Pallotta doesn't strike me as guy that really knows a ton of football. Not completely uninformed, just comparable to the average fan who watches the matches but has more knee-jerk reactions than nuanced expertise. However, you still can read between the lines of his comments and learn a lot because he is being closely informed of all the reasons Spalletti, Massara, Sabatini etc are making specific roster decisions. So, I don't expect to get much insight into tactics or why the squad is struggling from Pallotta but the comments are fairly revealing about the transfer decisions, for example. Midfield depth as a big point of summer debate seems clear and why I would guess that the facts behind Pallotta's comments are that he was likely told Paredes would be playing a much bigger role and shouldn't be sold to bring in a more experienced player or different younger player etc. I do agree with you completely about the patience it takes for younger players to perform consistently as part of a top team and that fans tend to equate doing well at a smaller side as being 100% proof that they would be just as effective working into a top 3 lineup as well. Probably more likely that a Gerson would be looking like Roma should have never loaned him out had he been playing for Crotone this season. However, it does seem clear that Pallotta was very specifically, if unintentionally, saying that squad depth hasn't played out during the season the way he was told by his "experts" it was designed to this summer. It's actually a bit alarming that he was so critical in terms of all the Spalletti rumors. .
I didn't read it that way at all. He was talking about players we loaned out, not kept. He even said that some of the players on loan could have helped this year and provided some rest to other players. He was 100% talking about keeping some players, he wasn't talking about Paredes at all.
I don't disagree that he says we should have kept some young players but he keeps repeating the errors in "who we loaned out and who we kept". . . Perhaps, I'm reading too much into it. However, young players are loaned when they aren't likely to get minutes with other players ahead of them even as depth options. Paredes is the one player heavily rumored to have been in the balance this summer who would be competing with a player like Pellegrini. Who else should we not have kept when the context is midfield depth? Gerson is obvious but I'm not sure he really figures into Pallotta's critique that much since that's an old mistake and it does seem Roma has continually tried to loan him for two years. Paredes is the player almost everyone thought would play a very big role this season. .
Summe Mercato 2017. @GiallorossiYank is moving to Roma in late-August!!! Just signed the lease to my apartment! PAZZZZZZZZOOOO. If anyone's ever in town let me know I'd meet up and drink beers/wine whatever, I'll be living by the Vaticano!
IMO, I think the "who we kept" is more about Iturbe and Gerson. I didn't see where his comments were directly about MF depth because we are clearly lacking depth up front seeing how Salah and Dzeko play every game too.
Supposedly Pallotta has a "big announcement" when he arrives in Roma. My hope is Monchi. If not then a sponsor. http://www.forzaroma.info/news-as-r...ra-pochi-giorni-fara-un-grande-annuncio-foto/
Of course, everyone knows that the best way to use AS Roma is to tease us, leak it to the press, start a rumour that we want you and then use that as a bargaining chip to get a better offer elsewhere, standard Roma transfer strategy since 2011.
Prior to 2011 the strategy was to steal money from the club to prop up your failing business and sell every decent player not name Totti and replace them with nothing.
Obviously when Madrid enters the picture, things get hazy. But Madrid seems like the worst job there is for a sporting director. You are not allowed to build a team really. Ownership tells you to buy whatever player did best in the last Euro/World Cup and that is what you do.
I'm reading today that the RM negotiations are more complicated and he may not end up there. In the end it's completely up to RM, if they want him they'll write a big enough check and there isn't a damn thing Roma can do. Edit: If Monchi does go to RM I read that Baldini would become our ds. I'd be more than ok with Baldini.
Apparently Monchi didn't go back to Spain after the game but went to London instead. http://www.forzaroma.info/news-as-r...londra-dopo-la-sconfitta-contro-il-leicester/
With his assist today vs. Inter our boy Iturbe has 3 assists in his last 3 games. I really hope he does well enough to convince Torino to buy him. I haven't seen any of the games so I have no idea how well he's played.