratitude towards the club.

“There are many contractual dynamics in football… There were some negotiations, but fortunately everything worked out for the best,” he added.

The Italian striker confirmed he had attracted interest from other clubs before signing a new deal with the Bianconeri.

“When you have a good season, it is normal for there to be rumours linking you with big clubs, but I wanted to speak to Udinese first,” he concluded.

“They wanted to keep me, and now it is up to me to repay their faith on the pitch.”