Roma have made a profound impact in the transfer market this summer.
Freed from the shackles of the José Mourinho era, the Stadio Olimpico outfit have focused primarily on reshaping their attack, adding Artem Dovbyk and Matías Soulé to Daniele De Rossi’s frontline. The Giallorossi’s attacking revamp could be transformational.
Other new signings have been made. Midfielder Enzo Le Fée has arrived from Rennes with full back Angeliño secured from RB Leipzig on a permanent basis after a loan spell last season. However, it’s the capture of Dovbyk and Soule that has the rest of Serie A sitting up and taking note.
Dovbyk was last season’s Pichici winner in LaLiga. He scored more goals than any other player in the division as Girona sensationally finished third and even threatened to mount a title challenge. Atlético Madrid were reportedly close to landing Dovbyk before Roma swooped for the Ukrainian international in a €38.5m transfer.
Soulé registered 11 goals and three assists in Serie A last season, showcasing his potential on loan at Frosinone from Juventus. The 21-year-old is a skilled dribbler and ranks highly in ball-carrying, progressive passes, and several attacking metrics that suggest the young Argentinean is destined for the top.
There is uncertainty over Paulo Dybala’s future at Roma as he enters the final year of his contract, but the Giallorossi boast one of the strongest frontlines in Serie A with the 30-year-old still in their team. Factor in Lorenzo Pellegrini and Roma should be able to hold their own against any of their domestic rivals this season, certainly in an attacking sense.
Under American businessman and film producer Dan Friedkin, Roma have been ambitious in recent years. They hired Mourinho and backed him by spending big in the transfer market. Tammy Abraham, Rui Patrício Romelu Lukaku, Leandro Paredes, Renato Sanches and Dybala all arrived at the Stadio Olimpico during this time as Friedkin got out the cheque book.
Roma’s ambitions extend off the pitch. They have made inroads into the American market. The capital club recently unveiled plans for a new stadium which would have a capacity of 65,000 and could cost as much as €1 billion to build. Friedkin wants Roma to become one of Serie A’s biggest and most successful clubs and this summer’s transfer business feeds into that vision.
“Without Dan Friedkin the deal for Dovbyk would have been difficult,” said De Rossi, highlighting the role of Roma’s owner in getting transfers done. “Dovbyk is a huge prospect who needs to find his footing in his new team, but he will definitely make it. All the new signings strongly wanted to come to Roma, even giving up important teams in the process.”
De Rossi did a lot to unleash the attacking potential of the team he inherited after replacing Mourinho midway through last season. While Roma had grown stale under the Portuguese, De Rossi injected energy and intensity to their play. The former midfielder’s first month in charge saw Roma score 18 goals in just five league games, but they ultimately faded towards the end of the campaign.
With Dovbyk and Soulé through the door, though, De Rossi now has more to work with and there is still time for Roma to strengthen further. The Giallorossi have been linked with Federico Chiesa who is reportedly open to a move to the Stadio Olimpico. AC Milan want Tammy Abraham and could send Alexis Saelemaekers and Noah Okafor in the opposite direction.
Inter Milan ran away with the Scudetto last season, but Serie A is the least predictable of Europe’s ‘Big Five’ leagues. It has produced four different champions in the last five years, giving Roma hope that they could make their presence felt at the top of the table should they make the right moves this summer.
Defending champions Inter are expected to be strong again, but AC Milan and Juventus have both made new managerial appointments with no guarantee of success. Bologna have lost Thiago Motta and several key players while Napoli are entering a new era under Antonio Conte. Nobody knows how Serie A will shake out this season and that could benefit Roma who established a foundation under De Rossi last term.
De Rossi has been handed a three-year contract to give him time to mould Roma in his own image with Florent Ghisolfi hired from Nice to be the new sporting director at the Stadio Olimpico. While De Rossi has still to prove his ability at the elite level of management, he is part of a project that could turn Roma into a formidable force. Dovbyk and Soulé are too.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
You can follow every game from Serie A on FotMob – with in-depth stat coverage including xG, shot maps, and player ratings. Download the free app here.