Josh Doig assures the move from Verona to Sassuolo was ‘a no-brainer’ and coming to Serie A was ‘the best decision of my life.’
The 21-year-old Scotland international came up through the academies of Hearts and Hibernian, making the transfer to Verona in the summer of 2022 for €3.6m.
He impressed so much that he was in negotiations with Olympique Marseille, only for Sassuolo to outbid the Ligue 1 giants and secure his signature for €6m.
“When they came in for me, it was a no-brainer. I 100 per cent wanted to go there. My first few days have been amazing, inside football and outside football, everyone has just been amazing,” he told the official Sassuolo website.
“I’ve been trying to speak as much Italian as possible, but there are many English-speaking guys here too.”
Like Verona, Doig is going to be in the thick of the relegation battle in Serie A this season.
“It’s exciting, it’s a difficult place to be, but in my time in Italy I’ve probably spent most of my time there. I know how vital it is to pick up points in every single game. It’s another challenge to make sure we stay up and I believe we will.
“I can’t wait to get into the first games.”
It has certainly changed his career to go from Hibernian to Hellas Verona and now Sassuolo.
“My life in Italy is very different to how it was in Scotland. I think coming here was the best decision of my life. There were ups and downs, of course, but the transfer to Sassuolo is great.
“I always followed Italian football and my father was obsessed with it, so him seeing me play here is fantastic. It’s one of the most important leagues in the world.
“I think that I really improved in my defending in Italy, there is this incredible focus on the details and I learned a lot.”
Doig is not the only Scottish player to have impressed in Italy, as he is friends with Bologna midfielder Lewis Ferguson and their respective partners get along well too.
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