On Monday, we covered two stories regarding Southampton’s new hero Manolo Gabbiadini: one about how Napoli were already ‘regretting’ letting him go, and the other about his agent saying there were ‘no hard feelings’ with the Italian club about the transfer to the Premier League.
Well, Gazzetta dello Sport, instead of talking to the agent or someone who knows the player, go straight to the source, and interviewed Gabbiadini about his first few weeks in England, and how things have changed since his arrival.
Explaining that Claude Puel’s instructions to play as a ‘pure striker’ have helped him find a freedom he had lost in the rather ‘rigid’ Italian football, the Italian striker also reassured everyone that communication wasn’t an issue, especially with his manager, who can get a message across using bits of English, Italian and French.
Very happy with his decision to join the Saints, the striker revealed to Gazzetta what his first impressions regarding the club as a whole were.
He said: “I found a young group and a manager on top of things. I still live in a hotel, but I’ll be moving into a house soon. Southampton can really be the turning point in my career.”
Describing the atmosphere in English football as ‘fantastic’, the player enjoys the fact fans come to support the team rather than just going to the stadium to berate the opponent and their fans.
Yet to travel to London, Gabbiadini is also keen to ensure his career doesn’t follow the trajectory of the Titanic, which left Southampton for its now well documented doomed voyage.
He said: “I know the story. Well, in my case, the adventure has started well, but I’m always realistic. Football is an open sea. In good times, the storm can arrive at any time. I cannot relax. Five goals in three games is a good start, but it won’t always be like this.
“There will be times where it isn’t as easy, but there’s on thing I can guarantee: I will always give the maximum I can, and will never give up”.
Probably just the words Southampton fans were wanting to hear.
