Arkadiusz Milik opened up about his first year at Juventus, the club’s next steps after their off-pitch issues and his desire to see Dusan Vlahovic stay in Turin.
The Polish striker joined the Bianconeri from Olympique Marseille last summer on a loan deal with a buy option attached. He showed some positive signs in the Piedmont capital, scoring seven goals in 27 Serie A appearances.
Juventus decided to permanently sign Milik from Marseille at the start of this month, paying around €6m plus €1m in add-ons for the 29-year-old.
Speaking on page two of today’s Gazzetta dello Sport, Milik first discussed how it felt to make a definitive move to Juventus.
“Last season went by very quickly, with all the off-pitch difficulties. But the club decided to buy me and I’m very happy, it was my dream as a child to play in a top club like Juventus. Now I want to take advantage of this moment and have as much fun as possible.”
He touched on why he decided to stay at the club despite the difficulties of last season.
“I had already chosen Juve a summer ago and I found myself very happy here. Here you feel the history, the tradition, the shirt has a different weight from the others.
“We had a difficult year, but these things happen in football, we just have to think about improving.
“We have all the potential to score more points than last year and to win at this club that have always had the goal of lifting trophies.
“This is also my ambition and I want to realize it here. I didn’t want to go anywhere else.”
The 29-year-old commented on Massimiliano Allegri’s desire to keep him in Turin.
“I knew the coach wanted me, I’ve always felt his trust, it was very important.”
Milik was asked if Juventus could realistically dream of the Scudetto next season.
“I think it’s too early to talk about the Scudetto, it will be essential to get off to a good start. There have already been important changes in the squad, some players have left and there are young players we know we can count on because they’re strong.
“Let’s see how things go, Allegri said that first of all we have to go back to the Champions League, then we’ll see if we’re strong enough to be able to win the Scudetto.”
He reflected on his first year with Juventus and how well he did.
“I don’t like giving myself ratings, others have to evaluate me. But it is true that I started very well and then I had some difficulties after the injury. I was out for a month and a half, and it took another two or three weeks to get back into the rhythm.
“I missed an important part of the season, also because I stopped in January when I was starting to feel good physically and tactically. Injuries never help, but in my opinion as a team we weren’t doing well.
“We know that forwards have to score, because for them you always look at the stats and if you don’t score, there’s immediately talk of a crisis, but it’s as a team that we need to improve, especially in the offensive phase.
“We have qualities individually to create more chances and also to exploit them.”
The Polish striker spoke about his various injury troubles.
“I’m a professional and I take care of my body in every way. Injuries punish you a bit, they take away your rhythm and often your confidence, especially if you stay out for a long time.
“But in the end, despite all the problems I’ve had, I arrived at one of the most important clubs in the world, so I can say that the things went as I wanted, and the injuries didn’t take away so much from me.”
He touched on how it feels to be considered a second-choice striker in Serie A.
“It’s a label that I don’t feel, I don’t think so and I know that they don’t see it like that, not even the coach. I’ve never heard anyone tell me, the coach, my teammates, or the agent that I’m a second choice.
“I don’t look at social media and I don’t read, I go on the pitch and play my cards. However, if I’m the starter, it means that I’m better than the one that’s the first choice for public opinion… the court is the supreme judge.”
Milik was asked if he would be surprised to see Lukaku join Juventus.
“I don’t like talking about the market.”
He was also asked how it felt regarding the club’s plans for their frontline, whether it was retaining Vlahovic or picking up a more physically imposing number nine.
“We don’t know what will happen, everything is possible, I heard Giuntoli’s words, if an irrefutable offer arrives, everyone can leave, so let’s see.
“I hope that in the end Dusan can stay, otherwise nothing changes for me. If we want to be competitive, we need more strong players in every position, competition is needed if we aim to win.”
The Pole spoke about the arrival of Cristiano Giuntoli at Juventus.
“Giuntoli has done very good things at Napoli. We have always had a good relationship, he did his job well and so he arrived at Juve.
“I found him enthusiastic and positive, but he is so by nature. He is someone who tells the player the truth and not what you want to hear, this is very important.”
Finally, Milik was asked how his Juventus teammates deal with various transfer rumours.
“Every year there are these situations because everyone wants to play for Juve. Anything can happen in the open market and there are no unsellable players.”