Gatti: ‘I chose Juventus in 20 minutes’

New Juventus signing Federico Gatti admits he had spoken to Torino coach Ivan Juric, but the Bianconeri turned up so he chose them ‘in 20 minutes.’

Gatti, 23, signed with the Old Lady in the January transfer window for a reported €9-10m fee. He will remain on loan at Frosinone until the end of the season, moving to Turin in the summer.

The Italian defender was close to Torino before Juventus stepped in with their offer in the last few days of the January transfer window.

“I had spoken to Juric over the phone and he gave me an incredible boost and adrenaline. He is a great motivator,” Gatti told La Stampa newspaper.

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“After that, my agent informed me about the offer of Juventus. My grandpa is a Torino fan, but he was almost in tears when I returned home. He was happy for me.

“I didn’t have a lot of time to decide, I still remember those moments. I spoke to my most experienced teammates, and I chose Juventus in 20 minutes.

“I will give my all for Frosinone until the end of the season, I owe them so much.

It remains to be seen if Gatti will stay at Juventus in 2022-23 or if the Old Lady will sell or include him in other deals. “It’s up to the coach and the club,” said Gatti. “But I am looking forward to proving that I can be up to the task at Juventus.”

Gatti became a central defender at Pavarolo, a non-professional team playing in Eccellenza. At that time, he was also working as a bricklayer to make a living. He joined Verbania in Serie D in 2018 and then Pro Patria (Serie C) two years later. Basically, Gatti has gone through every division in Italy before signing for Juventus.

The 23-year-old has scored four goals in 21 appearances this term, the last one only a few days later his medical with Juventus.