Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
HELLO VILLA! I’M RARING TO DIEGO-GO-GO
Carlos vows to ‘fight to the max’ for Gerrard and insists: I have all the passion, my team can count on me... this is a dream
BY
DIEGO CARLOS has told Aston Villa fans he will “fight to the max” to turn Steven Gerrard’s vision into reality.
The central defender joins next week from Sevilla and will hook up with his Brazil team-mates, Philippe Coutinho and Douglas Luiz.
And while the Samba connection conjures up images of fantasy football, the 29-yearold insists there will be grit and commitment from him, first and foremost.
“I’ll have all the passion,” he said after agreeing a four-year contract with Villa. “My club can count on me.
“I couldn’t sleep. I was extremely happy. I can’t believe I’m here because it’s a dream to compete in the Premier League.
“From the point I start wearing this shirt, I’m going to fight to the max. And I’m going to give it 100 percent. I’ll always be available and you can always count on me to do my best.”
Gerrard’s stated desire is to shape a team that is not happy just to be in the Premier League but to push well into the top half and challenge for European competition. In Carlos, he is getting the sort of experience he wants.
He played three years at Sevilla, where he won the Europa League. In the final he conceded a penalty to Romelu Lukaku after just five minutes, but made up for it with a spectacular overhead kick that Lukaku deflected into his own net for the winner.
“Since I spoke to the club and my agent, we knew the objectives of the club,” said Carlos. “We know where we want to get to and that’s something that made me excited to come here. The manager was a fantastic player, a very, very good one – a big star. When I start to work I can speak to him about what he wants from me.
“I’ve had the pleasure to play in Portugal, France and Spain. And now I have a big opportunity to play in England. I’m really happy because the Premier League is one of the best competitions.
“I had three years in Spain with Sevilla. I’ve played more than 115 games, so I think I have good numbers, a good record and my ambition is always getting bigger. I hope I can show off my football and impress the club.
“All the countries that I have passed through, I’ve always adapted very quickly. I have competed in all these countries, played lots of games, and now I’m on a new stage. As you have experience in three different countries, you can bring that with you.
‘‘And I hope, with the experience I’ve had in these three countries, I can impress my team-mates and my club and we can achieve great things.”
Teaming up with his Brazilian pals is the icing on the cake for Carlos and he added: “I know Douglas from the Olympic Games. We had the pleasure of winning the gold medal together (the pair celebrate at Tokyo 2020, far left).
“And Philippe (left), I spoke to him on the phone, he congratulated me on being here. He is a phenomenon.”
Neil Critchley has left Blackpool to become Gerrard’s assistant manager at Villa.
The 43-year-old, who guided the Seasiders to League One promotion in 2020-21, knows Gerrard from his time working at Liverpool’s academy.