Nicolò Rovella ended up as one of Lazio’s star signings at the start of the season, having joined from Juventus on a two-year loan deal. He spent the previous campaign at Monza, helping the Serie A newcomers stay afloat in the Italian top flight, and attracted the eyes of Maurizio Sarri.
The midfielder does not regret his intention to leave Juventus, as he shed light on the conversation with his fellow teammate that flipped the switch in an exclusive interview with La Lazio Siamo Noi (via Tuttosport).
“The first time I found out about it was thanks to Luca Pellegrini. He was with me in Turin, we were having lunch and he told me ‘Look, they said your name, would you come?’ but I didn’t know anything yet. I told him ‘I’ll come tomorrow, if you go,’ and he said, ‘Then I’ll talk to you.’ In the end this negotiation was born.”
Rovella revealed how Sarri enticed him to join the Biancocelesti.
“My agent phoned me first, and then their coach did, but I had already decided by then. The first ever call from Lazio was with the boss, then I spoke with the president and their director. Sarri asked ‘But when are you coming?’, even though I didn’t yet fully know I was going.”
“Sarri is someone who has his own ideas, and rightly so since the relationship between a player and a coach has to stay that. But he’s someone who talks, with whom you can have a relationship, he calls you and tells you things.”
“It was difficult at the beginning because he asks so many things of you. I have several things to improve on. Little by little, every training session, even with some BS, I’m learning. I feel like I’m doing better. The coach asks a lot in the defensive phase, something that before perhaps I did less of, and this takes away a bit from the possession part and the energy you have when the team has the ball.”
The Genoa youth product has appeared in all but five of Lazio’s games this season across all competitions.
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