Earlier this month, we covered what was being said in Italy about Elia Caprile, a Leeds United player currently out on loan at Pro Patria in Italy.
Arriving at Elland Road in 2020, the young goalkeeper was sent back to his home country to get first team experience, where he has excelled and helped his team perform well.
The Leeds loanee was said to have performed miracles this year, and there is no denying that this move has been incredibly useful for the 20-year-old.
Caprile sat down for an interview with Numero Diez, where he was asked about his move from Chievo’s U19s to the Yorkshire based club.
He said: “I thought it was an opportunity that I cannot refuse. It was a train that would pass only once in a lifetime and I immediately told myself that I would take it even though I knew there would be a lot of difficulties.
“In the end I was right and the difficulties were also much greater than I expected, because as soon as I got there, Covid arrived.”
Initially playing in the Premier League 2, Caprile explained he went out on loan because he ‘asked for it personally’, knowing he would have ‘no chance of playing’ at Leeds anytime soon.
In fact, he continued: “Leeds were the first to tell me ‘go on loan, play your 30/40 games and then let’s talk again’.”
When he returns, however, there will be a lot of changes at the club, with Jesse Marsch now in charge when Marcelo Bielsa was the manager when he left.
Caprile was directly asked about the Argentine, and replied: “He made me improve a lot from all points of view, above all the game with my feet since he was asking for it a lot. There are so many anecdotes, but what I always remember is one he told us before a game.
“He told us the story of his Chilean friend who was a miner. According to him, footballers and miners are a lot alike, since they both worked hard to bring the food home. Of course, there are the necessary difference since we earn a lot, but the story stuck with me, because it was evident that Bielsa was talking about a person he knew.”
As for what the future holds for him, he said: “I have a dream and a hope. The hope, which is also my goal, is to be in Serie A. Obviously, I think all children want to reach Serie A and maybe even the Champions League. As for the dream, in 10 years, I would like to be the Napoli goalkeeper.”
Why Napoli? “Because my father is from Naples, because I support Napoli and because I would like to play at the Maradona stadium, even though I know that in 10 years, the stadium may no longer be there.”
