Goodbye Ninja, hello Flaco. A day of official announcements at Roma with greetings to Radja Nainggolan, sold to Inter for 38 million, and the presentation in Trigoria of Javier Pastore. The Argentine taken from PSG will have the task, together with the other purchases, of making people forget the Belgian midfielder who, during his adventure in the capital, has carved out an important place for himself in the hearts of the Roma fans. A cheer greeted on social media, underlining that "unfortunately fairy tales end and not always only by one's own choice". This is a topic also touched upon by DS Monchi during Pastore's presentation. “The transfer of Radja? We made a choice, it's the DS's job, I know some understand and others don't. An offer arrived, we negotiated and reached an agreement. My job is to make choices and I always do it by putting my face to it" the words of the Spaniard, also clear on other issues related to the market: "No offers have arrived for Alisson, this is the reality. Is it non-transferable? There is no team in the world that can say this about a player. Manolas? I read that Chelsea would like to pay the clause, but I haven't heard anything, I feel calm. He is happy and wants to stay here, like Pellegrini. He is a 100% Roma player and is important for our future path." Less certainty when the protagonist of the discussion becomes Florenzi: “His renewal is not easy, we are trying, he is a strong player and we do not have an agreement yet but we want him to stay. It's an idea shared with Di Francesco." Cui Monchi has decided to entrust the new squad as soon as possible to allow him to work from the first days of the retreat with a practically complete group. “We have signed 8 players and we are close to closing for Bianda” explains the sporting director, recalling the latest arrivals Zaniolo and Santon (both announced today) and anticipating the signing of the young French defender from Lens: “I think no other team in Europe has signed so many players. The market is not closed yet but a significant part of the work has been done. What do I say to those who say that you can't win by revolutionizing the team? With my story. I've always done this type of work, look at my career: footballers have always come and gone. And I won something. I don't make revolutions, I do what I think is best for the team, the club, the coach and the players." This is why he decided to invest 24,7 million euros in Pastore, "a player of great quality, experience, maturity. It will definitely raise the level of the team." A role that the Argentine intends to cover also to feel like a protagonist again. “One of the reasons that pushed me to leave Paris was to try new experiences and feel important again. Roma is growing a lot and I wanted to return to Italy" he underlines, then taking a swipe at his former team: "There are many players at PSG, but those who have to play are the ones who play, that is, the last ones to arrive. The first 4 years I played them all, then having so many players in the same role makes it more difficult to have a permanent position. I couldn't compete with Neymar: because with someone like him there is no competition, he's a phenomenon. What I want here now is to play for Roma and feel important." With the aim of putting an end to the Juventus dominance. “It's true that Juventus has a very strong team but in the last two years they have struggled more because there are opponents who have strengthened very well like Napoli and Roma – concludes Pastore -. It's normal that when a footballer plays he wants to win: I don't come here to say that we will remain in fourth or fifth place. We will play to get as close as possible to what Juventus is today. The best thing would be to get to the last three matchdays with a chance of winning the championship."
EDITORIAL TEAM
Choose the social channel you want to subscribe to