It’s fair to say that Monchi didn’t live up to expectations at Roma, with the once-esteemed Sevilla sporting director failing to construct a competitive squad.
Subsequent years of average placings in the Serie A table have often been traced back to how Monchi dismantled a squad that reached the Champions League semi-finals in 2018 (even though he had arrived in the summer prior to that campaign commencing).
Monchi will be remembered for orchestrating some big sales at Roma – with the likes of Alisson Becker, Radja Nainggolan and Mohamed Salah moving on under his stewardship – but it’s the incomings that came under even more scrutiny. Even with the big cash generated from those sales, Monchi rarely replaced the talent effectively, opting for depth rather than improvements to the starting lineup.
One or two key players he brought in will stand out as a legacy of his brief tenure, but many will be remembered as disappointments. Here is a rundown of all his signings that made a senior appearance for the club (therefore excluding €6m disaster William Bianda), ranked from worst to best.
20. Javier Pastore
One of Monchi’s most expensive additions, and certainly his most disappointing. Pastore was an embarrassment to the team with his lazy attitude and lack of desire. It always seemed like a pointless signing – Pastore didn’t fit into the 4-3-3 system that Eusebio Di Francesco was using at the time, had struggled with injury in recent years, and was past his prime. What’s more, for Monchi to offer a 29-year-old player a five-year contract was ludicrous; Roma eventually had to rip it up prematurely, with Pastore respectfully forgoing some of the money he would have earned. Despite a couple of early backheel goals, Monchi declaring him one of the most talented players he had ever bought did not foreshadow how his Roma career would actually go, but sadly it was all too predictable. The club could have gone for Hakim Ziyech – who other decision-makers rightly preferred – but Monchi made the fatal wrong call.
19. Ante Coric
Brought to Roma after being dubbed the next Luka Modric, Coric managed just 22 minutes of Serie A action in his first season at the club. They struggled to offload him ever since, with the Croatian failing to even find a loan taker in the final year of his contract, spending 2022-23 out of the squad entirely. At the age of 26, his failure to progress has been embarrassing.
18. Jonathan Silva
Remember him? When, in Monchi’s first season, Aleksandar Kolarov was suffering from burnout and Roma needed a genuine alternative at left-back after selling Emerson Palmieri to Chelsea, Monchi decided to bring in an injured player who was struggling for gametime at Sporting. It’s still baffling to this day.
17. Hector Moreno
A player that Monchi had pursued for a long time, but it didn’t go as he would’ve hoped. Moreno – effectively a replacement for Antonio Rudiger – made just six appearances at the back end of 2017 before quickly being moved on to Real Sociedad. A huge impact, then. He later admitted that when he came to Roma, he realised didn’t know how to defend, which speaks volumes.
16. Patrick Schick
Roma broke their transfer record to bring Schick to the club after just one season elsewhere in Serie A. He failed to carry the weight on his shoulders well. In his first season, the pressure he felt was visible, and after battling with injury, he made a few poor mistakes upon his return. Why Monchi felt the need to spend so much on a striker the season after Edin Dzeko’s record-breaking 39 goals remains a mystery. In fairness to Schick, he has revived his career after leaving Roma, but Giallorossi fans will remember a different type of player.
15. Robin Olsen
Olsen was hardly the most inspiring replacement for Alisson. True, most keepers worldwide would have been a downgrade on the Liverpool-bound Brazilian, but fans were probably hoping for a better replacement. Some high-profile blunders suggested Roma should have been more bold in bringing in a new keeper; the Sweden international only lasted one season at the club and later even struggled to get a game in the Championship for Sheffield United.
14. Steven Nzonzi
Arguably the marquee signing of summer 2018, Nzonzi arrived as a freshly-crowned World Cup winner to add more quality to the centre of the park. Ironically, Monchi brought him to the club just days after reassuring club legend Daniele De Rossi that he wouldn’t be signing more competition at defensive midfield. Although he wasn’t as bad as some made him out to be, Nzonzi looked a shadow of the player he could be and became difficult for Roma to offload.
13. Gregoire Defrel
It perhaps sums up how bad Monchi’s tenure at Roma was that someone with such a bad record for the club features almost halfway up this list. In fairness, the ex-Sassuolo striker might have been more of a Di Francesco signing, though. He could have been a suitable vice-Dzeko, but Defrel didn’t cope well with making the step up to Roma. Often being deployed out of position on the wing made things hard for him, but even so, he looked out of his depth and not strong enough to compete at the highest level, never scoring from open play. Furthermore, this deal also saw Roma lose grip of future Italy international Davide Frattesi as a counterpart.
12. Maxime Gonalons
A year before Nzonzi, Roma tried to find cover for De Rossi in the shape of ex-Lyon captain Gonalons. On the face of it, this initially seemed like a decent signing. Alas, he cut a lonely figure and struggled to adjust to the demands of Italian football, and rarely put in a good performance. Another one to soon be moved on, he joined Sevilla on loan after just one season – where he also struggled to establish himself.
11. Ivan Marcano
Marcano can go into the same category as Gonalons. At first sight, it seemed like a shrewd move. Picking up an experienced player on a free transfer in a position where Roma needed to improve – it all sounded good. However, Marcano struggled to nail down a regular place in the side, lacking the necessary physicality, and left after one season.
10. Daniel Fuzato
When Monchi overhauled Roma’s goalkeeping department in 2018, he brought in Daniel Fuzato as a third-choice and suggested he could become a number one in the future. However, the Brazilian took two years to make his senior debut. He then failed to even appear on loan at Gil Vicente before being recalled and making some appearances at the back end of the 2020-21 season, actually doing alright but never quite enough to stick around – especially given that he was 25 by the time he was sold the following year.
9. Justin Kluivert
Certainly a case of unfulfilled potential, Kluivert arrived from Ajax as an exciting player but the move might have come too soon in his career. His gametime wasn’t as consistent as he would have hoped, and his decision making when he was on the pitch left something to be desired, despite the occasional impactful contribution. After two seasons, Kluivert became surplus to requirements and was loaned out to try and find his best role elsewhere.
8. Davide Santon
Many fans were underwhelmed when Santon came to Roma as a makeweight in the deal to take the popular Radja Nainggolan to Inter. However, Santon sometimes proved his doubters wrong by putting in some solid, if unspectacular, performances. At just shy of €10m, he was a shrewd enough addition to cover in either full-back position until physical problems caught up with him and he had to retire in 2022 after a year of inactivity.
7. Antonio Mirante
Swapped with Lukasz Skorupski to become Roma’s backup goalkeeper in 2018, there weren’t huge expectations on Mirante, but the struggles of Olsen and then his successor Pau Lopez allowed him to step up in each of his first two seasons in the capital. His experience came in handy as he became a capable deputy who arguably deserved more starts, but eventually some mistakes crept into his game. That said, Mirante had more good games for Roma than bad games, which is rare for a Monchi signing.
6. Cengiz Under
Monchi arrived with a reputation for plucking wonderkids out of relative obscurity and seeing them become top class talent, and Under was perhaps the one player he brought to Roma who threatened to embody that. Few would have heard of his exploits with Istanbul Basakeshir in the Turkish Super Lig, but, after a patient first half to the 2017-18 season, Under really began to turn on the fire in a Roma shirt with a string of wonder goals in the first few months of 2018. Eventually, things turned a bit sour for the wide man, but that burst of excitement halfway through his debut season is worth remembering.
5. Rick Karsdorp
This one could have been a lot lower, but Karsdorp has enjoyed various resurgences in his Roma career. The problem for Monchi was that when Roma desperately needed cover at right-back, he for some reason decided to sign a player who was carrying an injury. Those problems kept Karsdorp away from the team for the majority of his debut season, meaning the uninspiring Alessandro Florenzi and Bruno Peres had to share the position. However, when Karsdorp gradually came into the side in future, he showed some potential to justify Monchi’s faith. It was after an underwhelming loan return to Feyenoord that Karsdorp finally grasped his Roma chance under the guidance of Paulo Fonseca, generally looking more comfortable – but his time with the Lupi has certainly been a rollercoaster, as seen with his public falling out with Jose Mourinho in 2022 and subsequent reconciliation.
4. Aleksandar Kolarov
One that wasn’t fully down to Monchi, but was still a shrewd purchase. Reportedly on the suggestion of his former Manchester City teammate Dzeko, Kolarov came to Roma in 2017 when the club’s other left-back Emerson was injured. Initially an unpopular signing due to his past with Lazio, Kolarov responded in the only appropriate way and made an instant impact on the team, scoring on his debut and emerging as a key leader. As mentioned earlier, he did start to suffer from burnout, but that was because of his high levels of performance. Some dips in form followed as he aged, but he stood out as a senior figure and for €5m was a useful enough solution in his position.
3. Bryan Cristante
An expensive player who could eventually cost Roma €30m, Cristante certainly took his time to prove his worth to the Giallorossi. He has never gone close to matching the 12 goals he scored for Atalanta in his final season there, while man-marking issues have sometimes been noticeable in the defensive phase of his game, but the Italy international eventually progressed into the club’s captaincy group, earning famous praise from De Rossi and the trust of Fonseca and Mourinho in particular. His fifth season with Roma, 2022-23, has undoubtedly been his best, but it shouldn’t have taken that long for a player who cost that much. Still, the versatile and committed Cristante has won many of his critics over in the long run.
2. Lorenzo Pellegrini
Monchi can’t really take the full credit for this signing, since when Walter Sabatini sold Primavera captain Pellegrini to Sassuolo in 2015, he inserted a buyback clause into the deal, which was duly exercised as one of Monchi’s first decisions in Rome. Returning for a third of the price Cristante came in for, Pellegrini was inconsistent in his first season but then began to flourish and become someone to build around. By early 2021, he was ready to succeed Dzeko as Roma captain, going on to lift the Europa Conference League trophy 18 months later. Pellegrini can still be inconsistent, but with nearly 100 goal contributions to his name for Roma, is a focal point for the club.
1. Nicolo Zaniolo
He wasn’t the inspiring name that Roma fans wanted to see following Nainggolan’s exit. He’d never played in Serie A. He was only 19 years old. It just didn’t look like he was going to be a first team player. But Zaniolo soon changed that.
Quickly, after a vote of confidence from Di Francesco, he became the blossoming star of Italian football, catching the attention of fans inside the country and even beyond. He was originally a bright spark in a disappointing 2018-19 season, impressing with his confidence, creativity and movement.
He later developed his game in more attacking roles, scoring some spectacular goals, before sadly being affected by serious injury issues. Hence, those who were imagining him inheriting Francesco Totti’s number 10 shirt might have been getting carried away, but the fact he was in the conversation for a time showed his potential.
Zaniolo later left in acrimonious circumstances in 2023, meaning his Roma career is a case of what might have been. But for less than €5m, he still has to go down as one of the club’s shrewdest picks in the transfer market.
Perhaps fittingly, it was later revealed that Monchi actually wanted to sign a different counterpart than Zaniolo when the idea was suggested by other directors. Hence, at the top of the list there is still a ‘but’. Even when the transfer chief got it right, he preferred not to!
This article was originally published on 8th March, 2019, in the heat of the moment after Monchi’s departure. At the time of writing, the jury was still out on some players, which is why it has been updated above. Below, though, the original version remains.
It’s all change at Roma, with sporting director Monchi exiting the club less than 24 hours after the dismissal of head coach Eusebio Di Francesco.
It’s fair to say that Monchi didn’t live up to expectations at Roma, and the pressure seems to have got to him, as he reached a mutual agreement to leave after less than two seasons.
Monchi will be remembered for orchestrating some big sales at Roma – with the likes of Alisson Becker, Radja Nainggolan and Mohamed Salah moving on under his stewardship – but it’s the incomings that have come under even more scrutiny. Even with the big cash generated from those sales, Monchi didn’t always replace the talent effectively, opting for depth rather than improvements to the starting lineup.
One or two key players he brought in will stand out as a legacy of his brief tenure, but many will be remembered as disappointments. Here is a rundown of all his signings that made a senior appearance for the club, ranked from worst to best.
19. Javier Pastore
One of Monchi’s most expensive additions, and certainly his most disappointing. Pastore has been an embarrassment to the team with his lazy attitude and lack of desire. It always seemed like a pointless signing – Pastore didn’t fit into the 4-3-3 system that Di Francesco was using at the time, had struggled with injury in recent years, and was past his prime. What’s more, for Monchi to offer a 29-year-old player a five-year contract was ludicrous.
18. Jonathan Silva
Remember him? When, in Monchi’s first season, Aleksandar Kolarov was suffering from burnout and Roma needed a genuine alternative at left-back, Monchi decided to bring in an injured player who was struggling for gametime at Sporting. It’s still baffling to this day.
17. Hector Moreno
A player that Monchi had pursued for a long time, but it didn’t go as he would’ve hoped. Moreno made just six appearances at the back end of 2017 before quickly being moved on to Real Sociedad. A huge impact, then.
16. Maxime Gonalons
On the face of it, this initially seemed like a decent signing. Roma needed someone to gradually take over from Daniele De Rossi in holding midfield, and former France international and Lyon captain Gonalons could well have been that man. Alas, he struggled to adjust to the demands of Italian football, and rarely put in a good performance. Another one to soon be moved on, he joined Sevilla after just one season. Incidentally, he has only made five appearances there all season.
15. Ante Coric
Coric could turn out to be a decent player after all, but with just 19 minutes of Serie A action to his name so far, it doesn’t seem like this was the wisest move from Monchi. Roma’s midfield has been overcrowded this season, meaning there has been no space for the Croatian to develop. Time will tell if he goes on to become a top class player, but for now he seems like a waste of money.
14. Gregoire Defrel
He could have been a suitable vice-Dzeko, but Defrel didn’t cope well with making the step up to Roma. Often being deployed out of position on the wing made things hard for him, but even so, he looked out of his depth and not strong enough to compete at the highest level. His form for Sampdoria this season has been much-improved, so perhaps there is still a player in there and Roma just didn’t use him right.
13. Ivan Marcano
Marcano can go into the same category as Gonalons. At first sight, it seemed like a shrewd move. Picking up an experienced player on a free transfer in a position where Roma needed to improve – it all sounded good. However, Marcano has struggled to nail down a regular place in the side, and doesn’t appear to have the required physicality.
12. Rick Karsdorp
This one could have been a lot lower if it hadn’t been for Karsdorp’s resurgence in 2019. When Roma desperately needed cover at right-back, Monchi for some reason decided to sign a player for the role who was already carrying an injury. Those problems kept Karsdorp away from the team for the majority of his debut season, meaning the uninspiring Alessandro Florenzi and Bruno Peres had to share the position. However, on the odd occasion this term, Karsdorp has come into the side and shown enough quality to suggest why Monchi put his faith in him. Future performances could definitely see his position on this list rise.
11. Robin Olsen
Whilst some of the criticism Olsen has come in for this season has been a tad unfair, he was hardly the most inspiring replacement for Alisson. True, most keepers worldwide would have been a downgrade on the Liverpool-bound Brazilian, but fans were probably hoping for a better replacement. He has put in some decent performances, and he remains a starter for Sweden internationally, but he has made some high-profile blunders this year which suggest Roma should have been a bit more bold in bringing in a new keeper. Still, on the balance of things, he probably deserves a second season to prove his worth.
10. Antonio Mirante
The other goalkeeper brought in by Monchi in the summer – as well as Daniel Fuzato, who is yet to appear for the first team – Mirante just pips Olsen in this list due to the lower expectations on him. Mirante has been a capable back up so far, and probably has some justified arguments to say he should have started more matches. His experience will come in handy during his time at Roma, but even so, he still seems like a downgrade on last season’s number two, Lukasz Skorupski.
9. Patrik Schick
Roma parted with a lot of money to bring Schick to the club, in a deal which could eventually surpass their record transfer fee. He hasn’t always carried that weight on his shoulders well. In his first season, the pressure he felt was visible, and after battling with injury, he made a few poor mistakes upon his return. This season has improved slightly – especially since his hiring of a mental coach – but he certainly hasn’t provided value for money. However, it’s beginning to look like he could develop and recapture the form he showed at Sampdoria with the right attitude.
8. Justin Kluivert
The jury’s still out. Kluivert is an exciting player with big potential, but has perhaps come to Roma too early in his career. He hasn’t seen as much gametime as he would have liked – and probably would have deserved – but a change of manager could see him get a run in the team. There’s plenty of time for Kluivert to grow.
7. Bryan Cristante
Another expensive player who could eventually cost Roma €30m, Cristante has endured mixed fortunes with the Giallorossi. The Italian midfielder sometimes looks composed, but can ghost out of games. He’s a long way off matching the 12 goals he scored for Atalanta last season, but at least he hasn’t stood out for being bad.
6. Steven Nzonzi
Arguably the marquee signing of summer 2018, Nzonzi arrived as a freshly-crowned World Cup winner to add more quality to the centre of the park – trying to do a better job of it than Gonalons did. That he has most certainly done, but he’s still sometimes looked a shadow of the world class player he can be. He’s done well enough, but hasn’t shown what he is fully capable of.
5. Lorenzo Pellegrini
In terms of potential, he would probably top this list, but Monchi can’t take the full credit for his signing. When Walter Sabatini sold Pellegrini to Sassuolo in 2015, he inserted a buyback clause into the deal, which was duly exercised as one of Monchi’s first decisions in Rome. After an inconsistent but decent first season, Pellegrini has kicked on this campaign, and is a player that Roma really need to build around for the future.
4. Davide Santon
Many fans were disappointed when Santon came to Roma as a makeweight in the deal to take the popular Nainggolan to Inter. However, Santon has proved his doubters wrong by putting in some solid, if unspectacular, performances. Like Mirante, he will probably feel like he has done enough to earn more starts. But at just shy of €10m, he has been a shrewd addition who can offer cover in either full-back position.
3. Aleksandar Kolarov
Another one that wasn’t fully down to Monchi, but has still been a really shrewd purchase. Reportedly on the suggestion of his former Manchester City teammate Edin Dzeko, Kolarov came to Roma in 2017 when the club’s other left-back Emerson Palmieri was injured. Kolarov made an instant impact on the team, scoring on his debut and emerging as a key leader. As mentioned above, he did start to suffer from burnout, but that was because of his exceptional levels of performance. He’s had a few hairy moments this season, but is still standing out as a senior figure in the dressing room and will feel like he maintains a lot to contribute.
2. Cengiz Under
Monchi arrived with a reputation for plucking wonderkids out of relative obscurity and seeing them become top class talent, and Under was perhaps the one player he brought to Roma who embodied that most. Few would have heard of his exploits with Istanbul Basakeshir in the Turkish Super Lig, but, after a patient first half to the 2017-18 season, Under really began to turn on the fire in a Roma shirt with a string of wonder goals in the first few months of 2018. His form has reportedly caught the attention of Bayern Munich and Arsenal, among others. Monchi himself is expected to end up at the latter, so Roma may need to be wary of the London club coming in for him. No doubt, though, that the Lupi would turn a huge profit in the event of a sale.
1. Nicolo Zaniolo
He wasn’t the inspiring name that Roma fans wanted to see following Nainggolan’s exit. He’d never played in Serie A. He was only 19 years old. It just didn’t look like he was going to be a first team player. But Zaniolo’s hard work changed that.
Now, he is the blossoming star of Italian football, catching the attention of fans inside the country and even beyond. He has been a bright spark in a disappointing season, impressing with his confidence, creativity and movement. He has now reached five goals for the club – some of them spectacular – and has started nine of the team’s last 10 matches.
Some have even heralded him as the new Francesco Totti and called for him to be given the number 10 shirt, and while that may be taking things a little too far, it can’t be denied that Zaniolo has got every Roma fan excited for the future. And for less than €5m? He’s looking like an absolute bargain.
Monchi devastated Roma, mngmnt is still (after 5 years) working hard on resolving financial/staff issues that he created