Italy international Nicolo Zaniolo insists he always wanted to stay at Udinese and is delighted to welcome back David Alaba: “It shows the strength and ambition of the club.”
Former Real Madrid and Bayern Munich star Alaba joined Udinese on a free transfer during the international break and is expected to make his debut against Torino tonight.
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Italy international Zaniolo Alaba spoke about his early days at the club: “Udinese is undoubtedly a historic Italian club that by its very nature has always had great players and a lot of talent,” the forward told Calciomercato.com.
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – JULY 02: David Alaba #8 of Austria arrives at the stadium before the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 match between Spain and Austria on July 2, 2026 at Los Angeles Stadium in Inglewood, California. (Photographer Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images)
“David [Alaba]s arrival demonstrates the strength and ambition of the club, which does not want to be satisfied with the positive results of the last season, and strives to achieve greater achievements.
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“David needs no introduction: he is a true champion who has played for clubs like Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, and he will undoubtedly bring us invaluable experience and a winning mentality. We are delighted to have him,” Zaniolo continued.
“He came with the utmost humility, which is ultimately what separates a true champion from a very good player. I can only speak highly of him. He is one of the players we need and I can’t wait to play alongside him.”
Zaniolo is currently injured and will miss the game against Udinese. He was not in good form when Italy coach Roberto Mancini called him up during the last international break, but Zaniolo was forced off the field after the first match against Belgium, where he did not feature.
MILAN, ITALY – APRIL 11: Nicolo Zaniolo of Udinese Calcio is tackled by Davide Bartesaghi of AC Milan during the Serie A match between AC Milan and Udinese Calcio at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on April 11, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)
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Zaniolo extended his contract with Udinese after making the Bianconeri’s transfer from Galatasaray permanent last summer, but negotiations have not been easy.
“It was a bit of a tumultuous summer, it made me think and figure out what I really wanted,” Zaniolo said.
“My intention was always to stay here because I really felt at home. Udinese is like a family to me: the club welcomed me, supported me and helped me in every way. I feel a strong sense of belonging and gratitude towards the club.
“There are a lot of contract dynamics in football… There were some negotiations, but luckily everything worked out,” he added.
TURIN, ITALY – JANUARY 07: Nicolo Zaniolo of Udinese Calcio runs with the ball under pressure from Guillermo Maripa of Torino during the Serie A match between Torino FC and Udinese Calcio at Stadio Olimpico di Torino on January 07, 2026 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)
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The Italian striker has confirmed interest from other clubs ahead of signing a new contract with the Bianconeri.
“When you have a good season, it’s normal to have rumors linking you with big clubs, but I wanted to talk to Udinese first,” he said.
“They wanted to keep me and now it’s up to me to repay their trust on the pitch.”