Dzeko on new deal: Florenzi did everything to make me stay!

At the weekend Dzeko committed his long-term future to the Giallorossi, ending long-running speculation about his future as he put pen-to-paper on a new three-year contract with the club that runs until 2022.

After signing that deal, Dzeko has now explained how happy the news of the contract extension made not only the player himself – but also his family, the club’s board and his teammates, too.

“I said that Rome was my home after I signed the new deal - but it’s not the first time I've said that,” Dzeko told Roma TV.

“I’ve always said it and I really do feel that way. My family feels that way too, especially my wife and also my kids, who were born here in Rome. We were on holiday recently and my daughter Una kept saying: ‘Let’s go home to Rome!’”

He added: “We spoke at the end of last season and they told me they wanted me here and that I was part of the project for the future of Roma. During pre-season over the last two months, they made me feel important.

"In the end we were able to achieve what we all wanted. I’m here and I’ve signed for another three years because I want to stay here and because I’m happy.”

Dzeko went on to reveal how it was not just the club’s board that did everything they could to convince him to stay. Club captain Alessandro Florenzi also pulled out all the stops in order to keep the No. 9.

“I can’t comment on what other people think or say,” he said. “We’re doing good work here and we have some very professional people here.

“They went to great lengths to keep me here. I want to thank them and now I need to give my all on the pitch, as always. It’s really nice to see that other people are happy that I’ve stayed here. My team-mates aren’t just team-mates: we’re friends, brothers…

"They were always on my back: ‘You’re not going anywhere – you’re staying here!’ I have a great relationship with them all.

“Pellegrini and Florenzi were on at me every day: ‘You’ll stay here – you’re not going anywhere.’

“Florenzi would say: ‘If you sign, I’ll give you the captaincy!’

“When I did sign, he said: ‘It’s yours!’

“But I said: ‘Ale, you’re our captain and we’re all behind you.’”

Dzeko has been impressed by the work done under new coach Paulo Fonseca since the start of pre-season, and hit out at some of the recent comments made by former players.

“The coach wants us to keep the ball at all times,” Dzeko noted.

“He wants the players to be brave and to want the ball without being afraid. He wants us to play between the lines, which we haven’t done recently and is something that makes a big difference in football.

“This is a united group. We’re working hard and putting it in. It’s a shame but I’ve seen lots of former Roma players saying stuff about training at the club. I think if you want to say something, you have to say it when you’re here, not when you’ve left. It’s a lot easier to speak when you’ve already left.”

With the warm-up games all now completed it is time for the real action to begin – starting with Sunday’s home gain against Genoa.

“The next match, as we always say, is always the most important,” Dzeko said.

“We take on Genoa and we know [Genoa head coach Andrea] Andreazzoli very well. I’m sure they’ll be a different side because he likes to play football. Genoa have been a tough side to face in recent years but they’ll be even more tricky now because they’ll start playing football.

"We saw what the coach did last season with Empoli. They didn’t manage to stay up but based on their play, they certainly deserved to. It won’t be an easy game, but we’re at home and it’s the first match so we need to give our all.”

He added: “We hope to see a big crowd there and that we can get a win. We want to make everyone happy as it’s the first game of the season. I’ve always had a good relationship with the fans. After the Real Madrid match I read in a few newspapers that I’d been booed but I didn’t hear any of that. When I left the pitch I heard them signing my name.

“I’m pleased because at the end of the day the most important thing is what you do on the pitch. I can certainly say that I’ll give my all for Roma for the next few years.”