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Federico Fazio has set his sights on playing for Roma for the rest of his career, while claiming that compatriot Javier Pastore is in his best shape since joining the club.
Fazio has been one of Roma's most-used defenders so far this season, at the start of his fourth full campaign with the club. The Argentine could add to his five league starts of 2019-20 on Sunday, when Roma travel to face Sampdoria - who have recently appointed former Giallorossi manager Claudio Ranieri, a coach under whom Fazio's form vastly improved last season. "Ranieri is a good manager with a lot of experience in football," Fazio told Sky Sport. "He’s arriving at a club who are going through a tough period, but given his experience, he can give them the motivation they need. We wish him well but we’ll greet him after the match: we want to win." Fazio is one of three Argentines in the squad, with the others, Diego Perotti and Javier Pastore, often having to combat fitness problems. But their teammate says both of the attacking midfielders are nearly ready to contribute again. "Diego returned to training last week, little by little he is picking up the pace to get back into the best shape possible. Pastore is always training hard, this is the best shape I’ve seen him in since he arrived." Another player with ties to Roma currently in Argentina is legendary former captain Daniele De Rossi, who is now playing for Boca Juniors. But when asked if he would follow his old teammate to the Argentine club, Fazio, 32, responded by pledging his future to Roma - with whom he signed a contract extension over the summer. "He’s doing well there and we hope they win against River Plate. I don’t know if I’ll finish my career there, I think I’ll finish it at Roma." Should Fazio start on Sunday, he will partner either Gianluca Mancini or Chris Smalling, with Paulo Fonseca yet to finalise his strongest centre-back partnership. However, Fazio says he is happy to play alongside either of them. "Playing right, left, with one player or another makes no difference. Smalling comes from the Premier League, which is different, Mancini is young and still has a lot ahead of him. I get along well with both." After the Sampdoria game, Roma will face Borussia Monchengladbach in the Europa League, a competition which fans have every right to be optimistic about the team's chances in. However, Fazio knows that, if they are to conquer the competition, Roma must take things one step at a time. "It’s a good competition - you can’t underestimate it. There’s already strong teams in it and then you’ll also have teams from the Champions League join. We have to continue calmly and slowly, let’s worry about winning the group first.
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Roma have confirmed that winger Diego Perotti will miss between 45 and 60 days with a quadriceps strain.
The Argentine player had been expected to play a key role this season, following the departure of Stephan El Shaarawy, but missed the season opener against Genoa through injury. Tests since then have revealed that Perotti has strained the left quadriceps muscle, near the thigh, and will consequently miss at least the first month-and-a-half of the season. It comes as a major blow for the 31-year-old, who only managed to make six league starts last season due to further injuries. 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! Roma winger Diego Perotti is hoping he will be able to flourish under Paulo Fonseca after being struck by the new head coach's "sincerity" and "honesty".
Fonseca, who was appointed early in June as Claudio Ranieri's successor, will be the fourth coach Perotti has worked under at Roma, and the attacking midfielder is confident they will be a good match. Perotti told Roma TV: "I certainly want to do better than last year, I would like to start from scratch and do everything as new. Last year I could barely play, I approach this pre-season with a great desire to be available to the coach. "What struck me most about the mister was his sincerity, both when he spoke in the press conference and when he spoke in private. What we said, I keep to myself, but it was very sincere and honest. "He comes from a good team, he won a lot and has experience that can help us win something. I have always liked Portuguese coaches and I hope to do well." With the departures of Kostas Manolas and Stephan El Shaarawy likely to be followed by that of Edin Dzeko, Perotti will be one of the most experienced players in the squad next year, and he will be eager to make more than the 15 appearances he managed in an injury-ridden campaign last season. Like the new Giallorossi Yorkshire Facebook page! All of Tuesday's Roma transfer rumours in one place - including updates on Alessio Cragno, Kostas Manolas and Gregoire Defrel.
First Cragno offer rejected Roma have had an €18m bid for Cagliari goalkeeper Alessio Cragno rejected, according to La Nuova Sardegna. The bid for the Italian shot-stopper included the loans of a couple of Primavera players - including Luca Pellegrini, who spent the second half of the season in Sardinia - but Cagliari are holding out for €25m. Any negotiations over Pellegrini will come separately. Dragowski a goalkeeping alternative If the Cragno asking price is deemed to be too high, then Roma will set their sights on Bartlomiej Dragowski from Fiorentina, who impressed on loan at Empoli last season. Il Romanista observe that the player is keen on the move, but Brighton and Southampton are also interested. The future of Robin Olsen must also be resolved, with the Swede more likely to leave on loan (to a club in England) than permanently, due to the risk of making a loss on the €8.5m that was spent on him last summer. Perotti makes intentions clear Diego Perotti has pledged his future to Roma in an interview with Fox Sports Argentina, in which he declared: "I want to respect my contract with Roma." His deal runs until 2021. Three players to be sold to balance books After their failure to qualify for next season's Champions League, Roma need to raise around €45m to balance the books. According to Gazzetta Dello Sport, that will be accomplished with the sales of three big names - Kostas Manolas, Edin Dzeko and Cengiz Under. Inter considering Roma raid Antonio Conte is set to revamp his newly inherited Inter squad, with several Roma players linked. Dzeko is the closest to making the switch, with a €13m offer in the pipeline, while full-backs Aleksandar Kolarov and Alessandro Florenzi have also been linked. Sport Mediaset now add a fourth name to the list, claiming that Manolas could make the move to San Siro. Kolarov denies Red Star move Another club linked with Kolarov is his childhood team Red Star Belgrade, but at a press conference on international duty, the former Manchester City man said there was no truth to the rumours yet. Shakhtar waive Fonseca fee Roma are closer to making a decision on their next manager, with it apparently being a two-horse race between Paulo Fonseca and Roberto De Zerbi. According to Corriere Dello Sport, the former could be allowed to join Roma for nothing by his present club Shakhtar, despite the €5m release clause in his contract. The Ukrainian giants will not begrudge him the opportunity to work in a bigger league after three successive league titles. Dalic agent alert suitors Fonseca, however, is waiting for reassurances from Roma, meaning other candidates are not out of the equation just yet. A new contender is Zlatko Dalic, who guided Croatia to the semi-finals of last year's World Cup. His agent, Sokol Haxhia, has confirmed to Il Tempo that he is trying to arrange for the 52-year-old to coach at an "ambitious" Serie A club. Former midfielder could return as coach Due to Fonseca's doubts, Tuttomercatoweb claim that former Roma midfielder Luigi Di Biagio is rising up the list of potential managerial targets. He is currently in charge of the Italy U21 side. Ten Hag approach turned down One man who will not be taking over as coach is Erik Ten Hag, with Dutch paper De Telegraaf claiming that Ajax have rejected Roma's approach to speak to him due to Monchi's failed negotiations for Hakim Ziyech last summer. The report claims that last season's Champions League semi-finalists feel Ziyech was mistreated by Monchi when a deal was not agreed between the clubs. Defrel decision depends on coach Pagine Romaniste assess the futures of the players Roma sent out on loan last year, and claim that Gregoire Defrel, who enjoyed a productive spell at Sampdoria, will not be sold until the new coach arrives. Optimism remains that, despite his woeful first season at Roma, he could still be a part of the project. However, another striker who has had a fruitful season away from Trigoria, Ezequiel Ponce, is likely to be sold. Arnautovic under consideration According to The Sun, West Ham forward Marko Arnautovic could make a return to Inter this summer. However, Roma are also considering a move for the Austrian forward. Boca Juniors striker Dario Benedetto has been linked with a move to Roma.
Benedetto has scored 43 goals in 67 appearances for Boca, and according to Fox Sports Argentina, his form has caught the attention of the Lupi. Roma are expected to sell current first-choice striker Edin Dzeko in the summer, with some reports indicating that he has agreed to link up with his former Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini at West Ham. If Roma can acquire €20m for his signature, then a deal could go through. Argentina man Benedetto has been identified as a potential replacement. The 28-year-old has spent his entire career in the Americas, so could be ready to test himself in the European leagues. Roma's pursuit of Benedetto could be helped by the fact that Boca's sporting director is ex-Giallorossi defender Nicolas Burdisso, who maintains a good relationship with the club and recently met with Roma counterpart Ricky Massara. The report also suggests that Roma winger Diego Perotti could be included as a makeweight in the deal. Perotti began his youth career at Boca and made two senior appearances for them in a loan spell from Sevilla in 2014. Roma striker Sadiq Umar is in Scotland to complete a loan move to Rangers.
The young Nigerian forward has spent the last couple of seasons on loan away from Roma, and is set to make another temporary switch to the Glasweigan club. Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard recently took over as Rangers manager, which has helped them attract a better calibre of players, and Sadiq is about to become their eighth signing of the summer. Sadiq, 21, will get the chance to play Europa League football with the Scottish club, with their campaign beginning with a 1st Qualifying Round tie on Thursday. Meanwhile, a friend of Ajax midfielder Hakim Ziyech has posted on Instagram that the Moroccan has signed a four-year contract with Roma. How true that is is unclear, especially with Monchi recently suggesting that no more players would arrive in midfield, but it will be enough to get some fans excited. Roma could be dealing with former sporting director Walter Sabatini for one transfer this summer. Sabatini is now in the same role at Sampdoria and the club are chasing Roma's Gregoire Defrel. With Duvan Zapata expected to leave the Ligurian club, they see Defrel as a replacement, according to La Gazetta Dello Sport. The same outlet report that Udinese want to take Leandro Castan from Roma. The defender has been fortunate enough to play again after brain surgery four years ago, but there is no place for him at Stadio Olimpico, so he is likely to move on this year. Serie A newcomers Frosinone have also been linked in recent days. Various outlets in Italy and Portugal are also suggesting Monchi's interest in Porto midfielder Hector Herrera. The defensive-minded player is entering the final year of his contract and does not intend to renew his deal, so Roma are studying the situation. Diego Perotti could be about to leave Roma after a two-and-a-half year stay.
Reports claim that the winger is ready to make a switch to Atalanta, where he would be reunited with his former Genoa coach Gian Piero Gasperini. Perotti, 29, has been an important figure for Roma during his time at the club, scoring the winning goal against his former club at the end of the 2016-17 season to secure Champions League qualification. However, his spell in the capital has been plagued by inconsistency, and with the impending arrival of Justin Kluivert on the left wing, Perotti could be made to move on. According to Corriere Dello Sport, Perotti is willing to move to Atalanta due to his good relationship with Gasperini. The winger is under contract at Roma until 2021. 30% of Roma fans said they would sell Perotti this summer in a recent poll. After an outstanding performance against Qarabag, Diego Perotti has extended his contract with Roma.
His new deal will expire in 2021. The news comes just days after Kostas Manolas also renewed his contract with the club. Perotti, 29, joined Roma from Genoa in January 2016. He has gone on to score 18 goals in 78 appearances for the club so far. |
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