APPIANO GENTILE – Antonio Candreva stressed how much he is looking forward to representing such a distinguished club as Inter at his official unveiling this afternoon.
"Inter and the new owners really wanted me here: the negotiations were long but I'm proud to be at such a big club," declared the Italy player at the Centro Sportivo Angelo Moratti.
Before Candreva fielded questions from the assembled journalists, sporting director Pietro Ausilio gave a short introduction to the new Nerazzurri signing: "We've had our eyes on Candreva for a long time and have always liked him as a player. He is well suited to our project and Frank de Boer has already been able to appreciate his ability."
The mic then passed to the player himself, who began with a note of gratitude: "I'd like to thank Mr Ausilio for his kind words, as well as Lazio and my fans there for the last five seasons.
"I'm here to win because that is what this club is used to doing. I've arrived at the right age to aim for success."
Candreva also mentioned the goal on his debut in the friendly against Celtic: "I'm pleased with this start but I want to score the goals that count in the league and cup competitions.
"After so many years on the wing, I'm used to playing there but my team-mates made it really easy for me once I came on. We're building a good sense of togetherness, which is very important.
"I'm 29 years old, have experience on the national and international stage and I know my position inside out. I want to perform well for my team-mates.
"Our captain Mauro Icardi has scored 50 goals in 100 appearances. If I can lay on assists for him, he'll be happy and we'll celebrate together."
Inter's No.87 then cast an eye forward to the start of the league season on Sunday: "Inter were chasing after me and I'm proud to have chosen this great club. I've recovered from the injury I picked up on international duty and I'm ready if the coach wants to pick me on Sunday evening against Chievo Verona."
Finally, Candreva was asked about his first impressions on his new team after just a few weeks in Appiano Gentile: "I've only just met the coach: he wants us to dominate matches. As for the formation, my role doesn't change and I don't have any problems adapting to different set-ups.
"In the last few years Juventus have been the team to beat. We want to improve on last season and have a good campaign. We're also competing in the Europa League and we want to reach the latter stages of this tournament.
"We've got a lot of quality players here, especially in attack. Working hard for your team-mates is the main thing: together we can achieve big things. There's healthy competition in the squad, we all want to move in the same direction."
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