Zalewski: "I hope to experience as much enjoyment as possible in this shirt" | OneFootball

He's only just arrived, but Nicola Zalewski has already experienced intense emotions in Nerazzurri colours. After arriving at the BPER Training Centre and meeting his teammates, the Polish winger came on to make his debut in the 76th minute of the derby and immediately made a decisive impact, providing the assist for De Vrij's late equaliser. The day after his debut, Zalewski, who has already felt the affection of the team and the Inter fans, shared his first impressions:

Ciao, Nicola, welcome to Inter. What does it mean for you to become part of this Club? "It's a very important step in my career. Inter are one of the strongest teams in the world, and I hope to help my teammates achieve their goals. After all, from today, they are also mine."

You provided an assist on your Serie A debut with Roma, and you did exactly the same with Inter in the derby, so you clearly like debuts. How did it feel? "It was a fantastic feeling. It was a bit of a complicated game where we didn't have luck on our side, but we did well to believe until the end and find an equaliser."

You were born near Rome and developed at Roma, where you played alongside Henrikh Mkhitaryan in midfield. What is it like to start a new adventure, knowing you’re being welcomed by players of this calibre? " As I said, Inter are one of the best teams in the world, so all the players are of this calibre. Mkhitaryan is a great player and has proven this over the years, but the others are just as good."

Speaking of familiar faces, Piotr Zielinski, your fellow countryman and the first Polish player in Inter’s history, is also here. How does it feel to become his club teammate as well? "Piotr really helped me with this transfer; we’ve been in touch a lot. He’s an excellent player and someone I admire a lot. Alongside him, I hope to experience as much enjoyment as possible in this shirt."

What type of player are you? What kind of contribution do you think you can make to Simone Inzaghi’s team? "I’m only 23 years old, so I have a lot to improve, but I think this is the right team to do that. The staff and the coach really wanted me to join. I think they saw something in me, and I hope to repay their trust."

You’re joining at a very positive time for Inter, who are performing well both in Europe and the league: does this motivate you even more to demonstrate your value on the pitch? "Definitely, I hope to repay everyone's trust and help my teammates and the coach, all of whom have demonstrated real belief in me. After the match yesterday, they showed me a lot of affection and respect."

You're leaving a city like Rome and will need to settle into a city which is just as vibrant, namely Milano. Do you know it a bit? "I know Milano a bit less compared to Rome, where I have my family and friends, but that won’t stop me from moving forward with my football career. Milano is a beautiful city, and I’m sure I’ll settle in well. I hope to do well with Inter because that’s the main thing."