New Fiorentina signing Davide Astori assures he doesn’t see the club as a ‘stepping stone’, but as a point of arrival.
The centre-back has joined the Viola from Cagliari, after spending last season on loan at Roma and seeing a proposed move to Napoli fall through.
“Florence isn’t a stepping stone for me, but a point of arrival,” Astori said at his presentation Press conference.
“I want to establish myself in Italy and Europe. There’s pressure everywhere, the fans are very demanding.
New Fiorentina signing Davide Astori assures he doesn’t see the club as a ‘stepping stone’, but as a point of arrival.
The centre-back has joined the Viola from Cagliari, after spending last season on loan at Roma and seeing a proposed move to Napoli fall through.
“Florence isn’t a stepping stone for me, but a point of arrival,” Astori said at his presentation Press conference.
“I want to establish myself in Italy and Europe. There’s pressure everywhere, the fans are very demanding.
“I chose Fiorentina because they have ambitious goals, and I think there’s an opportunity to do well. Everything is in place to do well.
“The players from last year have remained, and there’s a new coaching setup, I think we can take the step forward that we’re hoping for.
“I’ve always liked Fiorentina, both for the passion of their fans and the quality of their play. There’s been a project ongoing in recent years and it’s continuing to grow.
“New Coach Paulo Sousa? I was surprised by the Barcelona match. He has a great energy and can fire the players up, he’ll give us a little bit of Italy and Europe.”
The 28-year-old also reflected on last season with Roma, in which the Giallorossi ended up 17 points behind Juventus despite a strong start.
“We got good results earlier in the year. In the second half of the season we had some problems, and that ruined the good work we did in the first few months.”
Astori has won 10 caps for Italy, and hopes he can recapture his place this season with Fiorentina.
“I have a great relationship with [Azzurri CT Antonio] Conte. Florence is close to Coverciano, so the Coach will definitely have a way to see me…”