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Former Roma striker Gabriel Batistuta has discussed the fortunes of the Giallorossi and Fiorentina ahead of their meeting at the weekend.
Batistuta played with distinction for both clubs, becoming Fiorentina's all-time top scorer in Serie A before helping Roma to their third Scudetto in 2001. The 49-year-old confirmed he still has a place in his heart for both teams. "Even today it [football] provokes emotions, especially the finals," he said. "Fiorentina and Roma were in my destiny. The first time I came to Italy to play the opponent was Roma at the Viareggio Tournament. A few years later I arrived at Fiorentina and then I went to Roma. It makes me pleased that Fiorentina wins, but also Roma. I'm a fan of Fiorentina, but I don't want the bad of Roma for this. "I was good in giallorosso, I spent two beautiful years in Rome, the Romans know that I feel at home in Florence. I am in harmony with both teams." Batistuta also spoke of current Roma striker Edin Dzeko, who has broken into the club's top ten all-time scorers recently. "He is a great football player, I do not have to advise him anything." On Roma's ambitions for the season in Europe, Batistuta made this claim: "It can exit the Champions League as well as win it. It's a great team, but has not had continuity so far. If it passes the group, it can be a trouble to any team." The Argentinian legend is expected to be in attendance for Saturday's match.
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Antonio Sanabria refused to rule out a return to Roma as he reflected on his time with the club.
The striker was signed as an 18-year-old in 2014, but only made two first team appearances before being loaned out to Sporting Gijon in the 2015-16 season. With Sporting, he had a breakthrough year, scoring 11 goals in La Liga, and he was subsequently sold to Real Betis. Roma retained a buyback clause on the player, although it expires at the end of this season. Speaking to Corriere Dello Sport, Sanabria, who is now 22, revealed his thoughts on his time with the club. He said: "I'm not hiding that I wanted to play more, but the experience at Roma was important for my career, to make progress. The city is beautiful." Asked about his memories of playing with Francesco Totti, he said: "It was a dream and a great honour to have a monument of world football as a teammate, one of the best in history." Roma can re-sign Sanabria in the summer for €14.5m, with the Paraguayan coy on links with a return. "For the future I won't exclude anything, but I prefer to concentrate on the present. There is a season in which we must do well." Roma have been linked with a January move for Sassuolo winger Domenico Berardi.
Roma and Berardi have long been paired together in transfer rumours, and the Italian winger was understood to be a target in the summer. However, he stayed at Sassuolo, where he has registered an impressive four goals in eight appearances this season. Eusebio Di Francesco is said to be keen on a reunion with the player he worked with during his time at Sassuolo, as Roma look to add cover for Cengiz Under on the right wing. Despite Sassuolo's tough negotiating stance over the player in recent years, Monchi is reportedly confident of getting a deal done in the winter window. According to Corriere Dello Sport, Roma will return with a fresh offer for the 24-year-old in January, as they look to reinforce the squad that has climbed to 6th in the Serie A table after a poor start to the season. Berardi has been identified as a player who has different characteristics to Under - who has been linked with a big-money move away to Bayern Munich or the Premier League - and Di Francesco and Monchi are not alone in their admiration for him. Roma legend Giuseppe Giannini has praised the player in an interview with Tuttomercatoweb. The former midfielder said: "He is a player that we have known for years, he has grown with the current giallorosso coach. He could be a useful element to the cause, if these rumours should be true. Also because Roma can have problems on the wings, with Perotti it seems that he is not in perfect physical condition. Berardi is still young, he can certainly grow a lot still." Daniele De Rossi has confirmed that he would like to become a coach in the future, while he is confident that Roma will maintain a strong identity after his retirement.
De Rossi has represented Roma for his entire professional career, making 600 appearances, but is in the final year of his contract. However, in an interview with Roma TV, he confirmed that he wants to keep playing until he becomes a hindrance to the team. "I will not become a burden or take something away from the team," he said. "I already have clear ideas about the coming years, though I have never expressed them so that I have the freedom to change my mind. I'm a bit selfish in this way. "I have a passion for football and becoming a coach is the only role I see for myself in the future. First I'll need to see if I am ready to subject my family to the stress and pressure of this role though." Coaching runs in the De Rossi family, with Daniele's father Alberto a distinguished trainer at youth level, having overseen Roma's Primavera side for more than 10 years. Given Daniele's leadership, it has always seemed likely that he would also become a good coach. He has shown no signs of giving up his playing career just yet, but is aware that he doesn't have long left at the top. Nonetheless, he was keen to reassure supporters that there will be a smooth transition when he does move on. "Roma always goes on," he continued. "It did so after Di Bartolomei, Conti, Giannini. It even did so without Totti, which is perhaps the most painful thing for fans to have imagined." Those same fans will only hope that De Rossi is given more of a say than Totti was when the time comes to hang up his boots. However, having started the season strongly, De Rossi has put himself in a strong position to remind everyone of his everlasting influence on the team. Roma full-back Davide Santon has admitted he understood the fans' disappointment upon his signing, but is now intent on winning them over.
Former Newcastle United defender Santon joined Roma from Inter as part of the package that took Radja Nainggolan to San Siro, and his arrival was deemed as underwhelming by many fans. However, the Italian has been a steady and reliable presence when called upon this season, winning over several of the supporters who initially criticised him. He told the AS Roma Match Program: "My arrival at Fiumicino was exciting even though at the time there were no fans there, but I understood the moment. "They had lost a player that was important to them and coming off of a bad season, I can understand their feelings. I expected that. "The reception I received from Monchi was very nice and made me feel important straight away. "From the first day I have wanted to make many people think again that I am still young and I still have a lot to give." Santon has made four appearances for Roma so far, providing one assist. Roma striker Patrik Schick has revealed he is no longer concerned by his price tag as he looks to kick on following a successful international break.
Once all fees are paid, Schick will become the club's record signing, with former club Sampdoria receiving up to €42m. However, in an interview with Hattrick magazine, he confirmed that he has learnt how to deal with the expectations that come with such a price tag. Schick was poised to join Juventus in 2017, but a heart issue prevented the move before Roma swooped for the Czech Republic international. "The Juventus management didn’t give the green light after my medical,” Schick told Hattrick. “I was uncertain about my future, whether to stay at Sampdoria for another year or move to another club. In the end I went to Roma. “I’m fine now, everything is resolved. No club would sign a player if he wasn’t 100 per cent, let alone a big club like Roma. “I did my medical with Roma two months later, so after two months of absolute tranquility. I just wanted to go on holiday and relax, I followed a diet and did some exercises and I improved considerably. “Then I got confirmation of that from Roma. “Borussia Dortmund? Yes, that was one of the offers Sampdoria received. But I wanted to stay in Italy, I’m settled here and I’ve learned the language. So Roma was my choice. “I didn’t decide the transfer fee. Obviously it brings added pressure, but I’ve overcome it. I know I have a lot of responsibility, but that’s only right. “I’m at a big club and it’s right that there’s this kind of pressure. The worst is behind me and I hope the best is around the corner.” Signs of pressure were evident in Schick's play during his first season, in which he managed just three goals and wasted a lot of opportunities. However, after scoring a decisive goal for Czech Republic last week, he will be hoping to kick on and transfer his form across to club level. |
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