On Tuesday, Roma coach Luciano Spalletti declared that Dutch midfielder Kevin Strootman could; “play for Bayern Munich or Barcelona, he is that those levels”. Despite this glowing tribute from his current boss, the 26-year-old has failed to reach the standards of his first season with the giallorossi. Strootman has been crippled by injury over the past two years and it’s been a slow return to full recovery, Roma fans are anxious to see the player that first arrived in the Italian capital. On top of this, combative Belgian midfielder Radja Nainggolan has also suffered a huge loss of form and this could see the giallorossi return to the transfer market in January.  

Last summer, Fiorentina’s Borja Valero was the man at the centre of attention but according to Corriere dello Sport, the player who could be centre of attention in January is Napoli’s Jorginho. Frozen out at the San Paolo due to the exceptional form of Diawara, Roma are believed to have already contacted the player’s agent to explore the idea of bringing him to the capital in the new year.


Steve Mitchell @barafundler