Youssouf Fofana's presentation press conference
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00Welcome to the press conference for the presentation of Youssef Fofana.
00:09Zlatan, it's been a long summer.
00:20You've spoken about the details of building the squad up.
00:25Youssef Fofana seems like he's been a very important part of this.
00:35It took a while to confirm this transfer, but it's done now, that's the main thing.
00:44Everything's signed up and he is here.
00:46We are here with Youssef Fofana.
00:49We were looking for a central midfielder who could balance the team, who could keep the
01:00team solid, someone who can break the lines, someone who can score as well, can make goals,
01:09can play further up, depending on the role that he'll play.
01:17This was a long negotiation, but finally he's here and we're really happy.
01:27I think the team is complete now, all our objectives have been met.
01:34It's gone well and we're really satisfied.
01:41I want to say welcome to Youssef Fofana.
01:47Zlatan, I want to ask you another question.
01:49Yesterday, Mr Fonseca spoke about the priorities that you had and what you wanted to do and what can be done.
02:00Pavlic, Morata and Fofana.
02:06It's the end of the transfer market.
02:09Now the circle has been closed.
02:12In general, until the market is closed, there could still be opportunities.
02:17Have you got any other ideas?
02:20Well, it's simple.
02:25The manager is the manager or the coach and the club do the rest.
02:30We don't need more players because with these four signings, we've doubled every position.
02:37We've got cover for every position.
02:40We've also got Milan Futuro, which is full of talented players.
02:45We don't need to sell or release anyone either.
02:50This year there are more matches.
02:53There's a new format of the Champions League.
02:55There's the Italian Super Cup.
02:58There will be a lot of matches with these four signings, who were already our objectives
03:08before we chose the manager.
03:11We're following a strategy.
03:13We're backing our ideas, our plan.
03:16Everything's under control.
03:18We're very disciplined in what we have done.
03:23Our strategy is very disciplined.
03:27And the transfer market closes when I say.
03:30We're in the sixth day of seven.
03:34Youssef, welcome to Milan.
03:41You've heard, you've spoken to Zlatan Ibrahimovic, you've spoken to the club and you must have
03:48felt the desire the club had to bring you here.
03:53That must be important to you, I imagine.
04:00Hello everyone.
04:01Yes, I have to say this point, this was important.
04:07It helps me make the decision.
04:10When the directors of Milan call you and they show they want you and the manager as well,
04:23you want to go to a place where you're going to be welcomed and wanted.
04:29Everyone knows AC Milan.
04:31Everyone in France knows about AC Milan.
04:33It's a great team, a powerful team.
04:36I saw the project.
04:37They showed me the project for years to come.
04:41I have to say it was in line with my plans, my objectives.
04:50And Youssef, Milan fans remember a central midfielder, Frank Kessy, who won the league
05:01with Milan, then left.
05:03From that point, we've had a bit of a space, a hole in central midfield.
05:12You're a different player and you've already had good success.
05:16But if you had to describe your style as a player to Milan fans, what would you say?
05:22Zlatan has already given a bit of a description.
05:27He's more complete than everyone.
05:35I know what happened.
05:40Let's leave the past behind.
05:41I'm not here to substitute anyone.
05:43I'm not here to replace anyone.
05:45I'm here for what I've got.
05:47I am a modern central midfielder and I work all over the pitch.
05:58Welcome Youssef.
06:01There are lots of French players in this team, in this squad.
06:04Théon Hernandez, Mike Mignon, you know them.
06:08You've known them for a while.
06:09You've played with them for the France team.
06:11Has that been an extra motive for you to join Milan?
06:16And I will ask Zlatan, where are you with the contract renovations with Mike Mignon
06:23and Théon Hernandez?
06:26Well, yes, I would say I did speak to the to my French colleagues
06:39about the club and the city.
06:43I know there are French players who play for the other team in the city, the enemies, if
06:49I can say that.
06:54Everything worked in the favour and suggested it was a good idea for me to come here.
07:01Regarding Mike Mignon and Théon Hernandez, we're speaking, everything's under control.
07:06They know what we want and we know what they want.
07:12We're not in a hurry.
07:15We will resolve it.
07:17It might take a couple of minutes or it might take a bit longer, but everything's fine.
07:23Youssef, welcome.
07:27You were born on the 10th of January.
07:30Do you know that it was the first ever Derby della Madonnina in 1909 on that date that
07:40Milan won?
07:41Do you think that's a sign of destiny?
07:44Zlatan Ibrahimović, this morning you said on Sport Italia you spoke about your son's
07:50double.
07:51I want to compliment you for your son's two goals for the youth team.
07:58Thank you very much.
08:01I didn't know this fact, but let's try and make it my destiny to do well with Milan,
08:09yes.
08:10I'll do everything I can.
08:16I'm happy for my son.
08:19He's working hard and he deserves it.
08:25When you work hard, as I said before, it's not easy for him to have my surname.
08:32It's not easy to have a father who did what I have done.
08:38There's pressure.
08:39It's natural.
08:40And when I heard them saying Ibrahimović, it was a bit strange for me as well, but I
08:53knew what they meant.
08:59I'm a French correspondent from L'Equipe.
09:02I've got a question.
09:06This transfer seemed to be a gentleman's agreement between you and Monaco.
09:14It's rare that a transfer happens like this so cleanly, so easily.
09:21Hello.
09:22Yes, it was a bit like this.
09:27Last summer, I already had...
09:34It wasn't my first choice, but there was a change and then Monaco gave me the option.
09:46There was a new manager and they asked me if I wanted to remain and I would have given
09:51my best if I had stayed and stayed and given everything I could.
09:57But at the end of the day, there were discussions during the season for a contract renewal whether
10:07I wanted to stay or if I wanted to leave.
10:10And I decided I wanted a new adventure to go somewhere else and that's what happened
10:19and we're here now.
10:24Milan have got five or six French players.
10:29There isn't a top team that doesn't have a French player.
10:32You played in France for many years.
10:35Do you think there is a lot of football quality in France?
10:42We know that France has a lot of football talent, quality as well.
10:49I played in France for four years.
10:53I lived, I saw the players, I played against them, I played with them and it's a good school
11:03of football where they develop talents and their players become top players.
11:11For us to have French players in our squad is a good thing and we're very happy, especially
11:17when they bring good results.
11:19Youssef is another French player.
11:22For me it doesn't change if you're from France, Portugal, Italy.
11:27The important thing is to have a compact, united team that brings home the results.
11:37Did you have a doubt over French players?
11:38You didn't?
11:39Okay.
11:41Welcome, Youssef.
11:42Have you had a chance to talk to your fellow midfielders and who do you think you can connect
11:51with best of all?
11:54Hello, thank you.
12:02The truth is I haven't spoken to any of the Milan players for now.
12:14But it's important, though, that I have a good relationship with them, with all of my
12:18teammates, not just midfield.
12:20Hi, Youssef.
12:26We've had several new players in Milan's press conferences this season.
12:33Fonseca also has spoken about winning the Scudetto.
12:38Alvaro Morata wants to bring the second Sarr, which a second Scudetto would bring.
12:43What kind of atmosphere is there here and what's the expectation at this club, in your
12:47view?
12:55I'm not here to make promises.
12:59As I said, I like the project, I like the idea, I like the presentation they gave me.
13:06I'm sure you've seen similar things, presentations.
13:11I want to win, that's it, full stop.
13:14A question for Youssef.
13:16Welcome, Youssef.
13:19Welcome to Milan.
13:22You really wanted to come here.
13:25These last few weeks, how have they been for you?
13:30It's been a bit of a long negotiation.
13:32Were you at any point afraid that the move wouldn't go through?
13:35And what made you choose Milan?
13:40No, I wasn't afraid.
13:48I was very impatient.
13:49I really wanted it to happen quickly, because the league starts tonight.
13:53And I wanted to already be on the pitch, but often the long wait makes the final result
14:04sweeter.
14:05I'm really happy to be here among you, among you guys.
14:13I tried to be patient, Milan called me, Milan told me to stay calm, Milan told me they were
14:19working and they told me to have faith and I had faith and here I am.
14:28As a player, Zlatan, you developed, you made those around you better.
14:36You spoke about Youssef saying he's a physical quality player.
14:43And you compared him to Declan Rice as a top European midfielder.
14:53Do you think he can become the best in his position?
14:59Youssef is still young, he's got margins to develop.
15:07He will bring balance, as I said before, stability to the team.
15:10If you understand football, you know that the players we've signed are the heart of
15:16the team, 9, 6 and 4.
15:19And the player on the right has to balance out the player on the left.
15:24But also, we like his profile, not just the way he plays.
15:30He's almost as big as me.
15:33He's got a top profile and it's up to the manager how he uses him on the pitch.
15:45As I said in the last conference, we're ready, we're charged up and we're sure that these
15:52players will bring a lot to the team and will improve Milan.
15:56I'm sure of that.
15:59The way he'll play depends on the boss, on the coach.
16:10Welcome Youssef, welcome to Milan and good luck.
16:19You know Mr. Fonseca, you've met him in France.
16:23What do you say about Paolo Fonseca's style and what did he say to convince you to join?
16:29And for Zlatan Ibrahimovic, a quick question.
16:33I won't ask you who, but who will be, will there be a third striker joining because there
16:39are going to be lots of matches to play?
16:42Is there a possibility of another striker at Milan?
16:51Yes, I have spoken with Paolo Fonseca.
16:57He told me that he was very happy to have me here at Milan.
17:03He was very enthusiastic and he couldn't wait to start working with me.
17:10In France, Paolo Fonseca is very well known.
17:13We know that he has a style of play which is different to the French style, you could
17:19say.
17:20I played against him, against his teams, and it wasn't easy.
17:25It wasn't easy.
17:26I've got to say, I'm really happy to be part of his team now.
17:29If we're talking about a third striker, our strategy with Milan Futuro is we don't want
17:42to stunt strikers we've got.
17:47We want them to be ready to come into the first team.
17:51We've got our four signings and we've got two players for each position.
18:02Some positions we've got more than two for each position, but we've got a lot of faith
18:08in the talent we've got.
18:10For example, Torriani, the goalkeeper, will be Mike's, Mignon's vice.
18:15When Sportiello returns from injury, they will battle to be the second goalkeeper.
18:25We believe, we're not afraid of putting our young, talented players from Milan Futuro
18:31in the firing line.
18:33If not, there's no point in having them, no point in having talented players.
18:45If you put players out on loan, you can't control them.
18:47You can't control if they play or not.
18:51If you keep the players and they are Milan Futuro, you can control them and you can decide
18:57when they play and you can push them and you can put them in the first team.
19:01That's why we don't want extra players that are not playing much.
19:09We've got enough players in the first team and these young talents in Milan Futuro, we
19:15don't want to block them or not be able to use them.
19:21We want to win.
19:22That's what we want to do.
19:24Yusuf, welcome.
19:28Moussa Diaby, your friend on social media, you've been in contact with him, some messages.
19:47If Emerson Royale is the Black Panther and Morata is the handsome guy, what is, Yusuf?
19:55I'll leave this to the fans.
19:57The fans will give Yusuf a nickname.
20:01The fans will give Yusuf an artistic, a cool nickname.
20:09Moussa is my friend.
20:11We've been friends since we were children.
20:13We grew up together.
20:19Therefore, he left a comment on my page, but it was cheeky, but I took it well.
20:36Welcome to Milan, Yusuf.
20:39Have you spoken to Olivier Giroud?
20:44And during this summer, did you have any contacts with Juventus?
20:49And for Zlatan Ibrahimović, Dio, God, on the seventh day, rested.
20:54Are you going to do even better than him and not rest?
20:58Well, it depends if I'm tired or not.
21:03I don't feel tired yet, so I'll keep going.
21:07Yes, I spoke to Olivier Giroud.
21:18Like I said before, I think they were waiting for me to ask them about the city, the club,
21:29the fans, the directors, how things work here.
21:33And the second question, I don't have an answer.
21:45My agent would know about that kind of thing.
21:53How long do you think you will need to be able to show your best form and be in your
21:57best condition?
21:58I heard that you've been training alone.
22:11There isn't a best version of Fofana.
22:16I want to be consistent month after month, year after year.
22:22Maybe in September it will already be my best form, but then I'll be better in October.
22:28I'll be better in December.
22:36You said you don't want to be a version, a new version of other players, but I hope you
22:41could be similar to Marcel Desailly, the new Marcel Desailly.
22:50And also I want to know, why did you want to join Milan so much?
22:54They spoke about other clubs, but you chose Milan.
23:00Where was this love for Milan from?
23:03And also, do you see yourself as the new Marcel Desailly?
23:11I'm grateful for the comparison.
23:17I don't know if I can say it, but it's been for a few years that I've been in contact
23:23with Milan.
23:26Before it wasn't able to make the move, now it is.
23:33This was the right moment for me, just like it is for Milan.
23:37I wasn't too young, or I'm not too young when I've arrived.
23:40I'm not too young for a strong team.
23:43I've got good experience, I picked up playing in France, I've played a lot of matches.
23:50Now I'm a complete player.
23:55I'm going to play in the Champions League, I've never done that, so I want to do that.
24:02I want to win, and there's often Italian teams in finals, and I want to be part of it.
24:13I want to be part of this adventure.
24:22Manu Conne, there's supposedly been an interest for a French player from Milan.
24:33Does that fit into your seven days motif?
24:37Conne is a player that we're watching, he's developed a lot, he played in the Olympics,
24:46but we'll see, we'll see what's happening, but it's a player we're following.
24:57With Youssef Fofana, there's a bit less space for Conne, because they're a similar position,
25:06but we will see, there's one day left in these seven days in which we're creating the world.
25:15Last question, the championship is important to Milan fans, but really it's the Champions
25:26League, I call it the European Cup still, this journey to moving into the possibility
25:34of winning the Champions League, how close are we?
25:38How many players, what kind of mentality, what kind of players do you think Milan lack
25:44to win the Champions League again?
25:50If we look at a team that we're creating, that we have created, it's a team for Europe,
25:57it's for Italy, but it's also for Europe.
26:00In Europe, where Milan dominated for many years, and where we want to return, we want
26:07to return to the top of the European game, Morata, Emerson, Royale, Youssef, Mike Mignon,
26:14Theo Hernandez, who've got a bit more experience, they're further ahead in their development,
26:20their growth, and with other players around those who are very important, but the Champions
26:26League is the Champions League.
26:29Anything can happen, and sometimes things don't go well, we're fighting, we'll be fighting
26:35to win the Champions League, with a bit of luck, if things go your way, you can go far,
26:41but it's something that you have to do every year, you can't do well in one year, and then
26:46the next year not do too well.
26:48We're creating a team, we've brought a team, a manager who will give us a different kind
26:58of style, and that's why we're working.
27:02We're working to bring Milan back to where they need to be top, where they need to be.
27:07We feel we're top of Italy, but we want to return to be at the top in Europe, where the
27:12fans have been used to watching the team, step by step, the team will get there.
27:20Some of the players have played in the Champions, some haven't, the team is young, but there
27:27are no excuses here.
27:29We are playing for all the trophies, and we're going to fight for them."