Edon Zhegrova says his determination to remain at Juventus comes from a desire to win major honours with the club, despite being left out of their Europa League squad.
The Kosovo winger spoke after his country’s goalless draw with Israel, making clear that he had no intention of ending his time in Turin during a summer of uncertainty.
“I love this club and I want to achieve something big,” Zhegrova told SportMediaset, with quotes reported by TuttoMercatoWeb. “When they signed me I was really happy, I didn’t want to leave in this way. I wanted to stay and now I want to do great things.”
The 26-year-old said he regarded playing for Juventus as a privilege and praised those around him.
“I’m really happy to be here, it’s a big club and I can only be pleased with my teammates, the club, the coach and the whole team,” he said. “I’ll give the best of myself every time I step onto the pitch.”
Zhegrova has nevertheless been excluded from Juventus’ Europa League list. He said the decision was made by head coach Luciano Spalletti and insisted he would respect it.
“A choice of Spalletti’s. I’ll do my best, I respect every decision. We have a great team, we play to win,” said Zhegrova.
Asked if Juventus were stronger than Inter, he declined to engage in a detailed comparison before adding with a smile: “I don’t want to talk about this, but Juventus is always better.”
His omission comes after an important contribution from the bench against Sassuolo. Zhegrova scored twice as Juventus twice came from behind, before Vasilije Adzic completed the comeback with a stoppage-time goal.
Former Juventus striker Fabrizio Ravanelli believes the winger’s personality and style require a different approach from Spalletti.
“I’ve always been in love with Zhegrova. I’ve found myself discussing his use with Spalletti many times,” Ravanelli said on Tuttosport’s YouTube podcast, via TMW.
“I know the coach well and I know he’s a bit of a hammer with his lads, in a positive sense. But this is a player who at certain moments should be left calmer.
“He has incredible quality and a strength that should make everyone forgive him when, now and then, he makes mistakes or doesn’t apply himself defensively.”
Ravanelli also argued that Zhegrova’s errors are a consequence of his willingness to attempt difficult passes and take responsibility in possession.
“If Zhegrova loses several balls it’s because he constantly risks the play. He wants to be decisive,” he said. “In Serie A I see so many players who receive the ball and play it backwards. I could play at 58 like that.”
