The Italian star recalls that his days in Aston Villa were fine because of his style of play until it was not.
Prior to signing Matteo Ruggeri this summer, Aston Villa used to have another Italian star in his early days of Unai Emery at Villa Park. He was signed on loan from Galatasaray but only stayed for a year without really making much impact to the team.
Recently, the current Udinese man shared his memory while playing for The Lions in an interview with Calciomercato.
“The Premier League is the NBA of football, and honestly, it was a dream of mine to play there. I also thought my style was perfect for that style of football. At the beginning, I played a lot in an incredible season, where we finished by qualifying for the Champions League.”
Unfortunately, the former AS Roma man did not seem to be ready to fight for his place with the fierce competition for his position. Zaniolo appeared to be struggling with the issue off the pitch such as the cultural challenge. Homesickness was one of them.
“There was a lot of competition up front, with champions like Diaby, Watkins, Rogers, Bailey… The level was incredibly high, and then let’s just say I needed to adapt on the pitch, in life… even culturally. And then I have to be honest, I really missed Italy.”
Zaniolo was capped 39 times during his time in B6 but only managed to score three goals. He only became a starter in 12 games! He might have been grateful for playing under Unai Emery. Yet, his contribution to The Clarets and Blue was simply not enough to keep him longer.
He only scored against Sheffield United and West Ham, which helped Villa earn a point. Yet, the Italian could not step up in big games. His inconsistency, injuries and lack of physical fitness made him struggle to secure the berth in the starting XI.
Moreover, he was under investigation for an Italian football betting case, despite not being the main target. The 27-year-old attacking midfielder also had to face the clash with Villa fans following his mistake in the Manchester City defeat. Such just added up more pressure on him, which unfortunately he could not handle. .
Nevertheless, he was proud to be part of Aston Villa in his career albiet the uneventful end.
“I think I got some great satisfactions, like winning 2-0 against Arsenal as a starter. It’s an experience that has enriched my personal knowledge, and I’m happy to have helped bring such an important club as Aston Villa to the Champions League.”
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