Clement Grenier is only on loan from Olympique Lyonnais, but “hopes to stay at Roma for a long time” and admits he “grew up admiring Francesco Totti.”
The 26-year-old midfielder arrived in January and there is an option to buy at the end of the season for €3.5m.
“I was given a very warm welcome by everyone, the club and my teammates. This helped me settle in quickly,” Grenier told the Roma Match Program.
Clement Grenier is only on loan from Olympique Lyonnais, but “hopes to stay at Roma for a long time” and admits he “grew up admiring Francesco Totti.”
The 26-year-old midfielder arrived in January and there is an option to buy at the end of the season for €3.5m.
“I was given a very warm welcome by everyone, the club and my teammates. This helped me settle in quickly,” Grenier told the Roma Match Program.
“I work for the team and try to give my best in training every day. I hope to stay at Roma for a long time, because it’s a great team, there’s a lot to appreciate here that goes beyond the sport, which is an important factor for me.
“I have a very good rapport with all my teammates, but particularly with Mario Rui, who sits next to me in the locker room, so we often get to chat.
“Obviously also Radja Nainggolan, who speaks French and helped me a great deal, Thomas Vermaelen and Francesco Totti. I am very happy with the choice I made to come here.
“Totti really surprised me, as to play like that and at his age is extraordinary. Being able to share moments with him on the pitch is fantastic, as I grew up admiring him on television.
“Serie A is not that different to Ligue 1, although in Italy the teams are better set-out tactically and that makes it difficult to win. The tempo of the training sessions, the quality and difficulty is higher in Serie A compared to France.”
Roma beat Juventus 3-1 last week, but what still separates them when it comes to winning the Scudetto?
“There is certainly a gap and I don’t know how to bridge that. They dominated Serie A in recent seasons, but in terms of players and quality, I don’t see that much difference with Roma.
“It’s probably an issue that seems bigger from the outside because Roma haven’t won for many years. I hope that next season Roma can close the gap further and face Juve on even terms.”