Tiago Djalo, the new face of the Juventus defence, was unveiled to the media in a press conference on Thursday afternoon. Having joined the club from LOSC Lille, the 23-year-old is ready to embark on a new challenge in the best possible way.
Here’s what the Portuguese had to say in the press room at Allianz Stadium.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
“I’m so pleased to be here. There’s a strong team here filled with quality. Coach [Max] Allegri can teach me so much. I haven’t been here for long, but I already feel happy. I dreamt of wearing this jersey. There’s so much history at this club and I can’t wait to give my all. I had no doubts when it came to putting pen to paper.”
STYLE OF ITALIAN FOOTBALL AND FITNESS
“There are differences with French football. Serie A is a more tactical league with so much quality, but that won’t be a problem for me. I want to learn. I trained with the squad yesterday and this morning. My knee is recovering well. We’ll decide with the coach what to do. I’m very calm about it. I’ve come here to take an opportunity and make myself available to the coach. I know I have the attributes needed to help out. It’s just a matter of getting opportunities.”
COMPARISONS AND POSITIONS
“Some people have compared me with [Fikayo] Tomori, but in reality, we’re a bit different. I personally take inspiration from Lilian Thuram. He used to play on the right and the left without any issue and I’d like to do the same thing.”
SETTLING IN AND OPPONENTS TO STOP
“I’ve spoken to [Timothy] Weah. He’s called me in the last few days and is very pleased to have me here. I’m ready to face any forward, [Victor] Osimhen included. There are top players in Serie A and I want to test myself against them. [Rafa] Leao is also happy that I’m in Italy. He’s a good friend of mine, as we played together in Portugal. I’ve spoken to Danilo and there’s a good connection between us. The whole team want to help me out so that I settle in quickly. I already feel comfortable here.”
SHIRT NUMBER
“At Lille I used to be the number 3. Here at Juventus [Gleison] Bremer already has that number, so I chose 33 to stay on topic.”