Boulaye Dia Eager to Become Lazio Protagonist, Weighs in on Castellanos Partnership

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The Laziali

·11 September 2024

Boulaye Dia Eager to Become Lazio Protagonist, Weighs in on Castellanos Partnership

New Lazio signing Boulaye Dia is looking to establish himself as a pillar at the club from the get-go.

The Senegal international completed a summer switch from Salernitana following a back-and-forth transfer saga. The 27-year-old made his debut coming off the bench during the defeat in Udine. He then earned his first start for the club against Milan, marking the occasion by scoring a tap-in that gave Marco Baroni’s men a temporary lead in the clash that ended 2-2.

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Dia Grateful For Lazio Opportunity

Lazio have now unveiled Dia at a press conference (via La Lazio Siamo Noi) alongside fellow new signing Samuel Gigot. The striker expressed his joy at joining the Italian capital side, revealing his intention to become a protagonist straight away.

I am happy to be at Lazio. I want to thank the Sporting Director [Angelo Fabiani]. It took us a while but in the end, I’m glad we made it. We all know how great Lazio is, it’s an important step for any player. Here, we play against the best teams. Scoring lots of goals is what counts, a striker is judged by this factor. We have to do our best without thinking about those who were here before us. I expected to be decisive in my second appearance against Milan. I’ve been preparing for this, so why wait? It’s better to do it right away. I was there waiting, impatient, but I knew something was about to happen.

Relationship with Striking Partner Taty Castellanos

Dia insisted that sharing the pitch with fellow striker Taty Castellanos won’t be an issue, as the two can work side-by-side.

I can play behind Taty or vice versa. I can move between the lines and give a hand in the buildup. Playing with two attackers means having an extra solution to score which is important. Naturally, as Baroni wants, I also have to commit myself in the defensive phase to give a hand. In the end, it doesn’t matter who scores, whether it’s me, Taty or the midfielders. The competition with the other forwards is good regardless. The important thing is to train well to earn a starting spot.

The Senegalese also touched on the difference between his former club Salernitana and Lazio in terms of quality.

There are many differences, especially the quality of the players and the intensity of the training sessions. At Lazio, you have to win, you can’t settle for less. I don’t feel the weight of being an important player, we all are, and we all have responsibilities.