Gianluca Nani, the Technical Director of Udinese, has granted an interview to the microphones of TvPlay. Below are his statements.
Regarding Sanchez, Nani stated, “The team that has played so far is last year’s team. Of course, the new ones are starting to come in. Udinese has always worked on two aspects: talent and physicality. Then, you need the conviction that drives you to achieve your goals. Thauvin is an extraordinary player. Sanchez is, too. He has brought the right mentality and wants to win every game. When will he be back? Soon, I don’t think he’ll be missing for much longer. We don’t want to rush him; he’s working hard and is living with us daily. He will be a great help on the field, and he is already helping us with his personality,” said Nani to TvPlay.
On the topic of Samardzic, Nani explained, “Atalanta showed they wanted Samardzic more than the others, and in the end, they got him. The others? They were there. With Lazio, there was an unfinished negotiation; with Milan, there was only a request for information. Atalanta demonstrated they really wanted him, and they got him quickly.”
Talking about Lucca, Nani commented, “I have worked with players similar to Lorenzo Lucca, like Caracciolo and Toni. Lorenzo is really strong, has speed, a good shot, and protects the ball well. I think he can do a lot, especially at the National level, where we have deficiencies. If he continues to work as he is doing, I can only wish him to reach the top because he deserves it. Lucca was not close to joining Fiorentina or any other team. It was clear from the start: Lucca is not for sale and stays with us. We did not open any negotiations. We made this assessment for other players as well, such as Bijol. We believe Lucca can still give a lot. I know he created interest from other teams, but we did not start negotiations. Is Lucca on the market for 40 million? No, we don’t want to sell him. We prefer to say it this way. He needs to complete a level of growth because the coach relies on him, so we are not discussing his transfer.”
Addressing Pafundi’s situation, Nani stated, “Pafundi is still very young, nothing has happened. He is playing consistently. The club asked us insistently to make him play. They have a very, very high redemption right, with percentages of future sale. We are betting a lot on him. If he is not to be redeemed by December, he will return to us. He is on a developmental path. Putting certain pressure on young players can cause difficulties, but it is part of the process.”
On the subject of Bijol, Nani clarified, “Ausilio and Marotta on Bijol? There was no disturbance. There are also negotiations that do not go through. Thank them for the interest? Not at all, Bijol is a player who has shown himself even in the Euros, is strong, and attracts the attention of foreign clubs. But even for him, we did not consider a transfer. Bijol is an excellent player, and it is normal for top clubs to show interest in him. He is super focused on the project, has a great character, and is a fantastic person. It was easy to overlook and move forward.”
Clarifying the team’s objectives, Nani remarked, “Let me clarify straight away about the lead in the standings. This is not our league, but that doesn’t mean we didn’t deserve it. Our league is survival. Last season we secured safety on the last day; now we aim to do it earlier. We are happy for the coach, fans, and players. We are aware that this is not our championship. We need to store points for when tougher times arrive.”
Talking about Runjaic, Nani expressed, “It was very costly for us to change direction from Cannavaro, who did very well with us. But there was the idea of changing the framework. This is a very proactive, much more aggressive coach. We are talking about a very different philosophy, perhaps too daring. It is the principle of coach Kosta Runjaić, and we followed it: he brought this high aggression. We set up the team in this way.”