Italy international Alessandro Buongiorno had his official presentation as a new Napoli player on Monday after completing a permanent move from Torino earlier in the month, and this afternoon, the 25-year-old also sat down for his first press conference as a Partenopei player.
Here’s what he had to say …
Buongiorno said that talks with Antonio Conte and Napoli sporting director Giovanni Manna during EURO 2024 were key in convincing him to move to the Stadio Maradona this summer.
While he will always feel a deep connection with Torino, where he has played since childhood, Buongiorno feels that now is the right time to make a step to a new club with new challenges.
He also emphasised that he still has room to improve on a personal level, and insists that he, his teammates and coaches are doing everything to improve on what was a difficult season to say the least for Napoli in 2023-24.
Everything Buongiorno said during Napoli presentation
“A lot of teams wanted me this year. Given my pathway, I will always feel connected to Torino, but it was time to take this step for my development,” Buongiorno said, reported via TMW.
“I have to say, there was no shortage of affection from Napoli when the rumours first came out, then I spoke with Mister Conte and the director Manna. We spoke a lot during the European Championship.
“I felt like the coach was charged up and motivated, we also spoke with the sporting director and the club President, who both made important pitches. I am trying to improve myself and trying to win with Napoli.
When asked how it feels to be leaving Torino after so many years, Buongiorno replied: “Lots of teams approached me. I played and grew up in Torino, I felt like I was betraying myself. You really feel the affection of the people and supporters here, I have been to Napoli before and you can feel the passion the people have for football in your body. I am really happy with this choice.
Buongiorno on Conte, leadership and importance of improving
On the topic of improving, Buongiorno added: “There’s always room for improvement. I am trying to understand all the concepts and movements the coach wants.
“To do that, we watch a lot of video and speak with his assistants. It takes time to get used to new concepts, but with the right amount of desire, you learn a lot in a short space of time. The coach is very clear, there is room for growth, but we are on the right path.
Buongiorno also hopes to improve on his goalscoring contributions under Conte, who has a knack of getting goals out of his centre-backs.
“Having defenders who score goals is very important. I hope to improve on my tally of three goals from last year. Improving on set-pieces is really important, we are working on that as well as on many other aspects.
“I have shown some strengths in the defensive phases, but under (Ivan) Juric, I also worked a lot on the possession phase, I have also improved in this respect in recent years. We also need to work on our defensive phases, because as I said earlier, you can never stop improving.
One journalist suggested that he could take on a similar ball-playing role to that of Manchester City and England defender John Stones.
“I like those types of movements, I was already doing them last year,” Buongiorno said in response. “Whatever the coach asks, I will do everything that is necessary.”
Conte was in the stands to watch Napoli play against Buongiorno’s former side Torino last season.
“At that moment, I was just thinking about my defending, and then the goal came about. I always try to give as much effort as possible. If someone told me at that point I would be going to Napoli, I would have tried to do the same thing.
When asked if he is ready to become a leader, Buongiorno said:“I feel ready, but everyone has to feel like a leader and be ready to make sacrifices for the team. I will try to convey this as much as I can.
“The best thing that can happen is knowing your teammates are there to help you in the difficult moments. This leads to a united group, and that leads to better results.
Replacing Kim Min-jae and Toughest strikers in Serie A
Is he ready to replace Kim Min-jae in Napoli’s back line?
“I don’t like to make comparisons, I hope to be an important player for Napoli like he was. I will try to help the team, I hope to do really well and I will give my absolute best.
To wrap up his first press conference, Buongiorno explained who are the toughest strikers he’s had to face in his career to date.
“Victor was definitely tough, we all know about his speed and he was really difficult to mark. Man-marking Lukaku was also really difficult because he is so big.
“There are many strong strikers, and it’s always difficult. You have to study them a lot, watch their movement and the way their teammates like to get them the ball.”