Fresh from penning a new contract with the club, Pierpaolo Marino sat down for a chat with Udinese TV to discuss a number of topics.
The Udinese technical director began by expressing his delight at extending his stay at the club.
“I've been here for 20 years. Udine is my home. I'm grateful to the Pozzo family for this long service I've been able to give Udinese – next year will be my 11th year in Serie A with the club. I'm happy to be staying here as the fans have always shown me their support and that means so much to me.”
Marino then commented on the latest transfer rumours, with Gerard Deulofeu reportedly close to joining Napoli and other players said to be leaving.
“There's a lot of scaremongering going on but there really is no reason for it. As things stand, we could well start pre-season with a full squad. Four players whose contracts were expiring have left but we've brought in four more in the shape of [Festy] Ebosele, [Sandi] Lovric, [James] Abankwah and [Leonardo] Buta.
“There are lots of rumours about our players but at the moment that's all they are. Deulofeu and [Nahuel] Molina are great players and if the right offer were to come in, we'd sit down and discuss it. As for [Destiny] Udogie, traditionally, Udinese rarely sell good players after just one year.
“Pablo Mari was a wonderful opportunity for Udinese and a successful move that enabled us to complete our squad in January but it wouldn't be an easy deal for us to make permanent.
“[Nehuen] Pèrez is our player for now because a few days ago we exercised our option to extend the loan for a second year and Atletico Madrid have a few days to call him back if they want but they haven't yet so at present he is an Udinese player.”
Four Udinese players – Lazar Samardzic, Destiny Udogie, Brandon Soppy and Simone Pafundi – are on the 100-name shortlist for the 2022 Golden Boy award, making Udinese the Italian club with most players in the running.
“We shouldn't get too carried away but it's good to see that the inversion of club policy in recent years – focusing once again on developing youth rather than buying ready-made players – is paying off. In any case, they're certainly not wrong as far as our four players are concerned. I would have voted for them myself.
The technical director also offered a comment on new coach Andrea Sottil, who has returned to Udine 20 years on from his four-season spell at the club as a player.
“Sottil joins Udinese after a long period learning the ropes and working really hard to get where he is. He's coached at every level and done well and if he's here it's because he deserves it.
“It was a decision taken with the Pozzo family as we know him and we know the leadership skills and competitive streak he showed as a player. We're confident he can put those skills to good use together with his coaching ability.”