Giampaolo: “Only for Samp mid-season. Let’s restore the passion”

On the day he returned to Bogliasco to begin his second stint in charge, Marco Giampoolo made his feelings for Sampdoria clear.

“This is the only club I would have been willing to take over in the dugout mid-season,” he declared.

The coach can’t wait to get going again, taking inspiration from the past to build for the future.

“I arrived in Genoa yesterday and made the usual journey, retracing the route I took for three years. It’s a new feeling every time. I’m no longer free to decide what to do with my time but I find it incredibly motivating: I’m already a different person to the one I was yesterday.

“Now we need to rekindle our team spirit and unity.”

Giampaolo also made a nod to the effort undertaken to bring him back to Samp.

“I want to say a special thank you to the management team here, from president [Marco] Lanna down.

“I also want to say a special hello to all our fans. They drive the team on with their passion in every game. Sometimes I watch back some of the seemingly impossible games we won in Marassi, when the crowd made all the difference.

“The most important thing now is restoring our team spirit with the ultimate aim of getting our amazing fans driving us forward again.”