AS Roma have had a busy summer transfer window so far and the signing of Matias Soule from Juventus is seen as a real positive for the club.
It took some effort for them to seal the move, as it did seem initially that Leicester City were leading the race for the Argentine. But the Foxes were beaten in the chase, securing the will of the player.
With Soule now settling in at Roma, he recently spoke to Corriere dello Sport in an insightful interview. He was asked about his decision to join the Roman giants and about interest from Leicester.
He revealed that initially, it was his dream to play in the Premier League but he later felt the affections of Roma and manager Daniele de Rossi, which swayed him into the move to the Giallorossi.
“Initially it was mine [Premier League dream] too. Leicester wanted me so much, both the coach and the sporting director called me to convince me of their project.
“But then I felt the affection of De Rossi, of Roma, of the teammates who contacted me and I decided from that moment to say no to all the other clubs and to think only of Roma for all these reasons plus one.”
He also revealed that the charm of the Roma fans proved too good to turn down, having previously been left stunned by the passionate fanbase during a game that he witnessed from the stands.
“They are a spectacle, and I’m not just saying that. Last season Paulo [Dybala] and Leo [Paredes] invited me to the Olimpico to watch the Europa League match against Feyenoord. I went in, I heard 70 thousand people singing from the anthem until the end of the match.
“Once I came out I told my brother that I had never seen such passionate fans. An incredible emotion, thrilling. Honestly, I had already thought of Roma, when I still didn’t even know if I would continue at Juventus.”
The youngster went on to state that he hadn’t thought of leaving Juve until they wanted to sell him to a Saudi Arabian club, which was rejected by the player.
And over time, Soule made peace with the fact that his future doesn’t lie in Turin.
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