Leo Skiri Østigård fell out of form and ended up in an unfortunate position after manager Luciano Spalletti left Napoli and shortly after took over as national team manager for Italy. – It ended with a sale, various loan agreements, the last one in Genoa that was successful and led to a purchase this winter.
The road back to top form has been long and considering that he is a centre-back and extraordinarily goal-rich.
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“He looks like a lion”
Genoa’s manager Daniele De Rossi has been very inspiring for Leo Skiri Østigård, which he describes in an interview with VG. “You have become the highest scoring stopper in Genoa in a single season ever. How is that?
“It’s fun to score goals, it’s a bonus. The main task is to defend goals, but I’ve always liked to score,” says Østigård, who has scored five goals in 24 games in Serie A – just one goal behind the club’s top scorer Lorenzo Colombo. He remembers the first meeting well.
“He looks like a lion when he stands there and screams in the meeting room and is really “hyped” up. You’re sitting there and just, ‘Okay, now I’m ready to go out on that pitch here.’
– What buttons has he pushed with you?
“It’s small tactical things he’s said that are important, and then he’s got the whole gang to turn up the volume a bit – and be on all the way in training and in matches. He is good at small details that are important to me in my position. You want to make him happy, and he puts pressure on me,” Østigård explains.
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As a player, De Rossi had the nickname “Capitan Futuro” in Rome. According to Østigård, De Rossi is a leader you want to go to war for.
“He’s someone you really put in the work for and fight for. It costs him a lot to constantly give everything, but it is incredibly important for us players.
The success has brought a giant into the mix, where his old boss at Napoli, who was also inspiring, has initiated a contact.
Juventus is reported to have contacted Østigård’s agent
It has only been a couple of months since Leo Skiri Østigård made the switch from Rennes to Genoa, where he signed a contract that lasts until 2030.
Now it is stated that Juventus’ sporting director Marco Ottolini has been in contact with the Norwegian’s representative Luca Ariatti. According to Tuttomercatoweb, they met very recently at a hotel.
The conversation is described as initial and “hypothetical” about a possible transition. At the same time, it is stated that Juve coach Luciano Spalletti admires the 26-year-old. Spalletti led Østigård in Napoli, while sporting director Ottolini has worked with the Norwegian in Genoa.
At Genoa, he has become the team’s top scoring stopper and plays under Daniele De Rossi.
