Vedat Muriqi revealed that he asked Pepe Reina and Luis Alberto about Mallorca before moving away from Lazio.
Speaking in an interview with Spanish media outlet Cadena Ser (via LazioNews24) earlier today, the 27-year-old Kosovan forward first discussed his decision to move to Mallorca and why he left the Biancocelesti.
I’m very happy and I feel like I’ve been on the island for a long time. I hope to stay there for a long time. Mallorca was interested, I did some reading about the city. About the club I asked my Lazio teammates, Reina and Luis Alberto.
They spoke very highly of it, so I decided to accept. I didn’t play much at Lazio, the truth is that they didn’t give me many opportunities. Fenerbahce did.
He then highlighted how he wants to show the best Muriqi with Mallorca.
I always want to show the real Muriqi. I am a striker, but I always sacrifice myself in defence for the good of the team. And that’s what I want to see at Mallorca, that I give everything for the team, on and off the pitch. It is normal that the fans want the best for their club.
I hadn’t played for a year and a half and I understand that there were doubts about me. That’s why I’m grateful to the coach and the sporting director, I want to repay the trust they put in me.
I want to show who I am. I realised that the fans appreciated my game and enjoyed it a lot. I want to continue in this way
The 27-year-old Muriqi joined Mallorca on a six-month loan deal with a buy option attached from Lazio, who are ready to cut their ties with the Kosovan after a disappointing 18 months in Rome.
Muriqi signed for Lazio for €20 million from Fenerbahce in September 2020, but he never made a strong impression in Rome, struggling to replicate the form he’d show in Turkey.
The Kosovan forward made 49 appearances across all competitions during his 18 months with the Biancocelesti, for a total of 1566 minutes. In that time, he scored only two goals and provided two assists, failing to get off the ground.