The transfer window has been shut for a matter of days and now teams across Europe are stuck with the decisions that have been made. Apart from the gigantic power that is the Premier League, the Serie A spent more money than any other competition in Europe and no club in Italy was busier than last year’s runners-up AS Roma.
With 11 players coming in and 16 players departing, Roma’s squad for the upcoming season has a different feel to it. Most curious of all is that 60% of their transfer activity have been either loans, therefore the majority of those bought by Roma have a lot to prove and their futures to play for.
Outside90’s Richard Hinman runs the ruler over the Giallorossi’s new arrivals, what impact they will have on the team and if they may have a long term future at the Stadio Olimpico.
Wojciech Szczesny
The Polish international had been a stalwart at Arsenal. But when the Gunners announced the signing of Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech, Wojciech Szczesny faced a dilemma. Stay at Arsenal and face much of the season on the bench, or leave the club he has been at for nine years and look for the first team football. After much deliberation he chose the latter, but when arriving at the airport in Rome, Szczesny hilariously got into the wrong car.
Apart from this comical error, his arrival at Roma has been positive, with a particularly fine performance in the recent 2-1 win against Juventus. As former No.1 Morgan De Sanctis looks set for retirement at the end of the season and with Szczesny on loan for a year, it is a huge campaign ahead for the goalkeeper. If he continues how he started, he could well be the permanent feature between the posts Roma have been crying out for.
Antonio Rudiger
With the high profile sales of Alessio Romagnoli and Mapou Yanga-Mbwia, Roma were always in the market for a centre-back this summer. They went for a left-field option in the form of Antonio Rudiger, far from a household name. The 22-year-old has, however, been part of the post-World Cup reshuffle in the German side and has earned six national caps since they became World Champions last July. He has also averaged 22 appearances in the last three years at Stuttgart. With Kostas Manolas and Leandro Castan first choice centre-backs, he may find it a hard nut to crack, but Rudiger does have the quality and a one year loan deal to prove his worth at Roma.
Lucas Digne
When Roma beat Juventus 4-0 in February 2004, captain Francesco Totti added to his legendary status among the Giallorossi faithful, waving his four fingers to the Bianconeri players. On his debut, Lucas Digne went one better. He blew a kiss and reminded Roberto Pereyra of the score after Edin Dzeko sealed the win for Roma against their fierce rivals once more.
Digne was superb against Juventus and showed his quality against the best side Italy has had for the last four years. The Frenchman has joined up with Rudi Garcia, who he worked under at Lille in a side which shocked France to win Ligue 1. After failing to impress at Paris Saint-Germain, Digne is at Roma on a year-long loan deal. The coach has brought Digne in because of previous trust and after warming himself to the fans, it is more than likely that the 22-year-old has a long term future at the club.
Danny De Silva
The 18-year-old’s deal with Roma had been long in the making. But the Australian wonder boy officially joined on July 1st. Yet, De Silva has had no opportunities to impress for his new side. On Roma’s tour of Australia in preseason, many local fans were hoping to see the former Perth speedster in action, but like De Silva himself they were left disappointed. With chances at Roma limited, De Silva has moved to Dutch side Roda on loan. It was always likely that he would not walk straight into Roma’s first team, but the young Australian has a lot of work to do while on loan to ensure his time at the Stadio Olimpico is not shorter than he would like.
Iago Falque
Barcelona, Juventus and Tottenham Hotspur are not a bad trio to have on your CV, but Iago Falque never shone at any of these three clubs. After impressing last year at Genoa, scoring 13 goals in 31 games, he has moved to the fourth huge club of his career in Roma. Falque made his first start against Juventus and put in an acceptable showing. The Spaniard will have to push on though, if he is to keep his place in the first team and secure his future at the club.
Mohamed Salah
For the early stage of the transfer window this summer, the main saga in Italian football concerned Mohamed Salah. The Chelsea winger excelled last season on loan at Fiorentina and the Italian club thought they had a deal to buy the Egyptian. But Salah refused and the conflict was stirred. It reached its climax when fellow Italian side Roma announced a deal to take Salah on loan from the Londoners for the season.
Fiorentina were enraged, but could not stop the transfer going through. Since joining Roma, Salah has showed glimpses of his best without, reaching his peak. With Chelsea having signed Pedro last month, it is clear that Salah has no future at Stamford Bridge and he now has a year to earn a spot in Rome. Is Garcia sees the form Salah showed in his previous stint in Italy, he will be offered the chance of an extended stay with the Giallorossi. The question is whether he would accept it, or reject it?
Edin Dzeko
The Bosnian’s arrival was the transfer that captured the imagination of the Roma fans, turning out in their thousands to welcome him upon his arrival in Rome. He went on to score two goals and produce an assist during his first 45 minutes for the Giallorossi, in a friendly against Europe League winners Sevilla, then last weekend netted the winner against Serie A champions Juventus.
With Sergio Augero and Wilfred Bony firmly the first choice front pairing at Manchester City, Dzeko’s days at the Etihad seem to be over. He has impressed during his short time in Italy and appears to be the striker Roma have been craving for over a decade. Giallorossi fans believe he is the new Gabriel Batistuta, the iconic Argentinian forward who helped Roma to their last scudetto in 2001. Time will tell if Dzeko can have the same effect on the side, but he surely has a long term future at the club if he wishes to stay.
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