«Paola Egonu at Vero Volley Milano? If you come, you will have no privileges »-Corriere.it

Last year she was instrumental in the Scudetto final, a few days ago she shattered Vero Volley’s Champions League semifinal dream. Twice Paula Egonu got in the way of the president’s club Alessandra Marzari which is completing the transfer from Monza to Milan of the women’s team. From next season, however, the consortium could bring her back to Italy from Türkiye.

President, have you taken Egonu?

«Like some other top teams, we have made our offer and we are confident that the negotiation can go through. Now, however, it is registered with Vakifbank and it would not be fair to talk about it: we are working on it seriously».

Egonu is a player who changes the balance of a team.

“If she comes here, she’ll be treated like the others. From us, even if you’re the strongest in the world, you can’t expect special treatment. This is a place of sports culture and the athletes are forced to reflect on themselves. But it’s also a place where athletes are always defended, especially when things go less well. The important thing is to assume one’s responsibilities.”

How could he fit into an already run-in team?

«The key is team spirit. Building it, when you have strong players with personality, is complicated. There is a need for work. It is the next step to take to build the winning mentality ».

Egonu is much more even off the field.

«I like athletes who use their image to talk about social issues. We defined ourselves as “driven by values” ed), but everything must be placed in a credible context, built with intelligence».

What do you mean?

«That if you have a theme that is dear to you, whoever you are, you must act authentically. This is a great place to talk about big issues like racism, but it can’t be a spot to use when things aren’t going well in other respects. Credibility passes from there and Egonu can do a lot, as long as we work strategically».

Could his eventual arrival also be strategic to promote the transfer of the team?

«It’s too early to tell, it will depend on how much we are in tune on the communication side. We will have to talk to each other and understand what we want and what she wants».

What do you want?

«Strong athletes who are always guided by shared values ​​on and off the pitch».

And what does Milan want?

«A strong and spendthrift team (laughs, ed). We are aiming for the Scudetto in the next 3 years and for an internationalization process. But we still want to grow at the managerial and promotional level of the basic activity. Milan can give a lot: in Lombardy there are 55,000 registered members, a fifth of which are in the city».

Why this transfer?

“We’ve been thinking about it for a long time. In Monza, few local companies have supported us. Then came football and coexistence (the stadium and arena are adjacent, ed) is heavy, given the poor organization of the Prefecture and Police Headquarters which prevent us from working when Monza play at home».

This year’s races in Milan went very well.

«Even the box office responds positively. In 4 games we had an average of 5,000 spectators and with Conegliano we exceeded 50,000 euros in proceeds and 3,000 euros in merchandising».

But this year’s playoffs?

«We will play them in Monza, the city deserves it. And the men’s team will also stay in Monza for the future».