Naouirou Ahamada is looking forward to developing under the tutelage of manager Patrick Vieira at Crystal Palace.
The Eagles’ newest addition is – like his new manager and French compatriot – a tall, strong, box-to-box midfielder, capable of influencing matches at both ends of the pitch.
At 20-years-old, who better to learn from in the Premier League, then, than Vieira, with Ahamada recognising the value of the development opportunity ahead of him in SE25.
Speaking to Palace TV in his first interview as a Palace player, Ahamada said: “I’m very happy to have joined this club. It is an amazing club, and I’m very excited to get started.
“Patrick Vieira is a big player in France. We have the same position. I spoke with him and I think it is a good way to progress in my career.
“We spoke about this team and about what I can do for the team. The feeling was good – I’m happy to be here.”
Asked to describe his own game, Ahamada continued: “I am a player who loves attacking and I defend also.
“I’m box-to-box and I love to have the ball and can run with it. My first position is [the] No.8 [role], but also [I can play as a] No.6.
“As a midfielder, [my idols were] Yaya Touré – and Zizou [Zinedine Zidane], because he’s French and [like me] he was born in Marseille!”
For such a young player, Ahamada has already accumulated an impressive degree of footballing experience throughout Europe, with spells in France, Italy and Germany, including 28 senior appearances for VfB Stuttgart.
The 20-year-old feels, however, that the Premier League with Palace represents the pinnacle: “The Premier League is the best league for me in the world, and it’s a dream to play in the Premier League. Palace gave me the opportunity to come.
“I want to show my quality, and I want to help this team with my quality. I want to play games, work hard, train hard and progress, and help the team.”
