Following consecutive 4-0 wins to start the new season, the Romaverse was buzzing heading into yesterday’s transfer deadline day. And what better way to cap off another Donyell Malen goal fest than by finally acquiring Gian Piero Gasperini’s white whale: a pacy, inverted left-winger.
After a summer-long pursuit of targets such as Mason Greenwood, Antonio Nusa, and Malick Fofana, Sporting Director Tony D’Amico’s list of candidates was narrowed to three names on deadline day: Stuttgart’s Jamie Leweling,
Chelsea’s Jamie Gittens, and Zenit’s Luiz Henrique.
D’Amico and Roma pulled out all the stops, including sending a private jet to pick up Leweling in Germany, but came up empty when the deadline passed. Still, in his first summer at the helm, D’Amico did well to acquire a trio of intriguing young players, forwards Santiago Castro and Rodrigo Mora, and defender Konstantinos Koulierakis.
Roma’s new DS took the mic earlier today, providing insight into the transfer philosophy and next steps.
On his overall impression of Roma’s transfer market:
“We’ll assess whether we’re satisfied or dissatisfied at the end of the season. I’m certainly happy that, when I arrived, we signed four players who became key figures in Roma’s return to the Champions League. I’m talking about Dybala, Pellegrini, Cristante, and Mancini. I arrived on June 20, when Dybala and Pellegrini were without contracts, while Cristante and Mancini were approaching the end of theirs.
“Perhaps there were different ideas before I arrived, but those were my first signings. They have a strong attachment to the club because they’re part of its historic core, and I thank them because they made themselves available and accepted lower salaries. Those were the first signings that gave me the most satisfaction.
“Regrets? No. I think we’re happy with all the players who arrived. I often read about negotiations in real time—you journalists were extremely well informed. I’m happy with the players who came in. They arrived with great desire and chose Roma. Many others also chose Roma, but for various reasons—including agreements between clubs and agents—the deals ultimately didn’t materialize. I’ve often heard people talk about players rejecting Roma, but very few actually did, even among some important profiles.”
On the shift away from Summerville to Mora:
“We wanted to strengthen the attack as a priority, and those were the coach’s requests. But priorities have to be put into context. You start many negotiations; some you complete, others you open and continue pursuing.
“We didn’t shift any transfer funds toward the striker. Mora arrived and has different characteristics, but we envision him in that role. A wide attacker did arrive in Mora, even though he has different characteristics. We were looking for a more physical wide attacker.
“We didn’t move resources around—we simply wanted to strengthen the squad. We missed out on that particular profile for various reasons, but we wanted all the other players who arrived.”
On the failure to obtain a LW:
“We had identified two or three profiles that we felt were right for us—players we believed could support the group—but we weren’t able to get them for various reasons.
“Leweling’s deal with Stuttgart and the player was done, but then the player changed his mind. There were players ready to come, but they didn’t satisfy us—they didn’t satisfy all of us.
“We’ll evaluate later whether we’ve done good things.”
On depth and their ability to compete in three competitions:
“We’re competing in three competitions, and the difficulty increases with the Champions League because it drains your energy. When we talk about a winger, we also mean a player who can cover two roles. We’re slightly short in that area, but we’re convinced that, with good work, we can identify another profile in January. We’re probably missing one player.”
On Manu Koné transfer inquiries:
“There was an inquiry and some preliminary contact with Chelsea on the final day of the transfer window. No official offers arrived that would allow us to approach the player.
“And thank you for the question. I read reports suggesting Gasperini was going to resign, or that there had been an ultimatum. In reality, none of that happened. Before the Fiorentina match, I said it was difficult to imagine a permanent sale. There were inquiries and phone calls, but there was no ultimatum from the coach.
“Something was imagined that simply didn’t happen. There was no official offer. The final day of the transfer window got everyone a little worked up.”
And finally, his overall assessment of the transfer window
“We’ll take stock later. I hope the assessment will be positive, but we’re not going to say that today.
“Bergamo and Rome are two different environments, but every team has ambitions. If ambition didn’t exist in football, that would be a tragedy.
“Roma returned to the Champions League after many years, while Atalanta has been playing in it regularly in recent years. We have to applaud the ownership, the group, and Gasperini for allowing Roma to return to the competition.
“I found the Champions League waiting for me—I didn’t earn it. I hope that next year I’ll be able to say that I earned Champions League qualification myself.”
You can read thefull transcript of D’Amico’s presser on the club site, and check back later this week for our Transfer Market Recap Roundtable.
