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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."
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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) Pau Lopez turned down an offer from Barcelona in order to seal his transfer to Roma, his agent has revealed.
Lopez was officially announced on Thursday, becoming Roma's third signing of the summer after Leonardo Spinazzola and Amadou Diawara. However, the Spaniard had no shortage of offers before putting pen to paper, as Albert Botines told Corriere Dello Sport. "Barcelona called me, and three Premier League clubs wanted to push for him, but he chose Roma," the goalkeeper's agent explained. "When the offer from the Giallorossi arrived he had no doubts, he told me: 'I want to go to Roma'. He didn't have any doubts. "Betis didn't want to sell him, from the start of June he was considered unsellable. Then, however, Roma made a very important effort to sign him, and to thank [Gianluca] Petrachi and to demonstrate his will to wear the Giallorossi shirt, Pau Lopez wanted to 'sacrifice' a part of his salary to contribute to the transfer offer." Roma eventually settled to a €23.5m agreement for the Spaniard, making him their most expensive goalkeeper signing of all-time. "In the end fortunately it all went well, we signed and he has started to train with his new teammates," Botines explained. "Now we hope to have a great season; Pau Lopez wants to help the squad return to the Champions League, to do well in the Europa League and to win the Coppa Italia." Roma have confirmed the arrival of new goalkeeper Pau Lopez from Real Betis.
Lopez, who takes the number 13 shirt, is expected to become the first choice keeper, replacing the disappointing Robin Olsen. Roma have paid €23.5m for the 24-year-old, who has put pen to paper on a contract until 2024. A one-cap Spain international, the former Espanyol and Spurs man will experience Italian football for the first time. Lopez, who completed his medical on Monday, admitted to Roma’s official website that it was “basically impossible to say no” to the chance of joining. “This is a big step forward for me in my career,” he added. “I am delighted by the confidence this great club has shown in me; I feel ready to take on this exciting challenge.” Lopez kept 10 clean sheets in La Liga last season as Betis came 10th. Benvenuto, Pau. Roma are expected to complete the signing of Real Betis goalkeeper Pau Lopez next week. The Spanish goalkeeper has been identified as the top target to become Roma’s new number one after Robin Olsen proved to be a massive downgrade on Alisson Becker, eventually being overtaken in the pecking order by veteran Antonio Mirante by the end of the season. Roma are now set to replace Olsen with Lopez, who has spent three of the past four seasons as a regular in La Liga (interrupted by a one-year loan at Tottenham Hotspur, which brought no appearances). Lopez, 24, will cost around €30m, a figure which includes the cancellation of the sell-on fee for Antonio Sanabria, who Roma sold to Betis three years ago. Sky Sport Italia have confirmed that Lopez will arrive in Rome on Monday for his medicals, ahead of signing a five-year contract which will see him become the highest-paid keeper in Serie A. |
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