Michael Kayode on the Premier League's Fast Tempo
Michael Kayode has only just unpacked his bags in England, but he already thinks he has solved one of football’s favourite debates: why does the Premier League feel like it’s played at fast‑forward?
The Italy Under-21 right-back, a product of Juventus and Fiorentina’s academies, swapped Serie A for west London in January 2025 in an €18m move to Brentford. Since then, he has barely missed a beat. Forty-one appearances, one goal, two assists, and a starting role for his country’s U21s tell their own story.
Yet for Kayode, the real difference lies away from the cameras.
‘You only train as much as you need to’
“The training is much tougher in Italy, and you get far fewer days off,” he told Chiamarsi Bomber, laying bare a contrast that surprises many outside the game.
In England, his week looks very different.
“Here you train 4-5 times a week, then you rest a lot more. Perhaps this is why people think English football has a higher tempo, because you only train as much as you need to, then feel fresh both physically and mentally once you play the game.”
That freshness, he believes, fuels the Premier League’s relentless rhythm. Players arrive at kick-off with legs and minds recharged, not drained.
“It gives you more time to spend with your loved ones,” he added. That detail matters. A settled life off the pitch often sharpens performances on it.
The ball work has changed too.
“The training sessions are almost all 11 against 11, we rarely spend that much time focusing on tactics. It’s about taking men on.”
Less chalkboard, more duels. Fewer rehearsed patterns, more instinct. For a modern full-back who thrives in one‑v‑one situations, it is a playground.
From being “dumped” by Juve to the Premier League
Kayode’s path to this point has not been smooth. It started in the Juventus youth ranks, took in a loan spell at Gozzano, and then a decisive moment: Juve did not want him back.
For many teenagers, that kind of rejection can crush a career before it starts. Kayode turned it into fuel.
“I might seem crazy, but I don’t regret it at all, because the fact Juve dumped me did give me the strength to reach this level,” he said.
The numbers underline how brutal that world can be.
“We were around 60 kids in that group and only 2-3 now play at professional level.”
Gozzano, in Serie D, became his proving ground.
“Gozzano gave me the chance at age 16 to play against older opponents, Serie D is very different to a youth team.”
No frills, no safety net, just senior football against men fighting for their livelihoods. It hardened him, technically and mentally, in ways academy football rarely can.
Fiorentina’s influence
From there, Fiorentina offered a new stage and, crucially, the right mentors.
“I loved being at Fiorentina, Alberto Aquilani was a great coach, both tactically and as a person,” Kayode said. Under Aquilani, he refined his understanding of the game, adding structure to the raw edge forged in Serie D.
Then came the call that every youngster waits for.
“Vincenzo Italiano called me into the senior squad and his mentality is incredible, he always wants you focused.”
That demand for total concentration, for never switching off, has followed Kayode to England. It shows in the way he has adapted to the Premier League’s chaos: aggressive in duels, quick in transition, but schooled in the tactical discipline of Italian football.
From being one of 60 kids in a Juventus group to one of only a handful now playing professionally, from Serie D at 16 to Brentford’s right flank and Italy’s U21s, Kayode has already lived a career’s worth of turning points.
The club that once let him go may not regret their decision. He certainly doesn’t.
