Michele Di Gregorio Begins New Chapter at AFC Bournemouth
Michele Di Gregorio has drawn a sharp line under his Juventus past and thrown himself into a new chapter at AFC Bournemouth, calling the Premier League move an honour and the club “ambitious” – while quietly scrubbing all traces of the Bianconeri from his social media.
The 27-year-old goalkeeper has joined Bournemouth on a season-long loan with an option to buy, in a deal that could reach around €14m including bonuses. After two uneven seasons in Turin, he arrives on England’s south coast sounding refreshed and determined.
“I feel good, I feel happy, I'm very pleased to be here,” Di Gregorio said in his first interview with the club, speaking as Bournemouth embark on their first European campaign.
“I felt the club's strong desire to bring me here and I felt the club's ambition to continue growing and achieving great things. It's the first European experience for this club and I want to help out and hope to have a fantastic season.”
For a goalkeeper who has spent the last two years under the microscope at Juventus, the move carries both risk and opportunity. The Premier League stage, though, clearly appeals.
“The Premier League is definitely the best league in the world,” he said. “For me, it's an honour to be here and play in it and to be involved in matches at the highest level, I can't wait to get started.”
The decision did not come in isolation. Before committing to Bournemouth, Di Gregorio picked up the phone to a familiar face: Lloyd Kelly, his former Juventus teammate and a player who knows the club and the town inside out after five years at the Vitality Stadium.
“I spoke with (Lloyd) Kelly, I asked him because he'd already been here and he spoke very well of the club, the city and the life here,” Di Gregorio explained. “He recommended this move to me. I also had the chance to speak with him about the Premier League and he told me it's a fantastic league where the games are always open and it's truly the best in the world.”
If there is any lingering sentiment towards Juventus, it is well hidden. Di Gregorio’s social media profiles no longer show any sign of his former club, a small but pointed gesture after a spell that ended with criticism and doubts over his reliability.
On the pitch, though, he insists those two years have hardened him.
“I believe I'm a very strong, reactive goalkeeper,” he said. “Being here and testing myself in this league where there are lots of top goalkeepers will help further my development.
“Being at Juventus over the last two years allowed me to grow to a European level having played in the Champions League for the last two years. I believe that will serve me well and help me to help the team.”
Back in Turin, Juventus have already moved on. The club have brought in Guglielmo Vicario from Tottenham Hotspur on loan with an option to buy, a signing many supporters view as an upgrade after Di Gregorio’s late-season errors and shaky displays.
Bournemouth, by contrast, see a goalkeeper with scars, experience and something to prove. The Premier League will show soon enough which version of Michele Di Gregorio they have signed.
