Nicolo Zaniolo believes Aston Villa are among the favourites to win the Europa Conference League this season, and has expressed his happiness after joining the club this past summer.
The 24-year-old arrived on a season-long loan deal from Galatasaray, and so it remains to be seen if he impresses and the switch becomes permanent at the end of the campaign.
READ MORE: How Villa could line up vs Legia Warsaw: Emery faces several key decisions
Having featured three times in the Premier League so far this season, totalling 99 minutes of playing time, the Italian international has made a positive impression thus far in his role off the bench, and he’ll undoubtedly be pushing to play a more prominent part in the coming weeks.
Given his experience in the Europa Conference League having won the competition with Roma in the 2021/22 campaign, Unai Emery will perhaps feel as though Zaniolo has a pivotal role in the side in our European run, and so it remains to be seen if he gets the nod to start against Legia Warsaw on Thursday.
Zaniolo is confident in Villa’s chances of going all the way, and he has expressed his happiness over being at the club, which in turn has already helped him return to the fold with the national team over the previous international break.
“This season, Aston Villa are one of the main candidates to win the competition,” Zaniolo told the Daily Mail. “It won’t be easy as there are a number of very good, organised teams and it’s always hard to play away from home, but we are a very good side and we want to lift this important trophy. If we do what we’re capable of this season, we can make our fans very happy.
“Now I’m at Villa, I’m happy here, I’ve got back into the national team and I’ve rediscovered the joy of playing international football. To go back into the past for me isn’t positive because it’s finished.”
Having looked positive and direct on the ball in every outing thus far, Zaniolo has certainly made an impression on the Villa supporters, and there is a desire to see more of him so he can fully integrate and settle in the side as that in turn should bring the best out of him.
It’s clear with his physicality, technical ability and work-rate on and off the ball that he should be a good fit in Emery’s system and style of play, and particularly with Emiliano Buendia sidelined for most of the campaign due to injury, he will be a crucial option over the course of the year to help us compete on multiple fronts.
Further, it’s good to hear that he’s happy in the early stages of his time with us, and hopefully there were will be plenty of memorable moments ahead for him and the squad as we look to end our wait for silverware this season.