Boulaye Day was presented today to his new fans, those of Lazio, a few days after his debut as a starter in the match against Milan, where he also scored his first goal with the Biancoceleste jersey: “I’m happy to be at Lazio, thanks to the sporting director, it took us a bit of time but in the end I’m happy with how the negotiations went. The team is very strong, there are many quality players. I can move behind Taty or vice versa, I move between the lines and give a hand in the search for depth. Here you play against the best teams. Scoring lots of goals is what counts, a striker is judged by this, we have to do our best without thinking about who was here before us”.
How many goals can he score? How difficult was the last year in Salerno?
“Setting a goal for the season means setting a limit, in Salerno I didn’t say ‘this year I’ll score 16’, but I thought about scoring as many as possible. Salerno was a new stage in my career, then a tough moment, I don’t feel like I have to reproach myself for anything. I don’t feel the weight of being an important player, we all are, we all have responsibilities. The goal against Roma was nice, but it was unpleasant because on that occasion I also got injured (laughs, ed.)”.
The defender also showed up together with the Senegalese Samuel Gigotone of the latest arrivals on the Italian market: “In Italy there have always been great defenders, I love defending. I have had many Italian coaches, what I see here I have already done. I am ready to work in the defensive line and do what they ask of me. There are many role models. I have followed Cannavaro since I was little and also Nesta, they are great Italian defenders who have made history. I think we have to do our best and give everything for the fans and for the club. Then we will see where we are”.
What did Guendouzi tell you? What convinced you to come? How does it feel to play with the other Lazio defenders?
“I spoke a lot with Guendouzi, especially in the last few days. He didn’t have to convince me, I just needed a push. At OM we all learned that you have to give your all and we’ll do it here too. I can play with anyone in defence, I’ve seen that the centre-backs are very good. The primary objective is to get in shape as soon as possible. I want to be in shape straight away and play as much as possible and well, which is the most important thing. When Lazio called me I thought about going there, they’re a great team and I’ve always followed them because I also played with Marusic”.