Parma explain how they signed Darmian & Gervinho

With the team doing well this season, Parma deserve immense credit for the squad they have built, and now sporting director Daniele Faggiano has explained how he managed to bring Matteo Darmian and Gervinho to the club.

โ€œIt wasnโ€™t easy, believe me, Manchester United clearly didnโ€™t need money from Parma!โ€ the Parma official told The Guardian. โ€œWe met with representatives from Manchester United on the phone and via email, they understood our needs and they helped us with Darmianโ€™s demands.

โ€œManchester United acted like you would expect Manchester United to act and Iโ€™m happy and proud to have brought Darmian here. I remember the first call with Matteo: I truly wanted to understand if he wanted to come here and I right away understood we were acquiring an extraordinary person with a great spirit of sacrifice.โ€

He then moved on to discuss Gervinho:ย 

โ€œThe story is incredible,โ€ Faggiano continued. โ€œOne day his agent came to our office and offered him to us. I discussed it with my staff. โ€˜Really, that Gervinho?โ€™

โ€œThere was some scepticism since he hadnโ€™t been in Europe for a while, but it was a deal we could take a risk with. Someone who is no longer at our club tried to get in the way since they didnโ€™t want him, but I had made up my mind. I believed in it a lot.

โ€œSome teams wanted him. But he stayed because he feels part of our family; this makes you understand what Parma is all about.โ€

More European Football News