Having grown up in Stevenage, Keinan Davis joined Aston Villa's academy at the age of 17 before going on to make over 70 league appearances for the Birmingham-based club. In 2022, he was sent on loan to then-Championship side Nottingham Forest, before spending a second loan spell at Watford.
In September 2023, Davis joined Italian club Udinese for an undisclosed fee, signing a four-year contract. After two lean seasons in front of goal, the 28-year-old has now found scoring form, with Udinese also in the top half of the Serie A standings as it stands.
In what follows, Davis explains why Udinese was such an attractive destination and what makes him so effective alongside his strike partner Nicolo Zaniolo.
Keinan, it's somewhat rare for an English footballer to play in Serie A. Not many Englishmen are there, so how do you find life in Italy and was it easy to get used to the style of play?
"Um, yeah, it is obviously different from England. But as you said in the beginning, it's kind of rare for an English player to be playing in Italy. So, to make the decision to come here wasn't easy, but of course, you see players like (Fikayo) Tomori or Tammy Abraham come here, and you could believe they're from my generation.
"So if you see them come here and they do very well for their teams, it gives you a positive influence to come here as well. And then to get used to the league, of course, it takes a bit of time, but once you're here for a season or two, you begin to just pick up the culture and just pick up different stuff and how the way it is, so it becomes easier, I would say."
What about the Italian lifestyle? Was that something that you got used to pretty quickly?
"Yeah, kind of. But I need to say that for me, it's wherever I would be, it would be the same, you know. I don't really do too much. I obviously have a daughter and my girlfriend, so I would just play with my daughter. Take her to the park, she has just started school now, so my life is very basic.
"It's very football-focused, so in my free time I'll be recovering, but we spend a lot of time here, you know, so the Italian lifestyle is no different from how I was living in England. So, yeah."
I want to ask about the well-known cooperation between Udinese and Watford, because you played for Watford previously. Was it up to you to decide whether you moved to Udinese, or was it more a directive?
"No, the situation was a bit different, as I was only on loan at Watford, so I was still signed to Aston Villa, so the decision was at the end, entirely up to me. Of course, when Udinese called me, I had to come out here just to see how it was.
"It was in the summer. It was very hot. I just came here to see, and it was very beautiful. And then I came, I saw the stadium, the training pitch, and stuff like that, and I really, really liked it. This obviously boosted my decision to come here. It was all up to me."
You already mentioned Tammy Abraham and Fikayo Tomori. Were they also some of the main reasons why you felt positive about moving to Serie A?
"Yeah. They're very positive examples. See, Tomori's won the title in Milan, and of course, we're not the same player, but to be from England... when you're in England, it's very rare, like you said, for people to come here. So when just one person does it, and he has success, then it becomes like a trend.
"So yeah, it was obviously just a good look to see people like me come out to Italy and achieve big things. So it helped to shape my decision. Everything came out of my decision, but it obviously added part of it to why I came here. Definitely."
Do you feel on the pitch that maybe you have an advantage against the Italian defenders because your hold-up play and physical style are rarer in the league?
"Of course, 100%. I looked at that before I came here as well, and what kind of impact I could have on the league out here. But my first two seasons here, I was injured a lot, so I didn't really get to play and get to really exercise my strokes as much as I wanted to.
"But this year, I'm able to do that, and with how my form has been, you can definitely see that it's coming to fruition, so I hope it can just continue."
You've scored eight goals in Serie A already this campaign. Was there any personal target for you before the start of the season?
"Of course. As a striker, to score goals is your job, and it's what you wanna do. So for me, obviously, I wanna score double digits minimum. I hope I can achieve this.
"And yes, I set up my personal goals before the start of the season. I think it's good to have goals, to see how close you can get to them, or even if you go past them. And then in the summer, you can reflect on what you can do next season. That is my attitude."
Is there anything from your years in the UK that you are bringing to the pitch in terms of tactics?
"I would say just being very aggressive. It's very tactical and defensive here, but I think as the game goes on, it opens up a bit, and teams start to drop off, or gaps seem to appear.
"But from growing up in England, to be aggressive and just to be tenacious is something that I was just kind of brought up with. To run hard and tackle hard, and be very front-footed. So when the game begins to open up later, I can begin to improve even more as the game goes on, so I'd definitely say this."
How is your partnership with Nicolo Zaniolo going? Because he's playing as a kind of second striker alongside you very often...
"Before the game with Fiorentina (in which Davis scored), I was out for four weeks, so I knew I wouldn't be 100% physically there, but I knew I could count on Nico to maybe hold off two or three players and help me.
"He's a top player. The career he's had, the places where he's been, and the clubs he's played for speak for themselves. A talented international, so it's good to have this type of player on our team."
It's kind of rare in current football to see such an offensive duo nowadays, as you are both physical players. It's a real powerhouse, and it's unique. Do you agree?
"Yeah, no, I agree with you. Obviously, back in the day, when it would be four-four-two, you would normally get two big strikers. Now the game has changed, but we're doing this with two strikers who are physically imposing.
"It's not a shock, but as you saw against Fiorentina, the defence is having to work extra hard. They have to deal with Nico and me. So, if they leave us one v. one, we're very good at this, holding the ball and turning. So, yeah, it's like a throwback, you know, to how it used to be back in the day. But it's very good to play with him."
Back to Udinese, the club is well-known for its player development and its ability to find talented players and then sell them to 'bigger' clubs. Did this reputation play a role in your decision to move here?
"Yeah, for sure. We've seen a lot of players, especially attackers, strikers like Lorenzo Lucca, who I played with last year. Beto, the year before that, and the list just goes on. They're very good at this. I don't know how they do it every year, but they've got this; they have the know-how for sure."
You are literally the example...
"Exactly. They've got the right recipe to just keep buying players and then developing them and selling them for a lot more. So, of course, this played a part in my decision to come here because something is obviously going right behind the scenes to be able to boost the players and give them the platform to perform well and then move on to a bigger club, which is obviously very good."
Now, is it also the ultimate goal, after playing for Udinese, to make the next step, ideally back to the Premier League?
"I really don't care about the league... Um, it's not even about moving on. I'm just really enjoying playing here now. Of course, I'm 28. If I were younger, then maybe I'd be looking like, 'Where can I go next?' But I'm enjoying it here.
"I like being here a lot. My family likes being here. So, I'm not in any rush to leave or anything like that. So, I'm just really in the moment and appreciating the moment at this time."
How important is the sustainable and ecological approach of the club? Is it something you reflect on and you're actually proud of?
"Yeah, of course, really. Obviously, football is not just about being on the pitch. Also us, the players, we had the presentation, where we were told about how the stadium has solar panels, how it powers the stadium on match days, how the energy is shared and stuff like that. An eco-friendly club is all positive. So, to be a part of that and to represent that is very good."
Keinan, thank you very much for your time!
"Cheers. Thank you."
