Monza coach Raffaele Palladino admitted ‘more than one’ club sent him an offer over the last year and spoke about the difficulties of facing Juventus.
The 39-year-old coach took over at the Biancorossi in September of last year after being promoted from the Primavera squad and he exceeded expectations in Lombardy, securing a mid-table finish with the club in their debut topflight campaign.
Palladino is seen as a rising star in the world of Italian football and many top clubs are keeping an eye on him for the future, with links to Juventus and Milan in recent weeks. This term, Monza sit 9th in the table after 13 games, picking up four wins and six draws.
Speaking in a press conference via TMW, Palladino first discussed his first year as a coach in Serie A.
“A very intense year has passed since my debut against Juventus. I don’t want to talk about my journey but about our journey, the growth of the club and the players is continuous. I must say that all this is very rewarding for me.”
He touched on his expectations for the clash with Juventus.
“We face a very strong team. I hope that the stadium can give us an important hand. There are big differences between Monza and Juventus, but football is also beautiful for this reason. And we want to remain unbeaten at home.”
The Monza coach commented on the strengths of the Bianconeri.
“I saw Juventus vs Inter and I studied it. Juventus are more solid this year, they are healthy and it will be very difficult to face them. I was lucky enough to play in that club and I know the DNA of the club very well and even from the same coach.
“They are a complete team and play football that is difficult to undermine. I thank Allegri for the kind words he had towards me, I met him and there is a wonderful relationship with him.”
Finally, Palladino was asked about his recent links with Juventus.
“This is a poor question, you know that I’m not talking about the past and the transfer market. Last year there were teams that contacted me, more than one, but I won’t say who. I have a contract until June with Monza and there is still ongoing growth with this club.”