It’s not every day that we cover training matches held during the international break, but there isn’t much else happening in the Romaverse. While we wrapped up Roma’s summer transfer market throughout the week, including our roundtable discussion on all the signings, missed transfers, and future implications, by focusing on the senior team, we let one potentially noteworthy transfer slip through the cracks.
While Roma was busy chasing the likes of Benjamin Dominguez and Santiago Giménez on deadline
day, the club signed an intriguing young center-forward with a familiar last name from Sampdoria’s youth academy: Lorenzo Paratici. A soon-to-be 17-year-old striker, Paratici is the son of Fabio Paratici, a journeyman player in his day who later served as a Sporting Director with Juventus and Tottenham.
The younger Paratici was signed on loan with an option to buy on September 1st, joining the Giallorossi’s Primavera squad. However, with Gian Piero Gasperini’s heavy hitters away on international break, Roma’s new manager decided to give Paratici a chance yesterday against Roma City in a training match—an 8-0 victory in which Paratici scored a hat trick, including a header and goals with both feet.
Paratici has a long way to go before he’s lining up alongside Matías Soulé and Evan Ferguson, but it’s encouraging to see that Gasperini is already taking note of his performances. And if Roma triggers the option on his loan next summer, expect to see him in our annual U-23 countdown.
