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Defensive woes cost Roma again
Despite this, Roma Sporting Director Walter Sabatini adopted a particular policy in the last few years, using the proceeds from defenders sale to purchase new players.
It all started when Roma acquired Simon Kjaer from Palermo back in 2011. The Denmark International struggled to have an impact at the Stadio Olimpico and made his Wolfsburg comeback just one year later.
In 2013, Sabatini sold Marquinhos to PSG for € 30 million. Mehdi Benatia and Alessio Romagnoli followed the Brazil International’s path in 2014 and 2015 joining Bayern Munich and Milan respectively.
Roma cashed in more than € 100 million from the sale of these three defenders and Kostas Manolas could be the next one to leave the Stadio Olimpico.
As far as Antonio Rudiger is concerned, the former Struggart man seemed to be worse than Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa at the beginning of the season (another central defender that was sold last summer), although he showed some sign of progress in the last few games.
History teaches that in 1983 Roma won the league with Pietro Vierchowood partnering Agostino Di Bartolomei in the middle of the defense. The latter was not a pure central defender, but a holding midfielder adapted full back. The same role that Daniele De Rossi is playing at the Stadio Olimpico this term.
