Barreto: “Here to earn a starting berth”

Paraguayan midfielder Édgar Barreto is officially a Sampdoria player after joining from Palermo, where he has been captain for the last two seasons. The new Blucerchiati man gave his reaction to the press after his first training session with his team-mates for the coming season: “I felt positive during the first session. I was looking forward to getting back to playing and we could really see the coach’s determination. We worked hard on stamina today.

“It’s definitely important to get off on the right foot – we need to start the season well. Zenga explained his methods to us. He’s got bags of grit and desire and his aim is to take Samp to the top,” continued Barreto.

Barreto then spoke about his hopes for his first season in Liguria: “After four years at Palermo, I feel ready for this new adventure. We have a wealth of options in midfield with lots of great players, so I’ll give my all to try and earn myself a spot in the team. I’m desperate to do well and hope to help the team, but it’s down to the boss to decide who plays.

“We’re just getting started but we need to use this time to make sure our engines are full and ready to go. I’ve never played in the Europa League so I can’t wait for that. I chose Sampdoria because the club showed a lot of faith in me – I hope to repay it!” the Paraguayan concluded.