Francesco Calvo joined Aston Villa as the Director of Business Operations last year. The Italian has now spoken about the culture at the club and his perception of the Premier League.
The move to Birmingham came right after his exit from Juventus. His decision to leave had caused alarm in Turin. It also came at a point when the Old Lady were in a difficult battle for the top four.
SportWitness covered this closely, as Aston Villa also didn’t have to pay compensation to land the Italian.
Now settled in his Villa role, Calvo has spoken in detail about his career, times at Juve and how things are in England.
Shot fired at Juventus
In a interview with Corriere Torino, Calvo opened up about his exit from Juve. He fired shots at the Bianconeri, revealing they’re more about numbers than a footballing culture now.
“Leaving this Juventus wasn’t too difficult for one reason. The club I spent time with has always been a family, but now I feel like that spirit has been lost, as has the human aspect.
“Agnelli, Marotta, Cherubini: it’s the people who make the difference. Now they seem more like numbers than people.”
He also said that things are much different in England, where everyone seems to have lower ego.
“In Italy, everyone is a protagonist: players, coaches, managers, presidents, each with their own ego; in England, only players and coaches are. There’s much less politics, people work more calmly, and things are done for a specific business objective.”
“There’s much more unity of purpose in creating a winning product model; in Italy, that’s very rare.”
Praise and warning for Aston Villa
He went on to praise the culture at the Birmingham club, noting how close Aston Villa are to the fans. This is also much different to how things are in Italian football.
When asked about the Europa League title win, he said: “It was a unique evening. For the club, for the players, some of whom, like captain McGinn and Mings, have come all the way from the Championship to the top, for the fans who have been waiting for this success for 44 years.
“The bond between club and fans here in England is unlike anything else. We’ve experienced incredibly strong emotions.”
When speaking about the Premier League, Calvo also hinted at seeing Aston Villa as a launch pad for his career. This is also because of how the English top-flight operates like the NBA.
“The Premier League is the pinnacle of football; it’s like the NBA is for basketball. I’m in a top position, I have full responsibility for what I do, and I learn a lot. I don’t know if it’s a point of arrival—perhaps looking back—but it’s certainly also a starting point.”
Calvo promoting himself well
The interview is quite detailed, as Calvo goes on to talk about his journey which started in sales. But it is also one way for him to promote his image, especially with Aston Villa recently winning the Europa League.
The timing couldn’t be better either. Juventus have failed to qualify for the Champions League days after the Villans’ achievement. There continues to be off-pitch chaos, which is in stark contrast to how things are at Aston Villa.
That is probably why Calvo feels like he is in a better place. His story feels inspirational and at 48, there is every chance he gets another opportunity elsewhere soon.