Roma manager Daniele De Rossi expressed optimism about the club’s summer transfer activities in a press conference ahead of their crucial match against Juventus. Despite a slow start to the season, De Rossi believes the squad has been significantly strengthened.
“I’m happy with our transfer window. We’ve had a positive balance,” De Rossi stated. “We stumbled on something unforeseen in defense, but we’ll address that. We’ve raised the level of the team, with important players arriving.”
The Roma boss praised new signings Kone and Saelemaekers, noting, “I really like both Kone and Saelemaekers. We were missing a player like Kone, and we really needed to add ‘meat’ to the midfield. I had requested this several times.”
Addressing the defensive shortcomings, De Rossi acknowledged, “We’re a bit short in defense, but there were other situations. We’ll work on it now.”
De Rossi also spoke highly of Juventus manager Thiago Motta: “He’s a friend and a great coach. They play well, and he has a magic touch: he fields players you’ve never heard of, and they score goals.”
In a bold statement, De Rossi compared Roma’s transfer window to that of league leaders Inter Milan: “Paradoxically, I think we’ve had a better transfer window than Inter. But they are stronger. Soon we’ll be able to do like them, adding a few reinforcements to an already high-level team. If we continue like this, we’re heading in the right direction to win the Scudetto.”
Regarding tactical changes, De Rossi mentioned, “I had imagined Danso in a three-man defense, but we always build with one full-back staying back and one pushing forward.”
The Roma manager also commented on Bove’s departure: “I’m sorry he left, but I didn’t block him. He probably wouldn’t have had much playing time, and it wasn’t enough for him, so he went to look for another solution. I wish him the best and hope he makes it to the national team.”
Lastly, De Rossi spoke about new signing Abdulhamid: “I’ve only seen Saud in two training sessions because of the transfer market and his trip to Arabia for the visa. He’s a player I didn’t know much about, but he has the characteristics I’m looking for. I’ve talked a lot with coach Simone Contrani and Antonio Gagliardi, who was the first to recommend him to me. They see a future champion in him.”
