Gian Piero Gasperini warns Roma ‘still need two players to complete the squad’ ahead of the season opener with Fiorentina, but admits FFP rules forced them to get ‘creative’ on the market.
It kicks off at the Stadio Olimpico on Monday at 19.45 UK time (20.45 CEST).
The Giallorossi have had a tense summer after ending their seven-year absence from the Champions League, as budget constraints saw them miss out on several top transfer targets.
They still managed to bring in Rodrigo Mora, Santiago Castro, Nahuel Molina and Konstantinos Koulierakis.
Gasperini still waiting for Roma reinforcements
“Purely in terms of numbers, we still need another two to complete the squad, especially in the Champions League,” warned Gasperini in today’s press conference.
“We are still missing another wide striker on the left, and an understudy for Wesley. We’ll see what can be done in the last 10 days of the transfer window, but we don’t want to sign players just for the sake of it. We need someone who can raise the level of the squad.”
Negotiations that dragged on for weeks and came to nothing for Mason Greenwood and Crysencio Summerville left the coach frustrated.
“We started out with some big profiles, but had to clash with the demands of keeping the salary below a certain cap. The UEFA Financial Fair Play rules are very limiting, even if perhaps Roma are the only club who really have to pay for this situation.
“UEFA already gave the club two postponements and cannot add another. Even though the club owners want to get out of this situation, they have no other alternative, so we have to be creative.
“I hoped that with the Champions League we’d be able to have a little more leeway, and the club thought that too, but recently we’ve had to change strategy.
“Nonetheless, we are satisfied with what we’ve achieved so far. It’s necessary to focus on youth, and this can be a positive. Rodrigo Mora is very young, but has already achieved good things with Porto. He’s an important investment for the future, and has all the characteristics to do well.”
When it came to new contracts, Paulo Dybala and Lorenzo Pellegrini accepted big pay cuts, while Bryan Cristante and Gianluca Mancini reportedly turned down bigger offers from elsewhere.
“I have to say, I was so pleased with the attitude of players like Dybala, Pellegrini and Cristante who agreed to lower their wages.”
Fiorentina have had no such qualms and spent big on the transfer market this summer, trying to make up for last season’s struggles.
“The team has been renewed with a coach in Fabio Grosso who did so well at Sassuolo,” warned Gasperini.
“The first few games are always fraught with uncertainty, especially after a World Cup, with some players who only just arrived for training.”
Among those late arrivals is Manu Koné, who has been linked with the likes of Manchester United and Manchester City this summer.
“Aside from the situations in the papers, the truth is there have never been any real negotiations for Koné. It is fundamental for me that he plays for Roma, and I think he is happy to be here too,” concluded Gasperini.
