This has to be the best prepared AS Roma have looked going into a season for a fair few years now.
There is a lot of optimism around the Giallorossi heading into the new Serie A campaign and for very good reason. Given they were in the hunt for the top four until their Europa Conference League campaign started to get more serious, reaching the Champions League simply has to be their goal this season.
The squad is definitely stronger than it was last year and the team has certainly brought into Jose Mourinho’s methods. They will more depth and quality in attack, more experience in midfield, and a bit more competition for places at the back.
AS Roma transfers: Signings and sales
It has definitely been a good window so far but there are elements of it that are subject to change.
The headline is of course that Paulo Dybala is now a Roma player. He was unveiled in front of his adoring public at the Palazzo della Civilta Italiana and he looked visibly moved as the Roma anthem was belted out by the fans.
There may not be a more motivated individual on the opening day than Dybala given the tough final season at Juventus and the fanfare with which he has arrived at Roma. What he can bring to the team is that bit of star quality when things aren’t going so well. There are going to be some tough Sunday evening matches away at stubborn sides having played in Europe just three days earlier. Those are the games where Roma couldn’t find that special moment last season to get those extra few points.
In terms of how he’ll link up, Mourinho seemed to use him, Tammy Abraham and Nicolo Zaniolo in a very fluid front three in a recent friendly against Spurs which they won 1-0. Lorenzo Pellegrini played a deeper midfield role.
A deal that isn’t announced yet but seems very likely to happen is a free transfer for Andrea Belotti. He has agreed a deal with Roma but the Giallorossi have to send Eldor Shomurodov out on loan before Belotti can join.
That adds another dimension to the Roma attack and there is a lot to like in that area. More importantly, they have never been better equipped to cope with the departure of Zaniolo should he leave towards the end of the window.
Roma did not take up the option to sign Sergio Oliveira permanently but instead, they have got Nemanja Matic from Manchester United on a free. He has played much of his best football under Mourinho and he could suit a tempo-setting role in this Roma side and in Serie A in particular.
Another player who looks very close to joining but hasn’t yet is Georginio Wijnaldum. The Dutchman appears very willing to join Roma from Paris Saint-Germain and the two clubs are working on the deal. There seems to be a lot of acceptance that it will happen. If he can produce something like his Liverpool form in Italy, he will add a level of dynamism to the midfield that could help Roma get from defence to attack much quicker than they were able to last season.
Mile Svilar has joined from Benfica to provide more competition for Rui Patricio in goal and Zeki Celik has joined from Lille to push Rick Karsdorp into finding a new level at right-back.
The only major outgoing so far that wasn’t a loan being made permanent is Henrikh Mkhitaryan who joined Inter. With the way that the forward line has been bolstered though, losing that attacking presence from the midfield does not feel as drastic as it did at the start of the summer.
AS Roma season expectations
It is very possible that people are getting ahead of themselves when it comes to Roma this season and as always. Dybala could get injured and the other new signings could not gel and Mourinho could fall out with everyone.
As it stands though, it is very hard not to view Roma as the favourites to get that fourth spot in Serie A behind the two Milan sides and Juventus. They’ll be a lot of people’s rogue shouts for a Scudetto winner and whilst that is highly unlikely, it’s not a ridiculous shout.
With a quartet of Abraham, Dybala, Zaniolo and Pellegrini possibly linking up on a regular basis, there could be some very pleasant link-up play at the Stadio Olimpico.
That being said, the central defence is not the sort that a title-winning side is built on and it does not seem like there will be a major arrival in that area this summer. The Champions League has to be the aim for Mourinho and he could well have the tools at his disposal to get it.
