Roma Transfer Market: D’Amico Reveals Three Deals That Fell Through: “It Was All Set”

During the transfer window that just ended, Roma spent over 120 million euros to strengthen its roster, focusing primarily on the offense. Rodrigo Mora and Santiago Castro have joined the team, and Donyell Malen’s contract was bought out; however, defensive reinforcements were also made, with Konstantinos Koulierakis and Nahuel Molina ready to support Gian Piero Gasperini.

An attacking winger is still missing from the roster, and at a press conference, Giallorossi sporting director Tony D’Amico didn’t mince words: “We’re a bit short-handed; we’ve been lacking in that area. When I arrived, the priority with the coach was to strengthen the attack. But priorities have to be put into context. You start many negotiations; some you close quickly, others you don’t.”

The Giallorossi tried everything to fill the gap: “We had closed the deal for Leweling. There was a full agreement with the player and with Stuttgart, but then he had second thoughts at the last minute. We also had an agreement for Luiz Henrique and Zenit, but in that case there were banking issues with Russia. Summerville? It’s a matter of timing; the window we had to close the deal for Castro wasn’t the right one for Summerville. We were looking for both players, but these things happen.”

D’Amico then spoke about the Celik situation: “It was a unique situation… communication was complicated because he was at the World Cup. The renewal was practically a done deal, but then he decided to go to Juventus.”

In the final days of the transfer window, Giallorossi fans were very worried about the possible sale of Manu Koné: “There were exploratory talks with Chelsea; a club makes an official approach when there are actual offers, which didn’t happen. Gasperini never threatened to resign, though. I said before the Fiorentina match that a transfer would be unlikely with just a week left in the transfer window, and that’s how it turned out.”