While Roma failed to make a deadline-day signing, it wasn’t for lack of effort. From sending a private plane to Stuttgart to convince Jamie Leweling to their valiant attempt at trimming the Russian bureaucracy to land Zenit wide man Luiz Henrique, Tony D’Amico worked until the bitter end to acquire a new left-winger for Gian Piero Gasperini.
He may have come up empty in his 11th-hour swings, but that doesn’t mean D’Amico is out of options or that Gasperini must go without a left winger for the next
several months. Now that the transfer window is officially shut, clubs across Europe will be scouring the Bosman market, hoping to find a bargain in the free agent bin.
These players are without contracts for a reason, and while post-window free agency isn’t a strategy Roma uses often, there are a few intriguing options they might explore. So, let’s take a look at the best of the rest.
Jadon Sancho (FW/LW)
We’re all familiar with his baggage, but this is still the same player Roma reportedly fought tooth and nail to sign last season. Instead of joining the Giallorossi, Sancho took his talents to Aston Villa, where he squandered yet another chance to resurrect his career, managing only two assists in 23 league appearances at Villa Park. Yet his continued struggles could be Roma’s gain—if they’re willing to look past the scratches and dents.
Last month, we explored the pros and cons of signing Sancho, and while he’s far from an ideal fit, necessity remains the mother of invention. Roma needs an inverted left-winger, and Jadon Sancho is, among other things, an inverted left-winger. Even if he’s no longer suited to be the face of a club, the damaged-goods version of Sancho can still work in Gasperini’s system:
He may never regain the flash of his Dortmund form and appears to have lost the one-on-one ferocity of his youth, but this could actually play to his advantage in Italy. The highlight-reel plays may have disappeared for the moment, but Sancho’s ability to receive the ball under pressure, dribble through tight spaces, cut in from wide areas, and work combinations at the edge of the area could make him a suitable foil for players like Paulo Dybala and Donyell Malen, among others. This stripped-down version of Sancho could play well in Serie A.
A long shot? Sure, but the mutual desperation between Roma and Sancho could make for successful, albeit strange, bedfellows.
Wilfried Zaha (FW/LW)
The Ivorian forward, most recently at Charlotte FC, has disappeared from the European scene in recent seasons, but his track record in England suggests that he’d be a reliable pair of hands off the bench. With nearly 500 appearances in European competitions, there isn’t much Zaha hasn’t seen or experienced on a football pitch. While he’s a long way past his Crystal Palace peak, Zaha still managed 29 goals and 11 assists since the start of the 2022-2023 season, his last with Palace.
Adding Zaha would be a pure depth move, but when the going gets tough, and the matches are rolling in twice a week or three times in 10 days, he’d be a dependable option off the bench.
Raphaël Guerreiro (WB/MF)
No one ever confused the 32-year-old Portuguese utilityman for a superstar, but Guerreiro is coming off a productive 10-year run in the Bundesliga. Since the beginning of the 2016-2017 season, when he was a 22-year-old up-and-comer with Dortmund, Guerreiro has compiled 54 goals and 52 assists in 319 appearances with BVB and Bayern Munich.
While he’s been waylaid by a series of minor injuries over the past year or so, Guerreiro still managed 15 goal contributions (9G, 6A) in 2,200 minutes over the past two Bundesliga seasons. Capable of playing both wing-back spots, attacking midfield, and even forward in a pinch, Guerreiro offers incredible versatility and could spell everyone from Wesley to Matías Soulé.
So, what do you think: Should Roma take a flyer on any of these players or stand pat?
