Live TMW
12.20 – Welcome back, friends of TUTTOmercatoWEB! In a few minutes the press presentation of one of Empoli’s new purchases will take place, Mattia DeScigliocoming from Juventus.
12.32 – The conference begins.
Welcome to Empoli. What does this adventure mean to you?
“It’s definitely a starting point, many athletes during their careers have had moments in which they took a step back. I needed this, once I came back from the knee I didn’t have the chance to show that I’m fine. My goal is to get back in the game and I think Empoli is the right place to do it”
How did the negotiation come about and why did you accept Empoli?
“The negotiation started very simply, I was contacted by the director Gemmi who showed me his will, it’s something that made me very happy because I needed to feel important and wanted again. For me it was important to get back in the game, where it didn’t really matter to me. I would like to show that I’m fine, everyone has spoken highly of Empoli, here we work very well and everything happened very naturally. I evaluated the offer for a few days, but then I convinced myself that it was the right place. Here I’m the oldest, I found many guys who wanted to show off and I’m convinced that we’ll do very well, I bring my experience here to lend a hand”
How do you deal with the transition from top-level football to a provincial club?
“Going from realities like Milan and Juve to Empoli didn’t scare me. Having these experiences is good for an athlete because seeing more modest realities can make you grow more. With the thought that a player who has played in certain teams can only bring experience and positive aspects”
Where do you see yourself as a role?
“In terms of role, I feel I can play both as a fourth full winger and as a third centre-back. In France I also played as a centre-back in a four-man defence, I could do that too”
What kind of environment did you find here and what kind of relationship do you have with the coach?
“Here I found a very familiar environment, I saw that even if I did it separately this week, we work very well. The coach made a great impression on me, as did the staff. The boys welcomed me well, I’m establishing a good relationship with everyone”
How are you physically?
“I feel good, I worked separately but I would like to be in condition to play from next week. The fact that there will be the match with Juve is an extra motivation”
What did the coach ask you?
“The coach, when I had a chat with him, asked me to give him a hand in the locker room when there are difficult moments. These are moments that will happen, I will do it willingly but I already felt it. They are young guys, some of them are less used to facing and managing certain delicate moments”
How did you manage this period of uncertainty as an outsider at Juventus?
“It hasn’t been an easy time, in fact I admit it was difficult beyond receiving the news of being out of the project. Not knowing what the destination would be, with a family and a small daughter, and not knowing certain answers made me sad. I have a certain responsibility, the most important thing is that they are well. This period has been difficult to manage but fortunately I have the experience to be able to manage it in the best way. I thought I would go to the camp and train for myself”
12.45 – The press conference ends.