Roma had far more glamorous signings than Leonardo Balerdi this summer. The Rodrigo Mora saga, the signing of Santiago Castro, even the (obvious) decision to turn Donyell Malen’s transfer into a permanent move to Roma: all three came with far more pizzazz than the last-second loan signing of Balerdi from Marseille.
You’d never know that fact from watching the Argentine international in his first month with the Giallorossi, however. Balerdi has quickly gone from an afterthought of a summer signing
to arguably the most interesting development in Gian Piero Gasperini’s defense. After sitting out Roma’s first match of the season, Balerdi came off the bench against Atalanta and Fenerbahçe before making his first start at Torino. He played all 90 minutes in a 2-0 victory, winning five aerial duels and making six clearances, both team highs.
Then came Roma-Inter, a match with huge significance. Balerdi started and met the moment. Against the defending champions, Balerdi spent 65 minutes dealing with Lautaro Martínez and Marcus Thuram (no small task!) before cramps forced him off. He won four of five duels, completed two of three tackles, and recovered six balls. Most importantly, he looked entirely comfortable playing in the kind of chaotic, man-oriented defensive structure that defines Gasperini-ball.
Key Stats & Current Role
Balerdi’s stats from his first month tell the story of the Inter match on a more extended timeline. He’s no Gianluca Mancini (and that may please some Romanisti), but his ability to consistently be in the right place when Gasperini’s defensive structure inevitably gets a little weird is an asset that has been a major win for the Giallorossi to start the season.
In his 179 minutes in Serie A, Balerdi has already recorded eight interceptions, or 4.0 per 90. That is currently the best rate of any Roma player, ahead of Mario Hermoso and Evan N’Dicka at 3.4 per 90 and Gianluca Mancini at 1.8. He has also recorded two blocks, good for 1.0 per 90, another team-leading rate.
Those numbers are confirmed by the eye test: Balerdi’s desire to step toward the ball rather than retreat with his defensive line translates into quick changes in possession, while also enabling Roma’s other center-backs to maraud forward into the opponent’s box with comfort that the defense will be alright in their absence.
What to Expect this Season
His performances to start the season have been stellar; there’s no doubt about that. Now, the obvious question for Balerdi is whether or not he can keep it up. Inter was undoubtedly a major challenge before the international break, but Roma are about to face a massive stretch of matches when Gasperini’s defensive demands become more difficult due to the sheer quality of the sides the Giallorossi will face over the course of one week. There will be better forwards than the ones Balerdi has mainly faced so far, and injuries will inevitably complicate the rotation. The Argentine will have to prove that his early performances aren’t just a “new club bounce,” easily solved once Serie A and Champions League players become used to playing against him.
Despite that, immediately labeling Balerdi’s hot start in a Roma kit as a fluke run would have little basis in reality. Balerdi’s a well-proven player at the club and international level; his five seasons at Marseille were strong enough to land him the captaincy before he left for Rome, and the fact that he chose to come to Rome instead of returning to Argentina and being given Boca’s captaincy suggests that he truly intends to make a long-term impact at the Stadio Olimpico.
Roma reportedly has an option to buy built into Balerdi’s loan agreement worth roughly €14 million. If he continues performing like this, Tony D’Amico’s next summer transfer market with a “transfer in” just as easy as Donyell Malen’s permanent move to Roma this June.
