Roma have had an impeccable window so far and are just missing a top-notch right-back to make the squad whole and highly competitive, but the Paulo Dybala situation suddenly escalated. His departure no longer seems far-fetched or a negotiating tactic like in the past.
According to Gianluca Di Marzio, Al-Qadsiah have proposed €20M annually for the next three seasons, plus other benefits. They’d pay a €18M fee or so if he accepted. He hasn’t yet. The suitors will have to haggle with his team as well since his release clause has lapsed.
La Joya had seemed immune to the Saudi sirens in previous instances and earlier in the summer. His departure would have been a little more understandable and digestible in July. Back then, Giallorossi could have done nothing if a team offered €12M. That obviously didn’t happen. While the will of the player is always the driving force behind a transfer, the club would be complicit since they would have to sign off and agree to his price tag.
The Blame Game
Roma wouldn’t be able to just pin the whole thing on Dybala. The posturing and battle of whispers, which always happen in a break-up of this magnitude, have already begun. Besides the sentimental elements and what he has meant to the team and the fan base since he joined, his sale would be odd because his contract only technically expires in 2025. He’s close to activating an automatic one-year renewal. It wouldn’t be the last chance for the side to cash in on him. The urgency related to an unexpected financial boon isn’t there.
Considering their additions, it might not be too malicious to think that the management orchestrated his exit way before the recent turn of events, or at least started preparing for it. He and Matias Soulé can coexist but aren’t perfect fits. It’ll force one of the two, or perhaps Lorenzo Pellegrini, to play out of position to make the scheme work. Things would be a lot easier for coach Daniele De Rossi with a top-shelf right-footed attacker. Still, that’d be a drastic way to solve a tactical conundrum. Given their tricky injury history, the two veterans are very rarely healthy and in peak form simultaneously. Such an aspect and some rotation would take care of the issue in most games.
It appeared like Roma took advantage of Juventus’ economic needs with the Soulé deal, improving the squad and enjoying the abundance of offensive talent for a year or two. Instead, perhaps they were a lot more calculated and were already considering accompanying Dybala at the door. Once Al-Qadsiah got serious, and the Argentine didn’t reject them right away, it didn’t take long for the murmurs and complaints about his economic cost and recurring absences to surface.
The Contract-Related Problems
Those are surely true. If he were more robust, and his entourage was easier to deal with, he would be playing for Real Madrid or Manchester City given his class. Or he’d still be at Juventus at the very least. Still, the negative leaks willfully ignore that he’s been a bargain for the past two seasons. He agreed to relatively low wages, about €4M net, after the saga with the Bianconeri, with a robust increase coming down the pike thanks to some clauses. It jumped to more normal levels for a top player now, €6M or so. Some from the team quietly let it be known that the figures aren’t entirely sustainable.
It’s surely not a coincidence that the chatter about Dybala leaving Roma started getting traction this summer. It’d be a move typical of American sports, especially the NFL, which is used to convoluted contracts. Franchises are quick to cut players once they think they are no longer worth the cap space they take up. The situation is different because of the fee, but it arguably makes things worse. While the reported one is solid for a 30-year-old, it’s far from irresistible or life-changing for an outfit in general.
Massive Shoes to Fill
Without their biggest star, the Giallorossi would face a leadership and stature void that’d be tough to compensate for. Artem Dovbyk has scored a lot wherever he has played. However, asking him to be the head honcho right away in a more competitive or at least more tactically savvy and defensive-oriented league would be a tall order. Soulé was excellent at Frosinone, but he bagged half of his goals on PKs and couldn’t come through under pressure in the final two months when his team needed him the most to avoid relegation. They’d bring in somebody, with Federico Chiesa or Jeremie Boga reportedly the main candidates. The former would instantly be better in his true role and away from Massimiliano Allegri. However, if he’s proved anything in recent campaigns, it’s that he can’t be trusted to be the top guy on an ambitious side. Considering what happened at Atalanta, the speedster is a nice complementary weapon at best.
No matter the narrative, Roma would have a role in the departure of Dybala. The coin coming from it isn’t enough of a justification. They’d blame the player, but, if he really feels that way, it’d be because he’s been pushed out in some way, shape, or form. There’s still time to salvage the situation. To avoid future friction and one of the two parties looking like the bad guy, the star and the team would both have to come out to say they rejected the offer and re-commit to each other, setting the stage for a glorious season. There’d be all the premises for that without this late ordeal.
 |
Follow us on Google News for more updates on Serie A and Italian football |