Roma and Napoli have finalized their acquisitions from the Premier League. The two sides have deposited at the League’s office the contracts of Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Axel Tuanzebe. The newcomers will address their immediate needs at the respective positions, at least for six months.
Neither Roma nor Napoli could come to terms with Arsenal and Manchester United on the options to buy. Therefore, the versatile midfielder and the defender will join on simple loans. The Giallorossi will pay a €500k fee, plus €500k potential add-ons. The Partenopei will give €600K to the Red Devils right away, and eventually €400k more if they qualify for the Champions League.
Two more Englishmen are coming to Serie A after Fikayo Tomori and Tammy Abraham opened the door. Roma wanted a new option on the right flank and landed on Maitland-Niles. He could debut as soon as Sunday in the Juventus clash since Rick Karsdorp got a red card versus Milan. The 24-year-old has collected 132 appearances with Arsenal, scoring 3 goals and providing 8 assists. He can also feature in different positions. It is his second loan spell in the span of a year, as he finished the previous season at West Brom.
Instead, Tuanzebe was at Aston Villa so far, where he played nine matches before Napoli came calling. He is a product of the Manchester United youth academy. However, he never had a consistent role with the first team. Roma and Napoli signed Tammy Abraham and André-Franck Zambo Anguissa from England last summer, with strong returns.