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Amadou Diawara has undergone surgery after injuring his knee in Roma's draw with Cagliari on Sunday.
In an intense physical battle that ended as a draw, Diawara fell victim of a foul by Luca Cigarini, with the effects of the challenge being fully felt minutes later when the Guinean went down off the ball. The midfielder looked to be in agony and had to be replaced after describing to the medical staff the discomfort he felt in his knee. Fans were fearing the worst after Devid Bouah and Davide Zappacosta's recent ACL injuries, but examinations at the Villa Stuart medical centre have today confirmed that Diawara's injury is not that serious. The ex-Napoli man has suffered a torn meniscus to his left knee, on which surgery has been performed, ruling him out for between 30 and 40 days. Also present at Villa Stuart this morning was Edin Dzeko, who had surgery on two fractured cheekbones. Like Diawara, the striker could be out for around a month.
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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) Lorenzo Pellegrini has explained why he is starting to feel like a senior player in the group, having returned for pre-season with Roma.
Pellegrini, tipped by many to become the club's next vice-captain, returned later than some of his teammates due to his involvement with the Italy U21 side over the summer, but now he is back at Trigoria, he has relished the opportunity to get back to work. He told Roma Radio that his first impressions of the sessions under new coach Paulo Fonseca have been positive. “Very good indeed – I’ve enjoyed it very much,” he explained. “The training sessions are very intense. “I knew many of the new arrivals already and I’m getting to know the others now. I think we’re a nice group, with good lads. As a youngster you’re able to take certain things on board, which makes it easier out on the pitch. “I see [Fonseca] as a very direct person and that’s something I like. He tries to make you feel at ease, in order to communicate what he wants from you. I like the way he thinks about football. “Now we have some time to really push on, because we’ve only been working with him for a few weeks and it’ll take time to implement the football that he’s demanding. Nonetheless, the feeling within the squad is positive.” Pellegrini has returned to a Roma that is now far more well-stocked in his midfield position, following the signings of Amadou Diawara and Jordan Veretout, plus the apparent resurgence of Javier Pastore. But rather than viewing this as a hindrance, the 23-year-old is looking forward to the competition for places and how it may affect his role. “It’s not something we’re talking about at the moment because this is only the beginning, also because some players are behind and are therefore training to get back to top condition. We know that, like last year, there are a lot of games to be played and it would appear that playing in midfield will be very demanding, given the way the coach wants to play. So, we’ll all make ourselves available. “I think the attacking phase of play comes more naturally to me but I’m working hard to improve my defensive skills. I’d say I’m a central midfielder, a role where nowadays you need to know how to do everything, from the holding role to playing in behind the forwards.” Despite only being 23, Pellegrini is growing into a key leader in the squad, particularly given that he is one of the few remaining Romans at the club. And he revealed that he is eager to take on a role of more responsibility, especially helping out younger players in the team. “I try to give them support, because I know it’s not easy. It wasn’t easy for me when I went to cut my teeth at Sassuolo, so I need to try and help everyone, such as [Alessio] Riccardi and [Mirko] Antonucci, who have come through at Roma like I did and are now part of the squad and could well become excellent players.” Pellegrini is also keen to lift the morale of the team after a disappointing season, by reinforcing to the new arrivals that they can play a part in helping things improve. “We ‘older’ players are trying to get that message across and so are the staff and the coach. We’re doing good work and preparing the ground to have a very good season. I hope we don’t do worse than last season – we have to improve. “It was a tough campaign last time out, not just for us players but also for the club. We now just need to focus on working hard, playing football and winning games. "I can’t deny that we listen to the goings-on around us but we do need to stay out of that as much as we can and focus on our work – the staff are helping us a great deal in that respect.” Jordan Veretout has revealed that a phone call from Paulo Fonseca was the key factor that convinced him to join Roma.
The midfielder had a number of offers to leave Fiorentina this summer, including from AC Milan, but he eventually signed for Roma in a deal that could cost the club nearly €20m. At his first press conference as a Giallorossi player, Veretout told reporters: “I chose Roma because this is a huge club and I was impressed by what Fonseca said to me. Roma are playing in the Europa League this season and I see this as a step forward in my career. “Roma are a huge club who want to be playing in the Champions League every season. For now it's the Europa League but our aim is to get back in the Champions League. We're going to have to work very hard if we're to achieve that.” Echoing a sentiment from fellow new arrival Amadou Diawara earlier this week, Veretout says he is ready to adapt to the demands of Fonseca's 4-2-3-1 system. “I've played everywhere in midfield and learnt a lot from playing in the holding role. It's made me a more mature player because you have to think a bit more carefully. I still have plenty of room for improvement, though. “In a three-man midfield I have more freedom to get forward. With two I have to be more careful about providing defensive cover.” When asked for more detail on what Fonseca said to him, Veretout painted a positive picture of the coach. “He told me he needed someone with my skill set. He convinced me instantly and I never looked back from there. “The boss likes to play attacking football. He wanted me as a deep-lying playmaker but in that position you need to know how to defend too.” Veretout was responsible for set pieces in Florence, but Roma already have Diego Perotti to take penalties and Aleksandar Kolarov on free kicks. Nonetheless, the Frenchman laughed that he could end up overtaking them in the pecking order, as long as he had the right work ethic. “We'll see about free kicks and penalties further down the line. In the meantime I'll keep practising them!” Like the new Giallorossi Yorkshire Facebook page! New Roma signing Amadou Diawara has explained why he is confident of a successful first season with the club.
The midfielder's signing was announced on 1st July as Kostas Manolas moved the other way to Napoli, but did not arrive until this week due to his participation at the African Cup of Nations. He was formally presented at a press conference on Monday, where he discussed how he will adapt to the tactical demands of new coach Paulo Fonseca. “I’m used to playing in a three-man midfield, but I have adapted to play in a two as well,” said Diawara, knowing that Fonseca favours a 4-2-3-1 formation. “The important thing is that I do what the coach asks of me and I help the team. “I know that the midfield is an important area for the coach, because he wants us to bring the ball forward with our feet. When he called me on the phone a few weeks ago it was a big thing for me. I am honoured that he will be coaching me.” Diawara has made a positive impression by returning to Italy as soon as possible after the Cup of Nations, showing commitment to his new club. “I cut short my holidays to come here as quickly as possible, to get to know my new teammates and the coach. These extra days of training will help me recover after the games I played at the African Cup of Nations. I feel good, I’m just thinking about being at my best as soon as possible – even for training today.” The 21-year-old was also asked about Roma's targets for the upcoming campaign, with the side looking to improve on last season's disappointing sixth-place finish. “The aim for this season is to get back into the Champions League. We need to do everything we can to try and manage that.” Diawara is aware of the impact the likes of Radja Nainggolan and Kevin Strootman had on Roma's midfield in recent years. He is keen, however, to forge his own path. “They are great players; I’ve seen them play and they caused me a lot of problems whenever I played against them in the past. I am still young and I hope to give my best in training and the games in order to do what they did here, and perhaps even more.” Roma have completed the signing of Amadou Diawara from Napoli.
The Guinean midfielder, who is currently on African Cup of Nations duty, joins as part of the operation that sent Kostas Manolas to the Stadio San Paolo yesterday. Diawara has signed a five-year contract with Roma, that will keep him with his new club until 2024. The cost of the transfer is €21m. The 21-year-old rose to prominence with Bologna in the 2015-16 season, after which he earned his move to Naples. However, he was mainly used as a rotation player in his three years there, due to the strength of their midfield. His move to Roma should allow him the opportunity for more regular action at a top level side. Benvenuto, Amadou. Kostas Manolas' proposed move from Roma to Napoli is virtually complete, with Amadou Diawara set to head the other way.
Manolas is set to be sacrificed so that Roma can balance the books, which will bring an end to his five-year stay with the club. The Greek defender has made more than 200 appearances in that time, and is perhaps best remembered for scoring the goal which completed Roma's extraordinary comeback against Barcelona in the 2017-18 Champions League. Sky Sport's Fabrizio Romano revealed yesterday that the operation to send Manolas to Naples is complete, with Roma earning €34m from the transfer. Meanwhile, Diawara will join Roma for €18m plus €2m in bonuses, having been requested by new head coach Paulo Fonseca. Gianluca Petrachi has worked quickly to find Manolas' replacement, with Gianluca Di Marzio reporting that Roma's new sporting director has had lunch with the agent of Real Betis' Marc Bartra today in view of a potential move. Bartra, who has experience playing for Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund under his belt, would cost around €20m.
Giallorossi Yorkshire's weekly video on Roma transfer rumours - including the ones you may have missed in the wake of Francesco Totti's resignation announcement.
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