According to Spanish radio on Tuesday, Giacomo Raspadori has rejected the chance to return to Italy to play for AS Roma, and the Italian will continue under Diego Simeone’s orders in Madrid.
Roma and Atlético
de Madrid had been in agreement for several days over a loan deal with an option to buy that would have ended Raspadori’s five-month stint in Spain. Atlético had been keen to sell Raspadori, who has featured for just 236 minutes across 12 appearances in LaLiga since his €22 million transfer from Napoli.
However, Cadena SER journalist Pedro Fullana reports that Raspadori sees a pathway for more playing time in the weeks ahead. He has played in each of Atleti’s past three games, and he registered his first goal contribution in LaLiga during the 3-0 win over Girona before the Christmas break.
With Raspadori opting to stay at the club at least until the season ends, Atlético are filtering out to the media the same line they always have under Miguel Ángel Gil’s ownership: “if there are no exits, there will be no signings.” Fullana reports that the club now is focused on trying to sell Thiago Almada, who has made only five starts since his own summer move from Botafogo.
But so far, no clubs have come forward with interest in the Argentina midfielder, who — like Raspadori — has a five-year contract at Atlético.
In a weird way, Raspadori’s decision to reject Roma makes me happier than it should. After all, this choice does not magically change Raspadori’s situation at the club; he remains behind Julián Alvarez, Alexander Sørloth and Antoine Griezmann in the pecking order. He is still going to find it difficult to get a consistent run of game time.
But the “caso Raspadori” that we’ve seen unfold over the past five weeks has two clear culprits: the player’s agents, and the Atlético de Madrid board.
Raspadori’s representatives were chasing the bag: a huge commission that Roma were promising. And guilty of so many sins over the years, the Atleti board — feeling the squeeze in the weeks before Apollo Sports Capital takes over the club — were trying to square accounts and make back the money they spent on a player who has started one game in LaLiga. Maybe they shouldn’t have signed him in the first place!
Though Raspadori’s decision reportedly makes Mateu Alemany’s job more difficult this winter, it’s good to see him bet on himself and refuse to serve as a pawn in another of the Atleti board’s games. The way things are done at this club has to change, now.
