PALOSCHI, FROM CHIEVOVERONA TO SWANSEA CITY
A final interview with Alberto Paloschi.
Q. Do you remember the days in the run-up to signing for ChievoVerona?
A. Yes, I remember everything. I didn't think twice about choosing ChievoVerona. I knew it was a great family with a good atmosphere, where people give you a hand even in difficult moments.
Q. When did you realise you'd made the right choice?
A. After just a few weeks of training. Chievo gave me the chance to play again after a few months of injuries. If I had to go back I would do the same again.
Q. What memories do you have of your ex-teammates?
A. A lot of good ones. One of ChievoVerona's secrets has always been the ability to construct solid groups... Sergio Pellissier, a great striker I trained next to every day. I tried to take a lot from him, his technical and tactical characteristics. I hope he gets to 100 Serie A goals soon. Gennaro Sardo is a great friend both on and off the pitch, who is sincere and tells it like it is and not just what you want to hear, even if it's the wrong thing. He has always given me good advice and we'll always be friends, which is why Gennaro was the first to hear about the chance of moving to Swansea City.
Q. Dario Dainelli has been something of a tutor to you, is that right?
A. In a way, yes. He was my roommate very often and when I wanted to watch films he would make me watch documentaries about Giotto, Leonardo da Vinci, the Sistine Chapel, so he has raised my level of culture! I made friends straightaway with Alessandro Gamberini, doing a lot of things with him, and I hope he gets better soon. There really are a lot of names to mention... Pinzi, Pepe, Gobbi and Bressan all just arrived last season, but I get on well with them as we are similar, we like joking about... Perpa is a great person you can trust, who runs for two on the pitch and is always ready to help you when he sees you in trouble.
Q. Which were your three best goals?
A. The first was the one at the San Siro against Inter Milan two seasons ago, second the one away to Lazio last season, and the third the winning goal against Hellas in the last derby.
Q. You have always been grateful to the fans...
A. They have always supported me, and they know how hard I played. Getting a goal is the best moment, for me and for them, and I know they have always appreciated the effort I put in when wearing the Chievo shirt.
Q. Which was your best win?
A. Beating Cagliari on the second-last day two seasons ago, staying up after a difficult season when we knew things would go to the wire.
Q. The Chairman?
A. A friend to the older players and like a second father to the younger ones. He suffers like not many others as Chievo is so important to him. He never raises his voice. He really represents Chievo's values. I want to thank Luca Nember for giving me the chance to go abroad, which we had talked about in the past. It's hard to find people like him in this environment. He always keeps his word and says what he means. He has also built a great team. Rolando Maran put his trust in me and showed himself to be a great coach with great ideas. I am sure he could aim to coach the top teams.
Are you ready to play in the Premier League?
I'm raring to go and I want to start straightaway. I will try to give it my all, as always. I hope I am lucky to, that's always useful, but I am as eager as I always am. My first impressions of Wales are good. The training centre is excellent and you can compare it too the best ones in Italy. The city has a beautiful bay and I think life will be good there.
(Photo LaPresse)
