PALERMO, Aug 7 (SW) – Palermo fullback Cristian Zaccardo has turned down the chance to join Monaco.

The Italian international has admitted that he was happy to remain with the Sicilian outfit, although wouldn’t rule out a future move.

“I didn’t want a change of scenery because I have always been very happy at Palermo,” revealed the 24-year-old.

“However, I will admit that if the opportunity to join one of the truly great clubs had come my way, I wouldn’t have wanted to turn it down. I said no to Monaco despite a very lucrative financial package that was difficult to reject. At my age, though, I think it’s still early to focus on the economic aspect of the sport.


“The return of Coach Francesco Guidolin on the bench contributed in a crucial manner to my decision, as I owe him a great deal and enjoyed working with him in the past. Besides, to be perfectly honest, none of the big Italian clubs showed an interest in me this summer.”