Genoa have kicked off their January reinforcement campaign with two players from foreign leagues as they announced the acquisition of Kevin Strootman from Olympique Marseille, while defender Jerome Onguene has already landed in Italy in order to finalize his transfer, local newspaper Secolo XIX reported.
Strootman has joined on a straight season-long loan, leaving Ligue 1 after two and a half seasons, where he collected 78 appearances and scored once. While he has featured 11 times in the current campaign, he strarted just once. The 30-year-old midfielder heads back to Serie A after previously spending five years at Roma from 2013 to 2018, playing in 131 matches.
The Grifone was in the running for Arsenal’s Sokratis Papastathopoulos, but they have instead decided to go younger with the 23-year-old Jerome Onguene, who will move on a season-long loan with a €5M option from RB Salzburg. He previously played at Stuttgart and Sochaux and has eight caps with Cameroon. He has recorded nine goals and three assists in 62 appearances in the Austrian Bundesliga.
Our view
Genoa are getting busy, as it seemingly happens in after transfer market window. Strootman should be a decent addition if he has something left in the tank, however they were not short on plodding midfielders already. While the Dutch is the flashiest signing of the duo, Onguene could end up being the best one in the long haul and he should have no troubles adjusting to a three-man defense given his physical skills.