Nicolo Zaniolo told The Pitch Prospect that he has no hard feelings about his departure from Aston Villa as he revealed he is still watching the team from Italy.
The 26-year-old Italy international only spent one season under Unai Emery but admitted the Spaniard was one of the best he has ever had.
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Zaniolo’s arrival at Villa Park in August 2023 was seen as a major coup for the club as he arrived on loan from Galatasaray.
However, with 19 caps in 25 Premier League games, the Italian only started nine times and scored just two goals in the top flight with no assists.
Despite this, Zaniolo still has fond memories of his short time at Villa during an exclusive interview with The Pitch Prospect this month.
Nicolo Zaniolo is on loan at Aston Villa
“It was a very good experience in England because in my opinion the Premier League is the NBA in football, the best league in the world,” said the playmaker.
“I think it is the most difficult league in the world because every club, every player is so strong and so good.”
“I learned so much during that time and I played for Aston Villa, they were a very good team.” [then] And [still] Now it’s a very good team.
“The coach was Unai Emery, he is one of the best coaches I have had in my life and yes, I was happy with this beautiful experience.”
“Complete Emery” sets Villa record
Emery, who already has the best win rate of any coach in Aston Villa’s history at 55.2 percent, reached 100 club wins this week.
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The 54-year-old’s 181-game tally eclipses Ron Saunders as the fastest Villa boss to the milestone in 1977-78.
During the 2023/24 season, Zaniolo struggled to gain Emery’s trust and never completed 90 minutes in the Premier League.
However, the 2021/22 Conference League winner still held the Villa manager in high regard and revealed that he still keeps an eye on his old loan team.
Of Emery, Zaniolo said: “He is an absolutely complete coach.”
“He is a tactical genius, he is a very good guy, he is a very good man, he is a very experienced coach, he has won so many Europa League titles.” [titles] and now I continue to follow Aston Villa.
“I continue to see improvement in the team, now I think they are in third place in the league and I am very happy about that.” [have played for] Aston Villa.
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Zaniolo wanted a permanent Villa transfer
There was a “conditional compulsory purchase option” in his loan agreement to make the move permanent if certain criteria were met.
Zaniolo admitted to The Pitch Prospect that he started the campaign hoping to stay at Villa long-term before his situation changed.
Competition for places reduced his playing time, which was not helped by the arrival of Morgan Rogers from Middlesbrough in the winter.
Zaniolo made just two Premier League starts in the second half of the season before suffering an injury in his final Villa appearance.
The 2018/19 Serie A Young Player of the Year broke his metatarsal bone in the 3-3 draw against Liverpool, which meant he also missed the 2024 European Championship.
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“Aston Villa is great, it’s a fantastic club, they’re great fans, the crowd is great, Villa Park is a temple and when I played there I enjoyed every moment because I understand and know the important club for England, so I think it’s one of the historic teams.”
“I think I got off to a good start at the beginning, I played every game for the first three or four months, from 11 onwards.”
“I don’t play as much after that, but because during that time the team finished fourth at the end of the season and Aston Villa won the Champions League.”
“At that time it was Leon Bailey, it was Moussa Diaby [Ollie] Watkins, in January it was Rogers, and the competition is full of great players.
“One of my goals at the time was to become a permanent Aston Villa player, but they decided they didn’t consider me a permanent player.”
“I have accepted the decision but I continue to see Aston Villa. I continue to have great respect for the club and the players.”
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Zaniolo on life at Udinese
Zaniolo, who is still under contract with Galatasaray, has been on loan from the Süper Lig club to various teams in Italy over the past three seasons.
The former Atalanta star is now thriving at Udinese alongside former Villa striker Keinan Davis, scoring five goals and three assists in Serie A.
Zaniolo added to The Pitch Prospect: “I think Serie A is the perfect league to play in because of my characteristics and my style of football.”
“I love Italy, I love Serie A and my first dream when I play outside Italy is to return home and this summer I have the opportunity to come to Udinese and I was very happy.”
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Zaniolo, who was presented with Udinese’s iconic number 10 shirt, revealed: “The number 10 on any shirt is important, but at Udinese it is special because a lot of players, big players, like it.” [Antonio] Di Natale, like Zico, like that [Rodrigo] De Paul has had it in the past.
“And yes, in my last interview I said that I wanted to do half of what they did for this club. It’s a privilege, it’s an honor.”
“I want to wear the jersey with maximum commitment and respect for the jersey, for the fans and also for the club.”