New Tottenham Hotspur signing Pierluigi Gollini had a few nice words to say about Stamford Bridge after his side drew with Chelsea last night.
Speaking to the club reporters, Gollini expressed how happy he was to be back in front of a packed stadium, even if Spurs’ supporters weren’t in attendance.
The two London rivals played out an exciting and enthralling 2-2 draw yesterday evening, with little indication it was a pre-season friendly.
Chelsea went two up thanks to a brace from Hakim Ziyech, only to be pegged back by Lucas Moura and Steven Bergwijn.
But the occasion was more about fans returning to the Bridge in full capacity for the first time since last March.
Gollini got the memo
As the visiting goalkeeper, whilst making your Tottenham debut, Gollini certainly felt the oxygen of all the Blues followers breathing down his neck.
Yet, to the ‘keepers’ credit, he soaked up the environment like any player who’s been starved of packed-out arenas for so long.
Following the match, he said: “I’m very happy. When I stepped into this stadium, I thought about the time I came here for the first time with the Man United academy.
“Today, I’m back here as a whole different player.
“I felt it to be honest (the tension). I don’t remember the last time I played in front of so many people.
“It was great to have an atmosphere. Unfortunately, our fans weren’t here.”
Golloni will have the chance to see the Tottenham faithful in the flesh on Sunday when they take on Arsenal in their North London home.
Chelsea’s next adventure is to face Villarreal in the UEFA Cup final a week on Wednesday.