The mercato closes in under 72 hours, and Roma’s activity has intensified markedly. The left-winger has yet to arrive, but Tony D’Amico continues working to improve Roma’s roster ahead of the gong on September 1st. In just the past 24 hours, the Giallorossi have brought in two new players and sent one packing.
Early yesterday, it was announced that Leonardo Balerdi would be arriving from Marseille to fill the center-back spot left vacant by Jan Ziolkowski’s move to Monza. Then late yesterday, in a move that reportedly
materialized very quickly, the Giallorossi brought in one of Gian Piero Gasperini’s most trusted servants from his Atalanta days—Martin De Roon.
The 34-year-old Dutch midfielder arrives in Rome after a decade in Bergamo for just €1 million. It’s an economical move that gives Roma the financial flexibility to redirect funds elsewhere—namely, the left wing.
Gasperini spoke on the De Roon move inhis pre-match presser.
“De Roon came up quickly, within 24-48 hours. He had this situation after many years at Atalanta: perhaps he no longer fit into the team’s plans, and this opportunity arose. I contacted Luca Percassi, and in a very short time, they, also considering everything the player has accomplished during his years at Atalanta, gave me the freedom to decide. We certainly thank them for that. He really wanted to come to Roma. For us, it’s an opportunity, in the sense that it allows us to give El Aynaoui a chance. He wanted another experience, perhaps one where he could feel more fulfilled, and we needed to fill this role.
Even financially, it’s a very important move for us, because it gives us the opportunity to bring interest to another position. At the same time, we’re filling a midfield spot with a player who is certainly solid. He’s advanced in age for a player, but he’s a player who will join a truly strong group, a group that wants to be a protagonist. We’ve brought in two captains: him and Balerdi. I think we’re making a very strong physical impact in this regard. This team, which certainly has talent, also needs a bit of physicality and personality. Plus, he’s Dutch like Malen; he’s an international, and he certainly helps offset all these Argentinians, who are starting to become numerous. We need to create a bit of a Dutch group as well. I’m happy; I think we’re really solid in this regard.”
Gasperini also addressed previous comments that De Roon made about Roma that made him less than likable in the past to Romanisti. It’s something that Gasperini doesn’t feel like will be an issue moving forward given what De Roon brings to the squad.
“It’s normal when you’re adversaries. But then, when you get to know him, you’ll realize he’s a very solid person, physically fit. I said it, I explained the deal, how it came about, and it still gives us the opportunity to acquire a valuable player. Of course, he’s not a promising player right away, but he also gives us the chance to focus our efforts on another role, while still maintaining a great value in midfield. Because, as I said before, we’ve signed captains. This team also needed a bit of that: the flair of Soulé, Mora, Dybala, Castro, and Malen seems pretty well covered. It’s a deal that came about that way, also because when I arrived I wasn’t any further along in this regard. Then you see things develop. He’s also a person who’s fun on social media; he’s a nice guy.”
As GPG noted, bringing in De Roon allowed Roma to move on from El Aynaoui. El Aynaoui is heading to Leipzig in a €4 million loan deal with an option to buy for €25 million.
Gasperini also elaborated on why Roma decided to move on from El Aynaoui after just one season.
“El Aynaoui did very well until December, in my opinion, then he had to play in the Africa Cup of Nations. When he returned, he struggled, he struggled a bit. Perhaps even after the World Cup, expectations became very high. However, I’ve seen Pisilli’s extraordinary growth, Cristante’s consistency, and Koné’s strength. So I had the feeling that perhaps he was looking for more experience. And since the squad is currently filled with very happy players, very excited to play for Roma, we tried to remedy that, to strengthen, and to change. This opportunity arose. There were other important options on the market, some very strong and valid ones, but, as I explained before, they weren’t easy to pursue. This is an excellent solution, which also allows us to do other things.”
With Belardi and De Roon in tow, Roma’s roster is almost complete. Now, we’ll see what D’Amico can do in the waning hours of the mercato to fill the left attacking winger role.
