The brother of breakout Juventus star Nicolo Fagioli has revealed that he midfielder actually rejected a potential move to AC Milan in favour of the project the Bianconeri have.
The 21-year-old has risen to prominence recently as Max Allegri has decided to entrust him to help Juve overcome their difficulties from earlier in the season, with goals in consecutive games against Lecce and Inter highlighting Fagioli’s talent.
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Indeed, his goal against the Nerazzurri in Juve’s 2-0 win in the Derby d’Italia was certainly a breakout moment of sorts too as it sealed a very important victory in one of the most significant fixtures in Italian football.
Speaking to Tuttosport, Alessandro Fagioli spoke about his brother’s rise to being a key man at Juve and also gave some background on how things could have been very different, with the amount of other clubs keen.
“He was used very little, despite the fact that the opportunities to include him were there, at least in appearance. Nicolo’s merit was that he did not stop believing, he was very good at waiting for his moment,” he said (via FI).
“Before that match his phone calls were sad, he wasn’t playing and couldn’t give himself an explanation, he was discouraged. The match against Lecce showed how much talent Nicolò is capable of putting at the service of the team. The goal made us burst with joy, my mother, father and I followed the game in different places.
“But when he scored it was a liberating moment. We knew from Nicolò on the eve of the match that he would play from the start, then suddenly we saw Soulé as a starter. So when he came on and scored, the happiness was indescribable.”
He was asked about the summer transfer window and if Fagioli was really close to leaving Juventus.
“We never got in the way of the work of Andrea D’Amico, his agent. We knew all along that Nicolò’s intention was to stay at Juve, but he risked finding little space.
“Staying was a choice shared with the club. In the last days of the market, Cremonese and Sampdoria had come forward, but in the end Nicolò stayed. And all parties agreed on this move, the club, the coach and himself.”
Interestingly, Fagioli discussed Juventus’ acquisition of his brother seven years ago, revealing that Milan were among the teams that wanted to sign him.
“Nicolò is a mama’s boy, he never liked distance. When he was in Cremonese’s youth system he said no to Manchester United, he didn’t feel ready to leave Italy,” he said.
“And for Juve he preferred to turn down interest from Inter, with whom he had a trial, Milan and Atalanta. Nicolò’s Bianconeri faith prevailed over everything.”
