For weeks, the conversation surrounding Roma’s summer transfer window centered on one question: who would be sacrificed? For a club like Roma, who have long had pretty strict Financial Fair Play obligations due to debt accrual under previous ownership groups, these deadlines seem to turn every rumor into a five-alarm fire. Every report linking Mile Svilar, Matías Soulé, Manu Koné, Evan Ndicka, or Niccolò Pisilli with a move elsewhere felt at least somewhat plausible because Roma appeared to be negotiating
from a position of necessity.
Instead, June 30 came and went without the apocalypse. If the latest reports are accurate, that’s exactly how new sporting director Tony D’Amico wanted it. According to multiple outlets, Roma rebuffed Juventus’ late attempts to pry away Mile Svilar from i Lupi, with reports ranging from a €35-40 million proposal to suggestions that the Giallorossi wouldn’t even entertain negotiations below roughly €60 million. The message was unmistakable: the best goalkeeper in Serie A isn’t for sale just because it’s June 30.
That stance becomes even more encouraging when paired with reports surrounding Niccolò Pisilli. The academy graduate and future star of the Italian national team (I hope) has reportedly drawn interest from several major Italian clubs, including Inter, but Roma have attached an eye-popping valuation of at least €40 million to the 21-year-old midfielder. More importantly, there appears to be little appetite inside Trigoria to negotiate at all. As a big Pisilli fan and someone who worried that he may become a sacrificial lamb if deals for the likes of Matias Soulé didn’t materialize, I can’t overstate how thrilling this result is. True, Pisilli hasn’t always been a guaranteed starter, but that’s hardly unusual for a midfielder his age. Yet he’s already become a full Italian international, signed a long-term contract through 2029, and continues to develop into the sort of energetic, intelligent box-to-box midfielder every top club spends years trying to find. Selling him now would mean cashing in before discovering exactly how high his ceiling reaches.
The case for keeping Svilar around is even more obvious and even stronger. After arriving on a free transfer only a few years ago in what was clearly Tiago Pinto’s best gift to this club, the goalkeeper who really should be with the Belgian national team at this year’s World Cup, but isn’t due to inane issues surrounding his eligibility, has transformed himself into Roma’s most indispensable player. His reflexes, command of the penalty area, and consistency rescued countless points last season, helping Roma return to the Champions League while finally ending years of uncertainty between the posts. Finding another goalkeeper capable of delivering that level simply isn’t realistic, regardless of how large the transfer fee might be. Remember how long Roma had to wait for Svilar after Alisson Becker departed for Liverpool? Yeah, me too, and I don’t want that to happen again.
What excites me most now that we’re firmly in July is that D’Amico appears to have identified the players he considers foundational and has simply refused to negotiate from a position of weakness. Instead of asking “Who has to go?” Roma seems to be asking “Who do we want to build around?” What a breath of fresh air. For years, Roma supporters have watched the club sell foundational players because accounting demanded it. Mohamed Salah. Alisson. Antonio Rüdiger. Erik Lamela. Marquinhos. The names change, but the feeling rarely did. Progress on the pitch was often interrupted by balance-sheet realities, leading to stars for Roma becoming superstars somewhere else.
As Steve wrote about earlier this week, the decision of The Friedkin Group to reportedly eat the UEFA fines instead of selling off prized players feels significant, and perhaps just the breakthrough this club has needed for over a decade. D’Amico still has plenty of work ahead. Roma need reinforcements, outgoing transfers will eventually materialize (I still expect Soulé gone by the end of this summer, there’s just too much smoke), and no player is ever completely untouchable if the right offer arrives.
Still, after an anxious June where everyone from Manu Koné to Donyell Malen was reportedly in the sights of another club, it’s nice that Romanisti can seemingly exhale, and be confident in the fact that this new DS, and this ownership group, are valuing continuity just as much as they’ve valued splashy signings since coming to Rome. For a club looking to take its first year back in the Champions League and turn it into a more permanent home, that’s the kind of approach that’s desperately needed.
