Cassano on ‘dream’ return to Samp: “I hoped it would happen every time the transfer window opened. Here to win”

Call it destiny or what you will, but the paths of Antonio Cassano and Sampdoria were clearly meant to reconverge. And so, five years on since he last wore Doria blue, the mercurial striker is back where he always wanted to be, wearing the Sampdoria No.99 shirt.

“Every time the transfer window opened I tried to find a way to come back to Sampdoria. Now that dream has come true,” he told journalists at his official unveiling this afternoon.

“The team we have here now is even better than the one I used to play in,” he continued. “I want to do my bit to help. I have targets of my own I want to achieve. I haven’t just come here for a cushy retirement. And I can promise you one thing: I’m not going to screw up again.”

The 33-year-old’s return to the club has been met with a mixed reception from fans, but Cassano insists he should be judged on his performances.

“All I know is that it’s what happens on that pitch that really matters. I’m just going to roll my sleeves up and give it everything I’ve got.”

Journalists then asked him about his relationship with Walter Zenga: “We spoke on the phone. The team had different needs initially but the situation has changed since then.”

The forward was also keen to stress that he has not been in contact with Mario Balotelli despite media reports suggesting he has called the Liverpool striker to talk him into joining Sampdoria.

“That’s all been made up by the papers,” he responded, visibly annoyed. “We have Eder and Muriel here who are two fantastic strikers and I’d be showing them a lack of respect if I were to do that.”

Roberto Soriano is another name that has been in the papers recently and Fantantonio had no shortage of praise for the Italy midfielder: “Roberto is an excellent player. He’s a Samp player and I’m delighted to be on the same team as him. As I said, we have some fantastic footballers here.”