Earlier this summer, Brighton signed Diego Coppola from Hellas Verona for a fee of €11m.
The Seagulls had to beat competition from major clubs in Italy to seal the signing, with the defender having made his debut for the Azzurri days before his move to the Amex.
The transition from playing in Italy to playing in England is always major and 21-year-old Coppola has spoken to Gazzetta dello Sport today about life in Brighton so far.
He told the newspaper: “Luckily, I’ve never had a rainy day in Brighton. It’s always sunny, and then there’s the sea, and it doesn’t seem like a sad place like they say in Italy. I’ve always lived in Verona, and it’s a big change for me, especially because I have all my friends and family.
“I’m enjoying it, though. There are a lot of kids my age in the team, even for going out in the evening or having a bite to eat on my day off. Italy is Italy, but I don’t miss it enough to say I want to go back.”
The Italian was also asked about the facilities, and made clear he’s impressed… but has reservations against the pasta made at the club’s training ground.
“I knew it was a club with a great project, but when I arrived, they really surprised me. The training centre seemed absurd to me. They sent me videos of the training centre to introduce me to the team, and it seemed like something artificial intelligence could do.
“Here, however, I discovered that it was all real: they take care of every aspect, from the kitchen to recovery; they have yoga and pilates classes, a gigantic gym, saunas, hot and cold pools, everything. I still have to find a flaw. Maybe the pasta, which is a little overcooked.”
The centre-back said that he has dreams of playing in the Champions League with Fabian Hurzler’s side.
“If we have to dream, I say we win the Premier League. If we have to be more realistic, I say we reach the Champions League zone. For my part, I say we play as many games as possible. And get to the end healthy, which is what really matters.”
Coppola was also asked why he chose number 42: “I had it in Verona, I got it when I came from the youth team. It brought me luck: in the years I spent there, we always survived and I did my part, with the ups and downs of the early career. When I came here and they asked me for my number, I thought about getting it back: maybe it will bring me luck here too.”
The centre-back is happy with life at Brighton and made it clear that he isn’t expecting to play every game.
“Well, I’ve talked about it with the coach and staff. I don’t expect to start right away, because the defenders are there and the level is high, but I think I’ll slowly make my way up and earn my minutes.”
Coppola comes across as patient and grounded in the interview and is clearly happy to take things one step at a time. Considering the competition in the centre-back spots, the Italy international will need to perform well consistently to become a regular under Hurzeler.
Brighton have secured a good talent though, and he’s already played 85 times in Serie A at a young age. He will take time to settle in but once he does, Coppola will be a real asset for the Seagulls.
