Maxime Gonalons “never hesitated” to accept Roma after quitting Olympique Lyonnais and feels they have “the strongest midfield in Italy.”
The midfielder spent his entire career at Lyon, but completed a €5m transfer this week.
“I am very happy to be here, Roma is a great club,” said the Frenchman in his Press conference.
Maxime Gonalons “never hesitated” to accept Roma after quitting Olympique Lyonnais and feels they have “the strongest midfield in Italy.”
The midfielder spent his entire career at Lyon, but completed a €5m transfer this week.
“I am very happy to be here, Roma is a great club,” said the Frenchman in his Press conference.
“Things developed very quickly and I did not hesitate when choosing this wonderful club. I will try to do my best. I have already spoken to the Coach (Eusebio Di Francesco). I know that this is a very important position for him and he immediately put a lot of faith in me. When a tactician does that, you need to repay him by training to the full.
“Serie A is very difficult, but I will try to express my qualities on the field. I’ll have a fantastic player like Daniele De Rossi by my side. I’ve admired him for a long time, he always set the example. I’d have liked to follow his career path and remain at just one club for my whole life, but now I am happy to be at Roma. I can’t wait to learn from De Rossi.
“We are aware that Juventus are tough for the Scudetto, but Roma are a very strong side and I came here to win trophies.”
Gonalons did confess there were problems with President Jean-Michel Aulas that above all pushed him away from Olympique Lyonnais.
“It’s true, some things happened, especially some misunderstandings. I had 17 years at Lyon, I have an excellent rapport with everyone, including the President. My affection for Lyon remains, but I decided to grow and win titles here.
“I believe Roma have the best midfield in Serie A. We can do great things together. I know from facing Roma with Lyon in the Europa League that they are very tough. I feel great confidence.”
Gonalons had been on the verge of a Napoli transfer in January, but the deal fell through, reportedly due to his fears over the city’s reputation, fuelled by TV series about organised crime like Gomorrah.
“I did rectify what my agent said at the time. I was simply not yet ready to leave Lyon, as there was unfinished business. There were some rumours of my complaints about the city, but it’s not true.
“Now this is a very important year for me and I hope to get into the France squad for the World Cup.”