Roma have announced the signing of Enzo Le Fee for the fee of €23m (sorry, had to be done).
Eager to improve their midfield, Roma identified Le Fee as a key target and have bought him from Rennes after just one season there.
Le Fee, 24, previously made his name at Lorient and now gets his first chance to play for a club outside of his native France with Roma, who have made him their most expensive signing in three years.
He is believed to have signed a contract until 2029 with the club and will wear the number 28 shirt.
He is Roma’s second signing of the summer after teenager Buba Sangare, but is the first specifically for the senior team.
Giallorossi Yorkshire verdict
Truth be told, knowledge of Enzo Le Fee for a Serie A viewer is limited. But the amount of money spent on him is symbolic of what a serious signing this is.
If anything, the fee invested in Le Fee (sorry, I promise I’ll stop soon) implies he is here to compete for starts. Players who have been here a long time, like Bryan Cristante and maybe even Lorenzo Pellegrini, will have to up their game in sync.
Cristante has improved into one of Roma’s most consistent players over the past couple of seasons, but there is now six years of evidence that Champions League qualification does not happen with him as a regular starter. Pellegrini, in contrast, has been part of a Roma squad to finish in the top four before, but that was when he was competing with Radja Nainggolan, Kevin Strootman and De Rossi himself. A variety of options across the midfield are necessary and this could be the first step to fixing that.
A quick check of Le Fee’s highlights presents a player capable of controlling the ball in a box-to-box role, something Roma have been lacking since losing players like Jordan Veretout and Henrikh Mkhitaryan in 2022. After the additions of Houssem Aouar and Renato Sanches didn’t work out last year, Roma can only be hoping their latest midfield addition gives them the solidity in the department they have been crying out for.
But as Le Fee becomes the latest midfielder to arrive from Ligue 1, we can’t forget it will take time for him to adapt. At 24, though, he’s at a good age to progress, so let’s hope he can.
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