Tommaso Baldanzi was delighted with his second-half equaliser during Empoli’s 1-1 draw with Juventus on Saturday evening, praising coach Davide Nicola for the support he has given him ‘on a psychological level’, while also insisting his mind has not been affected by transfer links with Roma.
Empoli fought back after Dusan Vlahovic’s 12th Serie A goal of the season on 50 minutes to rescue an important point against the league leaders, largely thanks to Arkadiusz Milik’s sending off 18 minutes in.
“It is an important goal for the whole team, we wanted to send a signal and confirm what we had done against Monza. It has not been an easy time for me, I was eager to help out,” Baldanzi told DAZN after the final whistle on Saturday.
“It is emotional to score here against one of the strongest teams in Italy. I am very happy that we managed to bring home a point.”
Baldanzi picked up an ankle injury at the end of October, ruling him out of a number of Empoli’s matches in November and December. He returned to the starting line-up against Milan on January 7, the only time that has happened in the league since the 0-0 draw against Udinese on October 6.
“You can see the coach is giving so much on a psychological level, we hope to continue like this and achieve our target for the season,” Baldanzi continued.
The 20-year-old also faced questions on the recent reports linking him with a move to Daniele De Rossi’s Roma. The Giallorossi would reportedly like to bring Baldanzi to the Stadio Olimpico on loan with an obligation to buy.
“In all honesty, I was not thinking about that, I was focused on the game. The directors will take care of the rest. My mind is here,” he said.