Do you know any of the Chelsea squad already?



Yes, I know Davide Zappacosta from the Italy team. I also know a few others who I played against like Marcos Alonso, Emerson and Alvaro Morata. I have not had the chance to get to know them as people but I have come across them on the pitch. It is really helpful to have someone here I know like Davide to help me settle in, particularly when I am in another country that I don’t know yet.





Have you watched much Premier League football down the years?



Yes, today everyone watches the Premier League so I have watched plenty of it times in my time. It is a fantastic league, the best in the world I think.

How do you think your style of football will fit into it? You move the ball very quickly and it is a very fast-paced football. Is it a natural fit?

I really hope so. Perhaps my style of play is not something that is seen in England, I really hope that it is a good fit for the game over here and I will certainly be doing everything I can to make sure it works out.





What do you consider is your best position?



I like playing just outside of my own penalty box, the player who receives the ball and organises the game.





You grew up in Brazil and lived in Italy a long time. They are both countries Chelsea has a historical connection with.



It is something I have really picked up on. Year after year you see Brazilian players and Italian coaches come to work here at Chelsea and it is clearly something that is really strong, and it is something I hope is going to continue into the future.





Have both of those countries shaped you into the player you are now?



Yes, absolutely and it has been a fantastic experience, I was born in Brazil, I grew up in Brazil and you can say that is where I grew up as a person, but then I trained and I developed and speaking football-wise, I learned my game in Italy.





Given that and having played in Italy your whole career, why decide to move now?



Since I was little I was someone who always enjoyed challenges and for me this is just a huge challenge, professionally and personally, and it really inspires me, this opportunity to really have an experience and I am really excited about that opportunity.





Tells us about Maurizio Sarri.



He is someone who does wonderful work, he is right on top of everything that is going on on the pitch. When the weekend comes around and you have a game, you start that game knowing how every situation is going to pan out on the field offensively and defensively, and that is something that really helps you in your work. He is a very straight-forward person, he is easy to communicate with, he is very approachable and that is something that also helps the players.

