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| Thumbs up for the new arrivals in the capital? Just mind that goal, Maarten |
Maarten Stekelenberg (hereafter to be referred to as Stek on this blog, to save me time and typos) is possibly the most important signing of the summer. Teams don't win anything with poor goalkeepers, and having to watch Lobont, Doni and J.Sergio all make horrible mistakes week in, week out last season was heart-breaking. I spent most of my time in the stands praying for a good goalie, and in Stek I think Roma has one. Just 28, he has years of experience at Ajax and with the Netherlands, and he only cost around €6 million. Compared to the €20 million Manchester United spent on the relatively untested David de Gea, and the bargain looks even better.
Jose Angel
A young, exciting left-back. Roma have needed that for years. The Spaniard was indispensable that last two years at Sporting Gijon and earned praise for both his defensive and offensive qualities. Also part of the Spanish side that won the summer's UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship, the Iberian is solid addition to the team.
Simon Kjaer
The Dane underwhelmed for the most part during his spell at Wolfsburg, but at just 22 he has two seasons of Serie A football under his belt from his time at Palermo, as well as 16 international caps. Looks to be a good signing.
Fernando Gago
Fernando Gago is interesting, not just because the 25-year-old is a very good player, but because if he can sit deep and protect the back four he could well be the key that unlocks the Daniele de Rossi of old. Capitano Futuro had a poor season last year, by his standards at least, possibly because he's been played in a constrictive, defense-focused role. With Gago now filling those shoes, the Roman will hopefully be given more freedom to boss the midfield and make the killer runs that his reputation as a world-class midfielder is based on. And, in pairing the former Boca Juniors man with de Rossi, Roma must now have one of the steeliest midfields going. Good passer of the ball too. Exciting stuff.
Miralem Pjanic
The Bosnian is a great sigining. Just turned 11 when the Giallorossi beat Parma on the final day to secure their third and last Scudetto, he has stared for Olympique Lyonnais over the last couple of seasons making more than 100 appearances in both Ligue 1 and the Champions League, where he scored a memorable winner over Real Madrid. With 26 international caps and counting, evidence suggests that Pjanic could be integral to the hopes of Bosnia – and Roma – for years to come. Could well be one of the best Serie A signings of the summer.
Erik Lamela
Bought for €12 million from the troubled River Plate, the young Argentine is a classic Walter Sabatini purchase. Seen as a cheaper, younger Javier Pastore, if Lamela can become anywhere near as good he'll be a legend in no time. There are a lot of people out there deriding him for being too young, but another Argentine, Javier Saviola, left River Plater for around €20 million in 2001 at the same age and scored 17 goals in his first season – for Barcelona. South Americans, it seems, grow up fast.
Bojan Krcic
Normally, you wouldn't be too excited about signing a young player who couldn't break into the regular line up at his previous team, but when you consider that team was Barcelona and the people he was trying to displace were Lionel Messi and David Villa (and Samuel Eto'o and Thierry Henry and Zlatan Ibrahimovic ... well, you get the picture), it's only fair to cut Bojan some slack. The young Serbo-Spaniard broke Messi's record for being the youngest ever player to feature in a Liga match, and he took the youngest ever scorer of a Lig goal record from Raul. Now he needs to push on and fulfill his promise.
One thing irks me about this singing, and it's not the convoluted loan deal. It's an odd thing to remember, but it came back to me the minute he signed: In 2008, he asked to be left out of the Spanish squad for the European Championships because he was "simply exhausted". I can't imagine a truly great player with genuine aspirations turning down a chance to perform on such a stage, especially with such a special team. I know he was only 17, but WHY!?!
And the rest ...
At €17.5 million, Pablo Osvaldo cost to much and has, in his career to date, shown too little. Maybe Luis Enrique and Walter Sabatini know something we don't. Let's hope so. Loic Nego has featured for all the French youth teams up through the ages, but he's too young and untested to pass judgement on unless you're a full-time football scout. Fabio Borini could be interesting. Released by Chelsea in the summer, he was snapped up by Parma (who know a thing or two about young talent) only to be immediately loaned to i Lupi. Why the club wanted to take a 20-year-old prospect on loan is anyone's guess, but the one-time U-19 Italy captain is certainly "one to watch" for fans of Italian football. Gabriel Heinze ain't getting any younger, but coming in on a free, he represents little risk. The 33-year-old has league-winning experience in England, Spain and France, so perhaps he can show the young guns a thing or two.
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