David Alaba names main reason for Udinese move

The room at Udinese Calcio's Bluenergy Stadium, where press conferences are usually held, seats 65.

However, the presentation of David Alaba as the club's new player was anything but ordinary, which is why the event had to be moved to the club's auditorium. Alaba expressed his excitement about now playing in a third top European league.

"I always wanted to play in Serie A," Alaba emphasized, also reporting talks with other Italian clubs.

The Austrian international named coach Kosta Runjaic as the main reason for his decision. "I mainly spoke with the coach, who convinced me of the project here," said Alaba, who described the move to Italy as the right path.

Udinese is for him "a club rich in tradition" and "a historic club," raved the centre-back, who shares a birthplace with his new head coach.

Alaba wants to take on the "big brother" role

Alaba did not want to commit to a specific position yet, he said. He only stated: "I have always been a very versatile player, I can play in many positions and many roles, and I am here to help the team. The position I will play is not so important to me - I just want to help the team. But I think I can best utilize my strengths as a centre-back."

With his experience, he is expected to stabilize Udinese Calcio's defence. With eleven goals conceded, this part of the team was the Achilles' heel at the start of the season. As an experienced player, Alaba wants to take on the "big brother" role. "It's not the first time in my career that I've taken on this role. I'm someone who always likes to take responsibility - even in the Austrian national team, I am one of the most experienced players. Personally, I tried to take on this role at FC Bayern and Real Madrid as well," said the Vienna native.

Alaba said he could hardly wait to get started. Whether he will already be on the pitch for the away game in Turin in just under a week remains to be seen.