WELCOME TO MILAN!

(IN THE PHOTO: Agazzi, Galliani and Albertazzi)
MILAN – All the statements and main points from Friday's press conference for the club’s new signings Michelangelo Albertazzi, Michael Agazzi, Jeremy Menez and Alex presented by CEO Adriano Galliani.Adriano Galliani: “Alex is a very important player, with an important career behind him. We’ve been following him for many years and spotted him when he was at PSV. We tried to buy him before he joined Chelsea. We kept track of him and we’ve been able to bring him to the club and beat off the competition from others. PSG also wanted to keep him. We’ve made a great buy. He’s a strong header and will strengthen our defence. I want to give him a warm welcome to the club.” Alex: "I’ve never seen such passionate fans, I’ve played in a lot of places but never seen such a huge passion. Everyone spoke well of Milan. Working together and with commitment we can have a brilliant season. Milan has always been in the Champions League except for this season. I’ve always wanted to wear this shirt. Even in Brazil, people speak about Milan as an excellent club and this pleases me.It seemed like the Brazilian Team was lacking a bit of experience. They also sorely missed Thiago Silva in defence. It’s well known that Germany like to attack. After the second goal, I would have called for the players to come back in defence and then try and comeback into the match in the second half. I’ve played against Inzaghi, he was a fast, dangerous player that moved a lot. I’ll now be coached by him and I hope to forge a good relationship with him and to use what he passes on through his experience out on the pitch. Carlo Ancelotti has always been like a father to me, he’s always been of great support and he did this at PSG. I’m sure that Inzaghi and Ancelotti have spoken to each other and it’s also for this reason that I am here.The negotiations with Milan were long. Thiago Silva though has always spoken well of Milan, he made me want to wear this shirt. He spoke highly of the club and the squad, he’s my friend on and off the pitch. If I’m here it is also thanks to his support. The fans will have an influence on the work that we do. The fans play their part, I think it is a good thing that they forget last season and face the upcoming one with determination. I had goose-bumps arriving at Casa Milan yesterday, it doesn’t happen every day that you see all this passion and affection from the fans.I’m certain that I can give my contribution to the coach and to the team out on the pitch. I go about my job with a lot of responsibility. Those that have a lot of experience in big teams have to do a good job for the team. I need to make my experience available to the others. Working hard, we can even fight for the Scudetto. 33 is a good number, I had it at Chelsea and Thiago wore it. For me it would be an honour to wear that number. It’s not like Milan to concede so many headed goals. We’re already working tactically to avoid it happening this season. We’ll train hard on this aspect, as a winning side can’t concede so many headed goals."Adriano Galliani: "Now is the turn of our two new Italian signings Michael Agazzi and Michelangelo Albertazzi. Agazzi has lots of experience with Cagliari and in the last months with Chievo. We’ve always liked him and he arrives with the blessing of his friend Abbiati. There will be no conflict between them. Albertazzi has been with us for a long time. We bought him from Bologna as a youngster, he played for Verona for 2 years in Serie B and this year made 15 appearances in Serie A. He’s a versatile defender, he can play in the middle or on the left."Michael Agazzi: "I’ve come to Milan with my determination to make myself available as and when needed for the cause. I’ll try and give my all to improve and give my very best. As a boy, I had Biffi as a coach who made me watch Abbiati’s top saves. From that moment, I identified Abbiati as the role model to follow."Michelangelo Albertazzi: "It’s an honour to return to the club. I’ve accumulated lots of life and football experience, but being at a huge club will help me grow even more. They are all champions here. I’ll give my all to make myself ready for the coach. Competition is normal and it’s right that it exists. I have a lot to learn from the others and coach Inzaghi."Michael Agazzi: "I started in Serie C1 and I’m now here to give my all to stay here. I think that I can improve every day, if I see that Abbiati and Gabriel have something I don’t, I need to be like a sponge and absorb all the information possible to improve. The competition is welcome because it makes you grow. I’m not thinking about the Italian National Team. I’m thinking about Milan now and doing well here."Michelangelo Albertazzi: "I hope I’ve come back in the right moment, the experience I’ve got from Serie B and Serie A has helped me grow and become more professional. I want to now convince the club and the staff of my qualities."Michael Agazzi: "Every player has his own journey. There are those gifted with talent and those that are workers like me. I’ve had to work daily to improve. Landucci and Allegri wanted me at Cagliari and I grew with them."Adriano Galliani: "The managers of Atalanta called him at a time when he was working on a construction site. He then went to play in goal for Atalanta. He has lots of possibilities and his development in Bergamo has hardened him."Michelangelo Albertazzi: "Everyone has their story, their own journey. Mine is going well. I’m really proud to be back here and I want my journey to continue. I’m happy playing as a centre back but left back is fine as well."Michael Agazzi: "Inzaghi is a coach that is very well prepared and with a desire to take Milan back where it belongs. He’s focused on the objective."Michelangelo Albertazzi: "He’s already shown his enthusiasm these past two days and he has brought the desire to improve in training."Adriano Galliani: "Jeremy Menez is another player with an important past with Monaco, Roma and PSG. A player of great talent and skill, who has to do more than what he has done up until now. He’s an absolute talent. We’ve been tracking him for a long time. We’re certain that we have added an important piece to our attack."Jeremy Menez: "For me, faith was essential and I felt that straight away coming here. I hope to be a part of a great Milan side, we’ve all got the qualities to make it happen, starting with the coach who has a great desire. We’re not in the Champions league, but we can win Serie A. In football you never know."Adriano Galliani: "We’ve got at least 6 central defenders and overall 10 defenders. In defence there won’t be new arrivals, we’ll see if some will leave. We have lots of attacking wingers and we’re covered. Matri is officially a Genoa player on loan. Petagna has different requests. The strikers are Balotelli and Pazzini. We have 7 attackers at this moment, if one should leave maybe one could come in."Jeremy Menez: "My first season at PSG was excellent. Ancelotti was there who was like a father to me. Blanc then came in and made his choices. A lack of confidence from the coach isn’t easy to deal with. This is an important aspect in order to do well out on the pitch for me. I’m ready to adapt to the coach’s plans. San Siro is a brilliant stadium with a super atmosphere, I’m ready for it and I hope to feel the support of the fans. I was younger when I played with Roma, you make mistakes as a youngster. I’ve improved and changed. I’ll give my all to show it out on the pitch. I hope to entertain and give joy to the fans because football is mainly about this at the end of the day. I choose the number 87 shirt. It’s my year of birth. They were 3 splendid years at Roma. Things have changed and I will give my all now for the Milan colours. I’m really happy to be here".More from Jeremy Menez: "Milan is a huge club, when Inzaghi came to Ibiza we spoke a lot. I think that I can adapt to many roles but it will be the coach who decides where to play me. For now we’re working really well, with smiles on our faces and in a nice atmosphere. I hope it continues. The faith from the coach has been really important. Stephan is a top player. He had some injury problems last year and I hope that he can start the season well. Competition between us? We’re two intelligent players and with the coach we will find the right solution. I didn’t know that both Alex and I had been contacted about joining Milan, when we found out we laughed a lot about it! Alex is a great player and he’ll be very important for Milan."Adriano Galliani: "Robinho wants to go to the American MLS. The negotiations with Orlando have begun. They want Robinho, but we’re not close to concluding the deal. The relationship with Robinho remains excellent though and it is just one of the many negotiations that are ongoing."Jeremy Menez: "I don’t think the Italian league has changed much since I played for Roma, there are more sides fighting for the Scudetto. It will be down to us to show that we’re a strong side. I spoke with Inzaghi in Ibiza about the possibility of working on corner kicks and free kicks and becoming a specialist. We’ll see over the course of the season."Adriano Galliani: "I want to make one thing clear; I don’t have any right to a severance package. I’m the CEO, I want to point out that I’ve never been a Milan employee, I’m nominated by the board. I don’t have the right to a severance package.At this moment there is a lot of talk about ins and outs at the club. We have to arrive at a number of 25 players in the squad. It’s different to when you play in Europe. We have less matches so we need a smaller squad compared to last year."