The Latest AS Roma News
Edin Dzeko has revealed his excitement about teaming up with Henrikh Mkhitaryan, as he prepares to face his new Roma teammate on international duty on Sunday.
Mkhitaryan, a loan signing from Arsenal on deadline day, has already come up against some of his new teammates during this international break, playing against Alessandro Florenzi and Lorenzo Pellegrini's Italy. Tomorrow, the Armenia captain will come up against the Bosnia-Herzegovina of Dzeko - who is looking forward to what the new addition will bring. "I am very happy about his arrival at Roma, I only hope he doesn't put his qualities on show in the match tomorrow," Dzeko laughed. "From the Premier League to Serie A is an enormous change. In England, football is faster, in Italy much more tactical. "Mkhitaryan will have no problems adapting to Serie A. As teammates, we will help him to adapt easily. I hope he helps us achieve our goals." Mkhitaryan recently revealed his goals for the season after joining the club, detailing Roma's aims to play in two cup finals by the end of the year.
0 Comments
Chris Smalling has revealed he will strongly consider staying at Roma if his loan spell from Manchester United is a success.
Smalling arrived at Roma on a dry loan towards the end of the transfer window, after the club's pursuits of Toby Alderweireld, Dejan Lovren and Daniele Rugani hit dead ends. In doing so, the 29-year-old became just the second Englishman to ever play for Roma, following on from Ashley Cole's ill-fated spell four years ago. At his unveiling press conference today, Smalling outlined his reasons for coming to Roma, revealing what he wants to achieve with the club. “I think Serie A has always been a goal of mine to play in one day, because as a defender if you get the chance to experience Serie A you want to do it,” he said. “I think I’ve played a lot in the Premier League and now I can bring my qualities that I’ve learned to Italy, and that is something I am looking forward to.” Smalling was chosen because of his suitability to Paulo Fonseca's preference for a high line, and the coach has made a positive first impression on his new centre-back. “I spoke to him before I came to the club and he told me his goals, what he wanted from me. It was something that we totally agreed on. “Coming in and having my first sessions, this week, I can see it is a team that wants to press, that wants to be aggressive. “He wants a defender that is aggressive and can cope with the runs in behind and, yes, I think it is a perfect fit. It’s been a great first week of training and I am looking forward to getting stuck in. “There is a lot of responsibility on the defence as a whole and the centre-backs too, but that is something I enjoy. “I like to push up high, play high up the pitch, and the manager wants us to be high. I am a defender that likes to defend on the front foot, so I think this is the perfect type of football for me and hopefully it allows me to show my real qualities.” After playing in the Champions League last season, both Roma and Smalling are returning to the Europa League this year. It's a tournament he has already won with United, and like fellow new arrival Henrikh Mkhitaryan, the former Fulham man is confident his new club can also go all the way in the competition. “I think this club definitely has a chance. We will be one of the favourites in the competition, obviously there are a few other clubs too, but Roma will be among the favourites. “It has been great to have won it previously, but it would be even greater to win it here in Italy.” While his move was arranged quite hastily, Smalling has no regrets about accepting the offer, and hopes that he can experience Italian football for more than just this season. “I think this is an opportunity that came to me that I was very interested in, and I was very eager to come. It happened very quickly. “I am very focused on the next game, getting up to speed with training and learning the manager’s methods. And then hopefully I want to have a very good season. “After that we will see. To have a chance at a big club, if it prolongs and the club is happy and I am happy, then I can definitely see a longer-term future in Italy. “I am not a young player who has to prove himself, but I like new challenges. I had a great time in Manchester, but the opportunity to experience a new league and with a new club like Roma… “I don’t like to live my life with my regrets, and this was a big opportunity. At Manchester we had high expectations, but here in Rome there are high expectations too. And that’s not easy, but it’s also a great challenge. “It’s motivating, and now I have the chance to prove that the club was right to put their faith in me. “The club has been great with me, helpful with everything I need from house-hunting to everything else, and that has immediately put me at ease. “So, I had no doubts at all. I’ve heard great things about Italy, and Rome itself, and it is something I was always looking forward to and will definitely savour. “In England we don’t have many players who do go abroad, but I’ve always had a desire deep down to experience this and to have the opportunity to go to a big club with big aspirations, like I said before, is something I look forward to. “I like to live my life with no regrets, so I am looking forward to build on this journey and make the most of it. “And these two weeks of the international break have been the perfect opportunity for me to get to know the players, to get to know the style of play the manager wants to have, and to be ready for when Serie A games start again.” Smalling will be hoping to make his debut when Roma return from the international break, with a home match against Sassuolo on 15th September potentially giving him the opportunity to make his Stadio Olimpico bow. Henrikh Mkhitaryan has revealed that he hopes to play in two cup finals for Roma this season after sealing a season-long loan move from Arsenal.
The attacking midfielder was a late addition to Paulo Fonseca's squad, and in terms of technical ability, is probably the best new signing Gianluca Petrachi has made so far. Mkhitaryan is yet to train with his new teammates, as he is on international duty with Armenia, for whom he is the captain and all-time leading scorer. But while with the national setup - with whom he will face new teammates Alessandro Florenzi, Lorenzo Pellegrini and Gianluca Mancini against Italy tonight - he has been able to speak about his new club. "It all happened on the last day of the mercato," he explained at a press conference on Wednesday. "After playing the game against Tottenham my agent called me, telling me that the next morning I should leave for Rome to undergo my medical and sign the contract. "This for me is surely a great opportunity given that at Arsenal I didn't play much. "I decided to transfer to Roma because of Fonseca. He will surely give me more space and use my qualities. I am 100% ready. Not only physically, I also feel good mentally because in football you also need a good head. "I didn't play all the matches in the Premier League for 90 minutes, but I trained very well and even did more than necessary." In a separate interview yesterday, he gave more insight into the team's targets for the season. "The team has a new coach and new players," said the 30-year-old. "It's fantastic because the team is starting to take shape and I can have my space [in it]. "The club explained to me the objectives of the season: taking the team back into the Champions League, reaching the Europa League final and winning the Coppa Italia. I hope to do well, with the help of Fonseca." Cengiz Under has insisted that he has no plans to leave Roma any time soon after signing a contract extension this summer.
The Turkish winger has been a revelation in his two seasons with the club, standing out for scoring wonder goals, including the team's first of the season against Genoa last month. Under recently agreed a one-year contract extension to put an end to rumours linking him with Bayern Munich or the Premier League. While on international duty, though, he has reiterated how happy he is in Rome. "I love Roma. I am really happy to have extended my contract," he told TRT Spor. "I like my teammates and the fans. I didn't want to go on a new adventure [at another club]. I prefer to stay at Roma." Compatriot Mert Cetin made the move to Roma this summer, and Cengiz has high hopes for the defender, who is the same age as him at 22. "It isn't easy to transfer from Genclerbirligi to Roma. I will help him integrate and I hope he earns a starting shirt. "I am proud of the fact that in Serie A they have so many Turkish players. I hope it increases further. "As a Turk, I am aware of the importance of playing in this league. There is the same atmosphere that we have in Istanbul and all the fans come to the stadium in the team's shirt." Kevin Strootman has confirmed that he nearly re-joined Roma this summer.
The Dutch midfielder was forced out of the club by former sporting director Monchi last summer, despite fellow experienced midfielder Radja Nainggolan also being sold. Strootman reunited with ex-Roma coach Rudi Garcia at Marseille - although the Frenchman has since left the club. With Monchi gone, there were reports over the summer that Roma were considering re-signing Strootman, but the 29-year-old ended up staying put in Ligue 1. However, he has now admitted that a return to Roma had been an option. “Some things were moving in Italy,” he told VTBL. “There was Roma, but Marseille didn’t find their offer interesting or sufficient. “If your club tells you that you’re no longer welcome and your old team comes back in for you, you’d certainly think about it. But nothing was done. “Last summer I signed on for five seasons with Marseille. If your president says something like that, it doesn’t feel nice. “You’d rather them hear them say you’re important and that everyone wants you to stay. That wasn’t the case, it was the opposite. “Regardless, I still had four years left on my contract and I didn’t feel like I had to leave.” Strootman made 131 appearances for Roma over a five-year spell, although much of that time was plagued with injuries. Legendary Roma goalkeeper Franco Tancredi has given Paulo Fonseca his full backing, while explaining what makes current number one Pau Lopez impressive.
Tancredi was Roma's keeper for their second Scudetto, in 1983, and in the European Cup final the year later - although few keepers since him have stood out for the right reasons. Now, the 64-year-old - who served as England's goalkeeper coach for four years under former Roma boss Fabio Capello - has revealed his optimistic outlook for the season in an interview with Tele Radio Stereo. "I trust the coach a lot, it seems to me that he knows his stuff and is determined," explained Tancredi. "He must improve with the language because otherwise it is difficult to transmit things to the group. He seems intelligent and I like how he sets Roma up on the pitch. "Roma's problem could have been the new coach, but as I said, he has convinced me and I see him going down well with the group. Now with the last signings of the transfer window, Roma will change their record and it will benefit them a lot. In midfield, [Bryan] Cristante and [Lorenzo] Pellegrini need time because they are adapting, not being natural defensive midfielders." The position that Tancredi is best-equipped to comment on, of course, is the goalkeeper role - and he has been impressed with summer signing Lopez. "He seems adapted to Fonseca's game, I see him as very reactive and alert. He has two very good qualities, especially for how the team plays: Tactically, he reads deep passes well, and has excellent exit times in one-on-ones. And with his feet, he is very precise and courageous. "He has had a good approach since day one, he is aware of his qualities but also has a great desire to learn. Unfortunately, from a technical point of view, foreign goalkeepers are not of the level of the Italian school. Even with the best ones, you can notice the different way of working." Although Tancredi worked in the goalkeeping department during his time with England, one player he will have briefly crossed paths with was Chris Smalling, who was given his senior international debut by Capello. And Tancredi believes that the defender, who joined on loan from Manchester United in the final days of the transfer market, will be beneficial to his new teammates. "Smalling is the classic English centre-back, hard as a rock and good with the head, in the attacking phase as well, but he also has a good sense of anticipation and is capable of commanding the defence. His only problem is that, being very tall, despite being fast, in the first few metres he is cumbersome." After two draws in the opening two games, some fans are already a bit restless, but Tancredi knows that once things click, Roma will be a force to be reckoned with again - especially improving in defence. "We have always historically been tight in the first rounds of the championship. Therefore, I believe there is a need, especially for those who have changed coach, for that physiological time to register the defensive department. I am convinced that, from the next game, things will change considerably." And in attack, Tancredi knows Roma are well represented, with Edin Dzeko named as the one striker who could have caused him problems if they had faced each other as players. "I am crazy for Dzeko. He has a shot that can anticipate the keeper's intentions and wrong-foot him, and it is something that very few have." With the curtains finally closed on a rollercoaster transfer market - Gianluca Petrachi's first as Roma sporting director - it's time to recap all the deals that went through.
Roma have made some exciting changes to their squad, bringing in some stars of international quality, while several flops have left the club. Here is Roma's summer activity in full - including deals at youth level. In: 1/7/19 - Leonardo Spinazzola (€29.5m, Juventus) 1/7/19 - Amadou Diawara (€21m, Napoli) 1/7/19 - Felipe Estrella (undisclosed, Ferroviaria) 9/7/19 - Pau Lopez (€23.5m, Real Betis) 17/7/19 - Gianluca Mancini (€2m loan + €13m obligation to buy, Atalanta) 20/7/19 - J0rdan Veretout (€1m loan + €16m obligation to buy, Fiorentina) 29/7/19 - Ruben Providence (€0.5m, PSG) 16/8/19 - Mert Cetin (€3m, Genclerbirligi) 21/8/19 - Davide Zappacosta (loan, Chelsea) 30/8/19 - Chris Smalling (€3m loan, Manchester United) 2/9/19 - Wiktor Plesnierowicz (loan + €0.5m option to buy, Lech Poznan) 2/9/19 - Nikola Kalinic (€2m loan + €9m option to buy, Atletico Madrid) 2/9/19 - Henrikh Mkhitaryan (€3m loan, Arsenal) Out: 21/6/19 - Ezequiel Ponce (€3m, Spartak Moscow) 26/6/19 - Andrea Romagnoli (€2.5m, Spartak Moscow) 30/6/19 - Kostas Manolas (€36m, Napoli) 30/6/19 - Luca Pellegrini (€22m, Juventus) 26/7/19 - Daniele De Rossi (free, Boca Juniors) 1/7/19 - Jean Freddi Greco (undisclosed, Torino) 1/7/19 - Flavio Bucri (undisclosed, Torino) 1/7/19 - Rezan Corlu (undisclosed, Brondby) 1/7/19 - Andrea Paolelli (released) 2/7/19 - Umar Sadiq (loan, Partizan) 8/7/19 - Stephan El Shaarawy (€16m, Shanghai Shenhua) 10/7/19 - Edoardo Soleri (undisclosed, Padova) 10/7/19 - Andrea Trovato (undisclosed, Frosinone) 11/7/19 - Ivan Marcano (€3m, Porto) 12/7/19 - Zan Celar (loan, Cittadella) 12/7/19 - Gerson (€11.8m, Flamengo) 13/7/19 - Matias Nani (loan, Central Cordoba) 16/7/19 - Lorenzo Di Livio (undisclosed, Catanzaro) 17/7/19 - Daniele Verde (€1m, AEK Athens) 17/7/19 - Salvatore Pezzella (loan, Modena) 17/7/19 - Lorenzo Valeau (loan, Imolese) 17/7/19 - Alessandro Barbarossa (released) 18/7/19 - Stefano Greco (loan, Vibonese) 23/7/19 - Riccardo Cargnelutti (undisclosed, Modena) 29/7/19 - Gianmarco Cangiano (€1.5m, Bologna) 31/7/19 - Alessandro Bordin (undisclosed, Spezia) 1/8/19 - Elio Capradossi (€1m, Spezia) 6/8/19 - Nicolo Buso (undisclosed, Entella) 7/8/19 - Rick Karsdorp (loan, Feyenoord) 7/8/19 - Christian D'Urso (€0.5m, Cittadella) 9/8/19 - Giacomo Molinari (undisclosed, Trapani) 14/8/19 - Lorenzo Crisanto (free, Alessandria) 14/8/19 - Riccardo Cataldi (undisclosed, Trapani) 16/8/19 - Steven Nzonzi (€0.5m loan + €16m option to buy, Galatasaray) 21/8/19 - Emanuele Spinozzi (undisclosed, Pistoiese) 27/8/19 - Ante Coric (€0.4m loan + €6m option to buy, Almeria) 30/8/19 - Robin Olsen (loan, Cagliari) 30/8/19 - Gregoire Defrel (€3m loan + €9m obligation to buy, Sassuolo) 31/8/19 - Keba Coly (loan, Rende) 2/9/19 - Patrik Schick (€3.5m loan + minimum €28m option to buy, RB Leipzig) 2/9/19 - Maxime Gonalons (loan + €4m conditional obligation to buy, Granada) Maxime Gonalons has joined Granada on a season-long loan from Roma.
The French midfielder joined Roma in 2017, but was a major disappointment, and spent last season on loan at Sevilla. Now, he is going to Spain again, with Granada, who were promoted from the second division last year, acquiring his services. Granada will be obliged to buy him for €4m next summer - €1m less than what Roma paid Lyon for him originally - if he reaches certain targets. Roma have pulled off a last-minute transfer coup by bringing in Armenia captain Henrikh Mkhitaryan on loan from Arsenal.
The attacking midfielder, who can also play as a winger, arrived in Rome on Monday morning to complete the transfer - which was first reported by Sky Sport Italia last night. After completing a medical, Mkhitaryan put pen to paper on a season-long loan deal, which will cost Roma an initial €3m, with bonuses potentially adding a further €0.1m to the cost. He told asroma.com:“It’s a great opportunity for me to begin a new chapter, with a great club. “I know what this club is all about and I am sure we can achieve great things together.” Mkhitaryan, who becomes the first Armenian to play for Roma, has spent the past three seasons in England - half with Manchester United and half with Arsenal - although his time in the Premier League has been far from a success. Nonetheless, this remains a huge deal for Roma to pull off, as the 30-year-old showed world class form in the past at Borussia Dortmund and is one of the biggest names brought to the club this decade. Benvenuto, Mkhi. Roma have completed the signing of Nikola Kalinic from Atletico Madrid.
The striker, who arrives on loan for the season at a cost of €2m, will serve as Edin Dzeko’s deputy, following the departure of Patrik Schick to RB Leipzig. Roma can sign Kalinic permanently for €9m at the end of the season. It marks a return to Serie A for the Croatian forward, who has also played for Fiorentina and AC Milan in the past. Kalinic, who will wear the number 19 shirt vacated by compatriot Ante Coric, told asroma.com:“It feels great, because I am joining a big club. “I am proud to become part of this team and this club. Roma has big history and I am very happy to be here.” Benvenuto, Nikola. |
Archives
October 2019
Categories
All
|