First team

GONALONS: 'BEING ABLE TO PLAY HERE IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR ME'

20/08/2018

The French centre-midfielder, the eighth signing of the summer, said he wants 'to show what I'm capable of, I'm ready to play and I want to give everything for this club.'

The official presentation of the eighth signing of the summer, Maxime Gonalons, alongside the President of Sevilla FC, José Castro, and the Director of Football, Joaquín Caparrós. The midfielder, on loan from Roma, left Sevilla fans in no doubt as to the desire he has to show his qualities: 'I know that the last season in Italy was a difficult one, but at the end it got better and now I'm preparing to play for Sevilla FC and achieve great things here. I'm very familiar with the club, I really want to show what I'm capable of and the experience I have, I want to give everything for this club who have placed a lot of trust in me.

'In Spain, you play a lot with the ball and I like that, I'll adapt to it quickly'

He expects to play this possession game under Pablo Machín, with whom he has already spoken: 'Yes, I had the chance to speak with him. In Spain, you play a lot with the ball and I like that as there was a lot of emphasis placed on ball-possession right from the youth teams in Olympique Lyon. I'm going to experience this again in Spain and I will adapt very quickly to this style of play,' Gonalons added regarding how he would adapt to the system.

Asked about Monchi, as you could expect, Gonalons stated, 'we know each other very well because he was the one who brought me to Roma. We all know what he achieved here, he is an important person in Sevilla's history and being able to play here is a great opportunity for me, it's a club with massive history and lots of titles. And I really want to play.

He also spoke about another former member of Sevilla FC with whom he practically crossed paths, Nzonzi. 'Yes, we have a similar style, we play in the same position, although in a different way. Nzonzi achieved great things here and he won the World Cup in the summer as well, but what I want to show right away is that I can achieve great things here as well.

"If the manager wants to play me now, I'm ready to give my all for the team"

In fact, he doesn´t want to delay his debut, claiming that he's ready to start soon. 'Yes, I'm in great shape. I had a great preseason with Roma and I'm fit enough to play. If the manager wants me to play, I'm ready to give my all for the team.'