The Italian Serie A season is now a month into 2022 after its winter break and KSN has been catching up with Kent “export” Luis Binks and his season in Bologna.

Luis has begun 2022 in the starting eleven, and admitted to us, “Yeah, obviously it’s nice to play and that’s what you want as a footballer, so to be rewarded with a few starts and more game time is brilliant and so valuable for me.”

“I’ve been learning ever since I arrived in Italy and working hard so when you are rewarded it’s brilliant.”

However, results haven’t gone their way as Bologna have slipped out of the chase for European football. “No one in sport likes losing,” Luis told us, “but I can honestly say the team here in Bologna are so together.”

“The spirit and togetherness have never changed even if we were going through a tough patch. The same for the manager, everyone is on board with him and wants to win for him and with him.”

He’s clearly on board with the Italian lifestyle and was recently seen on a club video… being interviewed in Italian!!!

“It was difficult,” Luis smiled. “I’ve been here 8 months now and have picked up bits on the way, but the Italian language is so hard!”

“I’ve recently just started having proper lessons so hopefully I can pick it up and be fluent in no time. I can understand far more than I can speak, speaking is another problem, ha-ha!”

In one of their recent games, Luis played at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome the day before England’s recent Six Nations win there. Luis told us about that weekend… 

“We stayed in a hotel the day before the game and England rugby team were actually staying there. I got chatting to one of the players in the lift which was a squeeze as they were massive and made me look pathetic, ha-ha!”

“The Stadio Olimpico was a great stadium and to be there and be on the inside was brilliant as you could just see how great it was. I was there in the summer for the Euros, Italy v Wales and England v Ukraine and I said to my dad that my target was to get in the squad that plays against Lazio, so that was great for me, but hopefully next season I’ll go one better and start!”

“I’ve had a lot of moments that stand out to me so far, like playing against AC Milan, who growing up was a team I loved watching, playing in famous stadiums such as our home stadium where England played Belgium in Italia 90, the Diego Armando Maradona stadium, Stadio Olimpico in Rome.”

“But the one that stands out for me is my full debut against Udinese and my full home debut against Napoli as it’s a moment I’ve dreamed of, to make my debut in such a prestigious league and in front of such great fans in Bologna.” 

Thoughts then turned to home and the plight of his home town club; Luis told us, “the Neil Harris appointment is great for Gills. He’s had a great career as a player and had some big clubs as a manager.”

“I think he’s someone that Gills needed, he’s come in and straight away you can see more of an identity. It’s obviously going to be hard to get out of the situation they’re in because he’s inherited a squad that’s not his bar Thompson who I think is a good player and someone they needed.”

“It’s important that he’s given time and if he’s given time then I’m sure Gills can become a side that the local people want to go and watch and succeed.”