' Lazio Goalkeeper / Cardiff City '
Sat Mar 25, 2017 4:40 pm
Former Albania international reveals how his son almost joined Cardiff City instead of Lazio
By Ian Michelmore
Saturday 25th March 2017
Former Albania international Foto Strakosha has revealed how his son Thomas nearly signed for Cardiff City before re-joining Italian side Lazio.
Strakosha Jr followed in his father's footsteps on Friday night by becoming and Albanian international having won his first full cap in his side's 2-0 World Cup qualifying defeat to Italy, with his opposite number Gianluigi Buffon playing his 1,000th career game.
And after the match, his father Foto - who earned 73 caps for Albania between 1990 and 2005 - revealed how his son almost signed for the Bluebirds before he re-joined Serie A giants Lazio after a loan spell with Serie B side U.S Salernitana.
"It’s all going very well at Lazio and he made the right choice by going there, which is fortunate, because Thomas was about to join Cardiff," Foto Strakosha told Football Italia .
"We decided together to stick with Italy, where football is of a very high level and he’s done a brilliant job.
"I didn’t need to give him much advice, I just told him to stay calm to the end. He didn’t let himself be influenced by the fact he had important rivals ahead of him."
Strakosha, 22, has made 15 appearances for the Italian side so far this season, keeping an impressive seven clean sheets to help continue Lazio's push for Champions League football.
Cardiff boss Neil Warnock has made no secrets of his desire to strengthen his goalkeeping options in the summer as he bids to boost his side's bid to challenge for promotion into the promised land of the Premier League.
The Yorkshireman previously revealed that it is unlikely the club will be able to keep Scot Allan McGregor - currently on loan from Hull - at the club for next season due to financial reasons.
Lazio's Albanian goalkeeper Thomas Strakosha
By Ian Michelmore
Saturday 25th March 2017
Former Albania international Foto Strakosha has revealed how his son Thomas nearly signed for Cardiff City before re-joining Italian side Lazio.
Strakosha Jr followed in his father's footsteps on Friday night by becoming and Albanian international having won his first full cap in his side's 2-0 World Cup qualifying defeat to Italy, with his opposite number Gianluigi Buffon playing his 1,000th career game.
And after the match, his father Foto - who earned 73 caps for Albania between 1990 and 2005 - revealed how his son almost signed for the Bluebirds before he re-joined Serie A giants Lazio after a loan spell with Serie B side U.S Salernitana.
"It’s all going very well at Lazio and he made the right choice by going there, which is fortunate, because Thomas was about to join Cardiff," Foto Strakosha told Football Italia .
"We decided together to stick with Italy, where football is of a very high level and he’s done a brilliant job.
"I didn’t need to give him much advice, I just told him to stay calm to the end. He didn’t let himself be influenced by the fact he had important rivals ahead of him."
Strakosha, 22, has made 15 appearances for the Italian side so far this season, keeping an impressive seven clean sheets to help continue Lazio's push for Champions League football.
Cardiff boss Neil Warnock has made no secrets of his desire to strengthen his goalkeeping options in the summer as he bids to boost his side's bid to challenge for promotion into the promised land of the Premier League.
The Yorkshireman previously revealed that it is unlikely the club will be able to keep Scot Allan McGregor - currently on loan from Hull - at the club for next season due to financial reasons.
Lazio's Albanian goalkeeper Thomas Strakosha
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Re: ' Lazio Goalkeeper / Cardiff City '
Sat Mar 25, 2017 9:44 pm
good welsh name there thomas 