The 25-year-old, who has previous Premier League experience, was visibly delighted to have moved to Stamford Bridge and spoke about personal development, being part of a prestigious footballing family and his targets for the season ahead.

So, back to England and the Premier League…

Yes, I’ve always said the Premier League is the best league in the world. The fans and the stadiums over here are amazing so I just can’t wait to make my Chelsea debut and play for the team.

Have you had a chance to speak to Antonio Conte yet?

Yes, I’ve spoken to him. For both of us being at Chelsea is a new challenge but I’m going to work very hard and hopefully I can help the team win many matches.

He must have seen you play quite a lot when you were at Fiorentina...

Yes, we played a few games against each other, me as a player and him as a manager and now I’m excited about working with him.

How would you describe your playing style?

I’ve played in different positions over the last few years due to a change in managers and systems, but I’ve always played mainly as a left-back, even if I can also play in left midfield or in central defence.

My main aim is to defend well and I would say that’s my biggest attribute, but I also like to help the team in attack. I’m tall so I can deal with high balls and I think I’m a good crosser, but the most important thing is to try to put all of that together in order to help the team.

You have plenty of Premier League experience following spells at Bolton and Sunderland - and you have played at Stamford Bridge including in a pre-season game with Fiorentina - will that benefit you in terms of settling quickly?

Definitely. It’s not easy when you move to a new country because of the changes in culture and language but I’ve been here before so I don’t think that will be a problem.