Kostas Manolas said Roma fans make you feel “like a God” and insists he’d “make the difference anywhere, even at Barcelona.”
The 27-year-old Greek international has been heavily linked with Chelsea and Arsenal, especially as he has a release clause in his contract worth under €40m.
“I realised that I was important for the club when it came time to renew my contract in November and I had a conversation with (directors Francesco) Totti and Monchi,” Manolas told sport24.gr.
Kostas Manolas said Roma fans make you feel “like a God” and insists he’d “make the difference anywhere, even at Barcelona.”
The 27-year-old Greek international has been heavily linked with Chelsea and Arsenal, especially as he has a release clause in his contract worth under €40m.
“I realised that I was important for the club when it came time to renew my contract in November and I had a conversation with (directors Francesco) Totti and Monchi,” Manolas told sport24.gr.
“I wanted to speak to Totti, because I have a good rapport with him and that is where I understood how important I am for this group.
“I don’t know if Roma could sell me, but they showed from the start that they wanted me to remain. They trusted me. When I signed the contract, Totti came over and kicked me on the backside!”
The interest from other clubs remains and Manolas won’t commit to Roma forever.
“It’s only natural you want to play for the biggest clubs, like Barcelona, Manchester United, PSG and Bayern Munich. I think I could make the difference anywhere I went, even at Barcelona, although I’ve never been close to a move to the Blaugrana.”
Barcelona know Manolas well, as his header knocked them out of the Champions League in an extraordinary 3-0 result, overturning the 4-1 first leg defeat.
“When we went 2-0 up, I was sure we’d qualify. I’ll also reveal to you that after the second goal, I was standing in the middle of the field with Federico Fazio and told him: ‘One of us will score and we’ll go through.’ If you don’t believe me, you can ask him.
“The Roma fans are something I had never seen before. I’ve never seen such love for a team. When the performances aren’t good, the situation can explode, but if things are going well, you can become a God.”