“I don’t know how they got in,” laughs Keinan Davis.
The striker had scored the most important goal of his career and returned to his apartment to find ‘thank you’ posters and stickers from Udinese fans across his front door.
Davis’ first goal in Italy was also the one that kept Udinese in Serie A on the final day of last season, the substitute netting a 76th-minute winner at Frosinone that relegated the hosts and lifted his own club to 15th and safety.
“That was probably the best feeling I’ve ever had in football,” adds the Englishman, who missed most of his debut season in Italy because of a calf injury.
“In football, you get your respect on the field with your team-mates and not being able to do it was a bit difficult. But it was all worth it to score that goal – 100%.”
From almost dropping out of the division in May, Udinese are now eighth, just three points off top spot, a position they occupied before defeats by Roma and Inter Milan.
Davis, largely from the bench, has already made more appearances this term than in his injury-hit first season, and has benefitted from the arrival of English-speaking head coach Kosta Runjaic.
The striker’s route to Udine, in north east Italy, has been unconventional.
Davis grew up in Stevenage but was let go by the League One club and was playing under-18s football at seventh-tier Biggleswade Town when he was scouted and signed by Aston Villa, going on to make more than 70 appearances in the Championship and Premier League before loan spells at Nottingham Forest and Watford.
In September 2023 Davis joined Udinese for an undisclosed fee.
“I was a bit scared to leave England because that’s obviously all I knew,” explains the 26-year-old. “When you get older different situations arise, like this one. It opened my mind to playing in a different country, learning a different language.”
He watched former Villa team-mate Tammy Abraham succeed at Roma, and now AC Milan, and brings a physicality to Serie A which can be rare.
“The tactical side of it is slower than English football,” says Davis. “I am physical and there are not really too many of those types of player.
“You see [Romelu] Lukaku and people with physical attributes do well. In England everybody is physical and everybody is fast.”
Joining Udinese has also presented Davis with the opportunity to link up and learn from one of his heroes.