Giorgi Chakvetadze was officially unveiled to the press at Udinese’s pre-season training camp in Lienz on Friday as part of the annual Media Day, which gives journalists the chance to see the team at work close up.
General Manager Franco Collavino opened the press conference by expressing his thanks to Osttirol, a key partner of the club and the area that is hosting the training camp.
Group Technical Director Gianluca Nani, who knows Chakvetadze very well having worked with him at Watford, then offered his own assessment of the Georgian.
“Giorgi is an amazing player. I've seen very few opponents capable of stopping him. He's considered one of Georgia's best players. We believe it's the right time for him to test himself in a different league. When he sets off on one of his runs he's very hard to stop. He's fast and above all he's fast with the ball at his feet. We think he can add a few more goals to his game. He's a wonderful, exciting player to watch, who reminds you a bit of Kaka. He can play as an attacking midfielder or in the hole. He's an excellent player, a fantastic professional and a great guy.”
Chakvetadze then replied to questions from journalists.
“Udinese is a big club with a long history and I'm delighted to be here. I have an excellent relationship with Gianluca Nani. At Watford he often spoke to me about Udinese. He told me that here I'd have the chance to play against great teams and test myself in a top-level league.
“My favourite position is No.10, in behind the strikers, but I can also play on the left or right wing, or even as a box-to-box midfielder if needed.
“I’m working hard to be able to train with the team soon. I’ll be able to start running again in a few days, and I hope to be training with my team-mates again in the next few weeks.
“There are lots of quality players in this team - [Nicolo] Zaniolo, [Keinan] Davis and [Oumar] Solet to name just a few – but the whole squad is of a very high standard.
“I watched several Serie A matches before coming here. I know it’s not easy to play in Italy. It’s a very tactical league and for a player like me, who focuses mainly on the attacking side of the game, it's going to be a big challenge to get past the highly organised defences you get in Serie A.
“I like running with the ball, providing assists, playing the ball forward and scoring goals. I hope to be able to use all these qualities to help Udinese soon.”