JUST IN: “Extremely pleased to have accomplished it” – Player is glad about his move to Aston Villa, even though his time there was short

Nicolo Zaniolo’s loan spell at Aston Villa in the 2023/24 season was mixed. The Italian player was loaned from Galatasaray. After his stint in Birmingham, he went on loan to Atalanta and then moved to Fiorentina in January. Yesterday, La Viola faced Panathinaikos in the first leg of the Conference League Round of 16, and before the match, Zaniolo spoke to DAZN Italy. The Greek team won 3-2.

The winger reflected positively on his stint at Aston Villa, expressing his desire to leave a significant impression in Florence now.

He stated, as reported by Corriere dello Sport: “In the past few years, I have played for various teams: I went to Turkey to play for Galatasaray and to the Premier League for Aston Villa. It was an experience that shaped me, as I left home, and I’m really glad I did it.

The 25-year-old elaborated on his objectives at Fiorentina, saying: “While we had some fantastic matches in the Champions League [at Atalanta] and were performing well in the league, a player’s desire is to be involved fully in a project. That led me to opt for a change. “At Atalanta, the team was consistently winning and there was not much opportunity for me. I made the decision to come to Florence in order to reestablish my place in the game.”

Zaniolo’s time in England was undoubtedly beneficial for him as he made a fresh start in his career, given that he played 27 matches for Aston Villa across all competitions.

Ultimately, his time at Roma ended badly, and a multitude of injuries had interrupted his development prior to the transfer to Turkey.

At this point, he is in better shape and more available; his aim should be to make an impression at Fiorentina and possibly rejoin the Italian national team.