Roma are set for what could be their most transformative January transfer window in a long while – and perhaps even ever.
Despite a big-spending summer, in which the club signed enough new players to field a whole new lineup, the squad is still misshapen and needs fixing, as results over the first half of the season have proven.
Roma are already on their third head coach of the season, with Daniele De Rossi and Ivan Juric having suffered the sack and Claudio Ranieri returning to stabilise things. The alarming turnover on the touchline indicates an underlying theme of players not performing to appropriate levels – and this is Roma’s chance to change that and salvage their season.
Multiple new signings could be on the agenda, with reinforcements still needed at right-back and on the wing (two priorities from the summer transfer window that were only half-addressed). Furthermore, the commitment to a back three means one more centre-back would be useful. Don’t be surprised, also, if Roma are actively looking for better support to Artem Dovbyk up front, as the main man battles to justify his price tag.
Yet, first of all, this transfer window could be characterised more by exits than by arrivals. Most prominently, captain Lorenzo Pellegrini is under serious pressure and has been linked with an exit, potentially to a Serie A rival such as Napoli or Fiorentina. It would be a big storyline, somewhat reminiscent of when Alessandro Florenzi also left despite being Roma’s captain in January 2020. But Pellegrini has sadly plummeted down the pecking order this season and may need to move on to rediscover his joy of the game. There will be a lot more to say about that here if he does depart.
Embed from Getty ImagesFellow midfielder Bryan Cristante’s race also seems to have been run, at long last – his form under Jose Mourinho clearly an outlier compared to his underwhelming displays under practically all his other Roma bosses. His current injury may delay a departure, somewhat frustratingly, but there could still be time in January for Roma to remove their second longest-serving player. Most recently, he has surprisingly been linked with a return to AC Milan in a deal that may help Roma convert Alexis Saelemaekers’ loan into a permanent stay (which, thanks to his seamless impact, could be a key task irrespective of whether it is attached to any extra business between the two clubs).
Elsewhere, after coming close to leaving a few months ago, Nicola Zalewski has done little to improve his chances of staying. There are also players who could be moved on if an upgrade can arrive, such as Zeki Celik at right-back or Eldor Shomurodov in the backup striker role, while Tommaso Baldanzi’s involvement has decreased under Claudio Ranieri (unfortunately after a somewhat promising start to the season) and a loan exit may benefit the attacking midfielder.
Baldanzi only arrived in February 2024, and it is telling of Roma’s recent transfer business that several of the summer signings that followed him are mooted to be in danger of leaving already. Mario Hermoso has disappointed in defence and could be replaced, Enzo Le Fée has failed to stamp his authority in midfield and is now heavily expected to be sacrificed, while someone like Samuel Dahl might need a loan move after barely featuring. There were previously whispers of Mats Hummels heading back to Germany too, but the veteran defender has become fundamental under Ranieri and now the talk is more of whether Roma can keep him into next season too.
But on that note, the uncertainty over the identity of Roma’s next head coach means the club will have to be careful when modifying their squad. Mistakes were made in the summer by not signing players who fit together in a system. Roma need to get an indication of what they are trying to build in 2025 to not fall into the same traps. It’s why they must reflect on whether players like Giacomo Raspadori – tipped to join from Napoli in a swap deal with Pellegrini – are actually what they need, and not just someone good to get tempted by.
After all, Roma are enjoying a rejuvenated Paulo Dybala at the moment in a similar position. The risk of their best player moving to Saudi Arabia loomed large over the club in August, only for him to astonishingly pledge his faith to Roma. His form dropped afterwards and talk of a January exit was still audible, this time to the Turkish Super Lig, but Ranieri has restored him to the centre of the project and at this rate, Dybala will be a dominant part of his plans for the rest of the season. At last, it looks like that contract extension might occur instead, in some form or another – but gossip might not be too far behind still.
Will any other forgotten transfer sagas from the summer be revived? How about Federico Chiesa, who Roma wanted to buy as a new winger from Juventus but now might need a loan move away from new club Liverpool to pick up his confidence? There have been some rumours he could be back on Roma’s radar, and whether he is a realistic option or not, it serves as an example of how the loan market might come to benefit La Magica this winter.
Indeed, going back to the point about Roma not knowing their coach for next season yet, and coupled with the tendency for loan deals to be more frequent in January, it might be wise to organise some temporary agreements to give the team a boost for the remainder of the season until a new era can commence. Maybe, as Saelemaekers is doing now, some of those potential loan additions could make a case for a permanent stay, but for now, they could give Roma the next shot in the arm they need, a top-up on the one Ranieri’s return has proven to provide.
However Roma change their squad in January, it could help define their season. What is usually a relatively quiet month for transfers could take on extra significance for Serie A’s 10th-placed team this time around. Roma are on the right lines now under Ranieri but still need to make substantial changes; it all hinges on how much they think they need to alter and then how much of that they will be able to achieve.
It could be about to get busy. Watch this space.
Leave a Reply