AS Torino of Italy defender, Ola Aina is basking in the euphoria of his full duration action in his side’s victory against AC Milan, but admits it might not have been possible had he not faced up to the tough decision of leaving Chelsea of England top join The Maroons, megasportsarena.com reports.
Aina has hit top marks since first moving to Torino on loan from Stamford Bridge, after which his deal was extended into a full contract this summer, but the dark-skinned former England youth international admits it was never an easy decision for him making the switch.
The 22-year-old Aina, who was born in South London and joined Chelsea as a kid in 2007, recalled that many fans and colleagues advised him to stick with The Blues, as he was already tipped for a bright future at Stamford Bridge, such that it was basically up to his determination and self-belief that he eventually opted to sign a permanent deal after impressing on loan last season.
He recounted that Chelsea had been everything about his early life in football, where he learnt all he knows about the round leather game, and the odds looked even more daunting when one of the London club’s former players, Eddie Newton, who is part of Frank Lampard’s management crew in the current set up, even urged him to stay put.
Aina told London Weekly News: “It was tough because that is all I knew, my whole life. It was a hard decision, but for me, just going on the season I had last season, it was right for me to do.
“I had a lot of contact with Eddie Newton. I spoke with Eddie at length and in detail so we both came to sort of an agreement and he wished me all the best of luck and said if I ever needed his help, or some of the staff’s help in future, I could always knock on their door.
“When Antonio [Conte] was there [as manager] I know I had a bit of a chance but I was still young and still had a lot to learn. I had a good season here on loan so I was really happy to come back. They exercised their option and it was sort of a no-brainer really.”