Easy come, easy go. Except in the case of Roma’s ill-fated pursuit of Crysencio Summerville, nothing was easy. From haggling with West Ham over a transfer fee and meeting Summerville’s wage demands to fending off Al-Hilal and, perhaps the biggest pain in the ass of all, canceling his flight to Rome, this transfer saga was troubled from the start.
However, now that Summerville has officially signed on the dotted line with Al-Hilal, Roma is free (or forced) to pursue other options. With their initial
fallback option, Alejandro Garnacho, signing with Aston Villa, Tony D’Amico is reportedly pivoting to RB Leipzig winger Antonio Nusa.
A 21-year-old Norwegian international, Nusa lacks the schematic versatility of some of the other wingers we’ve discussed this summer, but he’s a menace on the left flank. Last season, Nusa ranked in the 70th percentile or higher in the following categories: successful dribbles, dribbling percentage, chances created, big chances created, successful crosses, and even tackles and interceptions. (Source: Fotmob)
In a word, Nusa is precisely the type of athletic and aggressive winger Gian Piero Gasperini craves. Of course, given the state of the marketplace, not to mention Roma’s desperation, he won’t come cheap. According to multiple sources in Italy, Nusa may cost close to €60 million.
So, will Roma go all in on Nusa and obliterate their record transfer fee, or is there a mysterious Plan D lurking in the shadows?
