Roma and Fiorentina Working on Exchanging Unsettled Wingbacks

An interesting exchange deal could be brewing between Roma and Fiorentina as they look to swap their unhappy fullbacks Nicola Zalewski and Fabiano Parisi in January.

According to Il Corriere della Sera via Voce Giallo Rossa, this solution is gaining steam by the day, becoming increasingly more plausible, especially with both players struggling to carve themselves starting roles at their respective clubs.

Zalewski is a youth product of Roma who was at one point a regular starter under Jose Mourinho. However, the 22-year-old has been reduced to a mere benchwarmer at the club. Despite Daniele De Rossi’s sacking and the arrival of Ivan Juric, the Pole’s situation hardly improved.

The Croatian manager is relying on Angelino as a left wingback, while Stephan El-Shaarawy and Leonardo Spinazzola represent alternative choices, leaving limited space for Zalewski who has only made a single appearance as a starter this season, in addition to three cameos off the bench.

For his part, Parisi finds himself in an almost similar situation at Fiorentina. The 23-year-old was considered among the most promising young full-backs during his time at Empoli, but his aura has faded since making the nearby move to Florence in the summer of 2023.

Even with Cristiano Biraghi moved to the three-man defense, the arrival of Robin Gosens means the young Italian remains an understudy on the left wingback.

Our Take on Zalewski and Parisi Exchange

Although both players need a fresh start, one must wonder if these proposed moves would actually pay dividends. After all, we’re talking about two young wingbacks who haven’t been able to overtake their more experienced teammates in the pecking order, so they could find themselves in identical situations.

Therefore, unless Juric and Raffaele Palladino have genuine plans for their respective targets, the players would do better to consider other destinations, even if less prestigious.