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Roma sporting director Monchi confirmed at the presentation of the club's new signing Patrik Schick that the Czech striker would be the last player arriving at the club this summer.
Schick joined Roma yesterday in a club record deal and although many had expected Monchi to return to the market for a centre back, the Spaniard has drawn a line under Roma's activity for this year. "This is the final player presentation for us in this transfer window," he revealed, before claiming that Roma have worked in a "sensible" way this mercato. He was asked about the possibility of signing a new centre back, but said that Roma have worked within their available budget this summer, and so a move for a new defender before the deadline tomorrow is extremely unlikely. It has been a transfer window that has seen the arrivals of young talents in Schick, Pellegrini and Under, experienced professionals such as Gonalons and Kolarov, and further players Defrel, Moreno and Karsdorp. Whilst this Roma side does not look at its strongest at present, Monchi has assured that he will already be working on the next transfer window in order to improve the squad further. With time, he could assemble a strong Roma team.
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Czech striker Patrik Schick has joined Roma in a club record deal.
The 21-year-old joins on an initial loan from Sampdoria which will be made permanent when certain targets are met. The payment will be broken down over three years. Taking the number 14 shirt, Schick has signed a five-year contract. He scored 11 goals in 32 games in his first season in Serie A last year, and made his international debut for Czech Republic in May 2016. The left-footed forward could be deployed on the right wing in Eusebio Di Francesco's 4-3-3. Alternatively, the coach could even have to change his formation in order to accommodate the new player. Schick stated in his first interview with the club that he likes the formation Di Francesco plays. Schick has said that Roma is the "ideal team" for him to join; earlier in the summer a move to Juventus, the club he scored his first Serie A goal against, collapsed due to suspicions of a heart problem. Upon returning to Sampdoria, a further medical revealed he is healthy and all clear to compete at the top level. And he will do so for Roma. Benvenuto, Patrik. Despite his claims in the past that he wouldn't be interested in becoming a coach, La Gazzetta Dello Sport claims that Francesco Totti is set to take a coaching course.
The course would eventually lead to the attainment of his UEFA A Licence Coaching Badge, equipping him with the skills he would need to become a top coach. Following his retirement at the end of last season, Totti has been exploring several different careers in football in his director role with Roma. He is understood to have played a large part in the signing of Patrik Schick, for example, which is set to be confirmed later today. Yesterday Roma found out who their opponents will be in the Champions League group stage.
Francesco Totti drew the teams out of the pot, on the same night he was presented with the UEFA President's Award, and could not conceal his smile when he picked out Roma from pot three. Former AC Milan striker Andriy Shevchenko then allocated the group Roma would be in - Group C. That means Roma will face Premier League champions Chelsea, Spanish heavyweights Atletico Madrid, and Azerbaijani side Qarabag. Of course, the draw could have been kinder to Roma upon their return to the group stages of the illustrious competition. Antonio Conte's Chelsea are a well drilled side, and the same can certainly be said for Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid, who have reached the final of this competition twice in the past four seasons. As for Qarabag, Roma will be expected to pick up all the points, but facing a round trip of over 6000km for the away tie always has its difficulties. Roma will need to raise their game for these fixtures in the hope of qualifying for the knockout stages. On the plus side, having drawn an English side, there will be a chance for visitors of this site to watch Roma live this season. Roma have confirmed the departure of winger Juan Manuel Iturbe.
Iturbe's career has suffered a major decline since he arrived at Roma, as the club's second most expensive ever signing in 2014. Managing only five goals for the club, he subsequently endured loan spells at Bournemouth and Torino. Now he has left for a third club on loan, but this time Roma won't be seeing him back. Mexican side Club Tijuana have signed the 24-year-old on loan with an obligatory purchase when he meets specific sporting targets. Whilst his career failed to kick off in the capital and he became the subject of ridicule by many fans, Iturbe always gave his all on the pitch. His best moment for Roma was when he scored in the 2-1 Derby win over Lazio in May 2015. However, he sadly just didn't have the ability to cut it for Roma, and will now look to get his career back on track in Mexico. Good luck, Manu. 20-year-old striker Sadiq Umar has joined Torino on loan for the 2017/18 season.
The loan deal includes an option for Torino to make the transfer permanent, and a counter option for Roma to keep him should that be exercised. The Nigerian player burst onto the scene at Roma two seasons ago, scoring two goals in six appearances, before spending last season on loan at Bologna. Unfortunately, his time at Bologna was affected by injury, but having scored twice in pre-season for Roma, he will be hoping to have put those problems behind him, in what could be a key season for his development. He follows in the footsteps of several other Roma players to join Torino in recent years, temporarily or otherwise, such as Juan Manuel Iturbe and Iago Falque. Let's hope Sadiq has a great season for Torino and comes back stronger to Roma. Reports indicate that Barcelona forward Munir El Haddadi could become the latest new arrival at Roma.
The player's agent recently informed Romanews Web Radio that Roma would be a "welcome destination" for the 21-year-old, who does not appear to be part of first team plans at Camp Nou this season. Munir is a Spanish Under 21 international who emerged at Barcelona three seasons ago. The Catalan giants reportedly want no less than €15m for the forward (some reports have said the demand is as high as €25m), who was on loan at Valencia for the 2016/17 season. Romanews claim that the player has already agreed terms with the Giallorossi. With Leicester City demanding unreasonable amounts of money for Riyad Mahrez, Munir could well be a viable alternative for Roma's forward line. A left-footed player often deployed on the right wing, he is a cost effective example of the kind of player Eusebio Di Francesco and Monchi are wanting. This could well be a transfer worth pursuing, but Roma may have to beat competition from the likes of Zenit, Ajax and Real Sociedad for him. However, if the player's wish is to come to Roma, it could increase the chances of a transfer being completed. |
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