Vasquez recalls how he ended up at Milan and admits being open to return | OneFootball

Devis Vasquez has claimed that he feels ready to be an AC Milan player after the management let him go on a loan deal to Empoli during the summer transfer window.

Milan paid less than one million euros to sign Vasquez from Club Guarani back in January 2023 and it was a bit of a mystery signing at the time since there had been no previous links, and it quickly became apparently he would struggle for first team opportunities.

Vasquez started last season on loan at Sheffield Wednesday and after a successful first few games, he ended up on the bench. His loan was terminated early so he went to Serie B side Ascoli on loan in January, then in the summer he was signed by Empoli.

Matteo Moretto recently clarified that it is a loan with option to buy deal, with the buy-out set at €900k, and it seems increasingly likely that they will be getting a bargain especially after man of the match performances like the one against Juventus.

Vasquez has given an interview to La Gazzetta dello Sport in which he spoke about arriving in Italy, what he learned from his time at Milan and his excellent start to the season.

What does it mean to you to gain experience?

“For example, being part of a top club like Milan, where you can learn a lot from your teammates.”

Like Maignan?

“To be honest, we don’t talk to him much. He’s very serious during training. We haven’t worked together much. But I learned by watching him and trying to replicate his movements: he has a lot of ‘presence’ in goal, he seems to occupy all the space. Then he’s always very focused.”

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You arrived at Milan at the beginning of January last year, you were wanted by Maldini…

“By Maldini and Massara.”

They signed you from Club Guaraní, Paraguay. How did they discover you?

“I don’t know, but they showed that they knew me. They said they had taken me for my qualities, they were convinced that I would improve even more, but they didn’t make any promises.

“I had been bought for the first team, months later I was the one who asked Maldini to play with the Primavera because I wanted to experience a match of Italian football.”

They signed you for half a million, how much do you think you’re worth today?

“(Laughs) I don’t know, definitely more. But I’ve only played seven games so far.”

It’s true that you had Maignan in front of you, but is it possible that no one at Milan realised how strong you were?

“Maybe they didn’t see me with the eyes I’m looked at today. Then there was the loan to Sheffield, a team in difficulty where I conceded a lot of goals also because not all the players understood the ideas of the coach, who was new.

“So, some wanted to play ‘short’ and some ‘long’. At Empoli, however, everyone understands what D’Aversa asks. And I showed up right away with a different mentality.”

Different because you were more relaxed, you knew that the starting position was already yours and you didn’t have to fight to conquer it, like in the past?

“Yes, I was more relaxed. I didn’t start behind anyone and, in any case, the games I played at Sheffield and Ascoli had given me more confidence. I arrived with a different mindset, with the desire to always achieve more. I use training more than in the past and with each passing day I feel stronger and more confident.”

You also said you fell in love with Italy: it happened in 2017, when you participated in the Viareggio Tournament with Cortuluà…

“It was my first experience outside of Colombia. I immediately liked everything: the sea, the people, your passion for football, the food. I’m crazy about risotto, especially with parmesan and saffron. My girlfriend also likes Italian food, she’s going to sign up for a cooking class in Florence. I’ve been to Florence, and then I visited Pisa, Verona, Siena, Venice.”

Is your girlfriend here with you?

“No, but she will join me soon. In Empoli I live alone for now, I live a few kilometres from the centre.”

What do you like about Serie A?

“Tactics. Organisation. It’s important, organisation. In England they score so many goals because they’re not very organised. They run up and down, only vertically.”

You have saved several penalties in your career, the last one against Lazio…

“Castellanos shot in the middle, I went to the right: you also need a lot of luck, fortune (laughs). In general, I go a lot by intuition”.

You have started strongly this season, what is the secret?

“The passion for the work of a very close-knit group. We are a family. The coach asks me to do simple things: I consider myself a modern goalkeeper, I like to play with my feet, but D’Aversa tells me that, when needed, the ball must be kicked long.”

Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images

What is your best quality and the main flaw you want to correct?

“My best quality is personality: talent without personality leads to a breakdown at the first mistake. Instead, I need to improve in attacking the ball, that is, in going towards it, in the step to take to cover more of the goal.”

The three strongest players in your role?

“Ter Stegen, for his footwork and because he is solid between the posts, a ‘wall’. Ederson, for his personality and, like the German from Barcelona, ​​for his footwork: some of his passes forward are half a goal. Then Neuer.”

You said: ‘Empoli are a showcase to conquer a spot at a big club, in Italy or abroad’. Two things: do you feel ready for a big club? And is Milan still a target, or is it a closed story?

“Seven games are not enough to deserve a big club, but, yes, the way I am now I feel ready. Milan is a goal and a dream at the same time. Who wouldn’t want to play in one of the best clubs in the world?”