Belotti: I was looking for the right challenge for me

Having made his debut for the club during the 3-0 win over Monza at the Stadio Olimpico, Belotti had plenty to discuss - from how the move came about to his emotions at making his debut in Giallorossi.

Before taking questions from journalists, the Italy international was introduced by the club's General Manager, Tiago Pinto.

"It's very important for me that we bring players to this club who have a real feeling for the club, who want to be part of this project and play for this team," Pinto said.

"Andrea is one of those players. I am sure he will be very happy at Roma."

Le parole di Tiago Pinto.

“Oggi siamo qui per la presentazione di Andrea, anche se lui ha già fatto la sua presentazione contro il Monza allo stadio Olimpico. Voglio dire due o tre cose importanti. Intanto, portare un giocatore italiano, della Nazionale, ci ha permesso di migliorare la nostra rosa”.

“È molto importante per me sottolineare l’atteggiamento di Andrea e di chi lavora con lui, la sua voglia di venire a Roma è stata pubblica. Non devo parlare di lui come giocatore, più di 100 gol in Serie A parlano da soli".

"Per me è molto importante portare in questo club giocatori che sentono la maglia, che vogliono far parte di questo progetto e giocare per questa squadra”.

“Andrea è uno di questi. Sono sicuro che sarà molto felice a Roma. Adesso sarà il mio compito renderlo felice qui, ma sono sicuro che lui in campo sarà molto felice. Grazie a tutti, ora lui risponderà alle vostre domande”.

After six seasons straight scoring at least 10 goals in Serie A, last season you only managed eight. What do you think was the reason for that?

“I can only say that last season I had a much more disrupted season than in the past. I had injuries, most of which were contact ones rather than muscular problems.

“So most of them were just unlucky; I was out for longer than I had been in previous seasons. It’s never easy to get your sharpness back when you keep suffering setbacks. So it was all a cycle, and I ended up playing less than usual as well.”

What does this opportunity represent for you? And how was this summer?

“It was a bit of a stranger summer. In terms of the transfer window it was definitely a different one for many. It seemed to start later than usually. There were a lot of players out there who were free agents for a long time.

“But my priority was to come to Roma. Here there is an interesting project, with a squad and players who all have high targets. That’s what I needed.

“I wasn’t looking for a contract that looked after me; I was looking for a challenge and a situation that would be the right one for me. Roma was the best opportunity. I didn’t have to think about it, it was always the priority.

“I know that there is a great striker like Tammy Abraham already here, but that is just another motivation for me to keep improving. When you join a big side, all the players are great. It’s just another reason to keep pushing and striving bring out your best.”

In terms of your fitness, how are you doing right now?

“As I said, it was a bit of an unusual summer. When I realised that things were going to be drawn out a little bit, I took on a fitness coach to train with, knowing that pre-season was about to start for most teams. I knew that if I arrived late then I wanted to be sure I was as ready as possible.

“I got here, I trained with the squad twice and then I played 10 minutes in the game on Tuesday. So in terms of my fitness I think I’m good, I’m available to play. Obviously I will need a bit more time to pick up on the way the team likes to play and exactly what the coach wants from me. But I am ready to work on all of that.”

In what already looks like being quite an unusual and even season, can Roma aim at something even higher than a top-four spot?

“It’s definitely going to be an unusual season, with the stop in November for the World Cup. I think that will be the opportunity for those players who are not going to the World Cup to make sure they are ready to go from January until June. It’s a big squad and every player will be needed. Roma’s target is to win each game it plays in – that has to be the focus.

“We are Roma and from the day I got here I understood the desire there is to win, even just in training. That’s something that I think needs to be the case. Roma can win any game it plays in and so each game we need to focus on getting the win.

“Then, after that, we will see where that gets us. But we should not put limits on ourselves – we should just focus on getting three points each game.”

When did you first hear that there might be an opportunity to join Roma? And did you watch the celebrations when the side won the Europa Conference League?

“It was in July that there were the first contacts between the parties, but more than anything it was just a declaration of interest. At the time the attacking ranks at Roma were full and there was no way to do a deal. In the last week or so we got a call from the General Manager, who asked for more details on my situation. He asked if we could wait 72 hours to take any decision about my future and I immediately told him that was possible.

“As I’ve said, my priority was always to come to Roma even if there was no concrete offer at the beginning. But 72 hours later the General Manager called me and underlined the club’s interest and in two or three days we were able to get everything done. It all happened quite quickly.

“I did see the celebrations, it was something beautiful to watch – you got an idea of the love between Roma and its fans. It was something special.”

How do you view the competition with Tammy Abraham? And what is it like to be teammates with Paulo Dybala again?

“The competition with Abraham I see more as an opportunity to improve and grow as a player. I know he’s a great striker and that will motivate me to give even more. Every day, in every training session. I think it’s a positive thing for me. It will give me a huge push to keep getting better.”

“As for Paulo we’ve caught up, it was great to see him again. We talked a bit about the path we’ve both taken. We both left Palermo in 2015, we both went to Turin – on opposite sides – and now we are back together here.

“We talked about how we’ve both grown up. In Palermo we were kids, now we have established ourselves in so many ways. So that is the main thing we talked about.”

What was it like walking out to that reception at the Stadio Olimpico?

“It was something magical. It was amazing to see it all. Once my teammates entered for the warm-up, I was waiting there – and I could already sense the fans were waiting for. I could feel that affection on my skin.

“I did not expect so many fans, even if I knew it was sold-out – it’s one thing to be told about it but another to really see it.

“Seeing all those fans encourage me was amazing. Then there was the atmosphere as well, the anthem, the game, my debut. It was like a dream – if I had scored it would have been truly perfect, but nonetheless it will remain an unforgettable evening for me.”