Ex-Chelsea midfielder Djalo relishes reunion with coach Drummy

The miniature midfielder is relishing the old Chelsea connection and hopes to thrive again under his former coach.

The 24-year-old Guinea-Bissau international spent five years working under Drummy at Stamford Bridge as a youth player. Djalo has played football all over the world in Portugal, Romania, Poland and Finland as well as helping his country qualify for the African Cup of Nations.

The softly-spoken middle man says he and Drummy know each other inside out and hopes that will proves fruitful at Crawley.

He said: “Dermot has been my coach from the age of 15, so that makes me more comfortable of coming to Crawley to play my football.

“I know everything about Dermot and he knows everything about me. He gets the best from players, so I think that’s the reason he brought me here as he knows what I can do.

“The way he is trying to take the club and players he is trying to bring in all connect, so I think we will work well together.

“Me and Dermot have a good connection, when I arrived from Portugal my football style was dribbling and too many touches.

“I was a small player coming to England and Dermot was the one that changed my football and I started playing two-touch of three-touch and moving the ball quickly.

“I think that’s the reason he brought me here, he changed my football and knows I can play the way he expects the team to play.

“I am here to help the club to do the best I can, I hope we do well together. Since I left Chelsea we have been in touch and he knew what I was doing in all the countries I have been playing.

“He has been following me and thinks I am ready to be in this men’s league, I am happy to be here in England.”

Djalo was coached at Chelsea by Drummy as an under-15 through to under-21 and while he has played it lots of different countries since, he believes that has only bettered his game.

His international clearance failing to come though, preventing him from being involved in the Stevenage game, but having completed a post-match work out on the pitch, he was keen to talk to the media.

He added: “I didn’t know that much about Crawley to be honest, but I am looking forward to learning about them and giving my heart for Crawley.“It’s not a problem because I have been playing in lots of other countries.

“In Poland, Finland, Romania and Portugal too, so I have a bit for each county in me. Plus England, I was here five years ago so I am ready for any challenge.

“It’s still football, nothing changes, people are looking to win the game.

“You have to win three points, it’s always the same, you are looking to get promoted, to win the league, so it doesn’t matter if it’s League One or League Two.”

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