Late last summer, AS Roma and AC Milan agreed a swap deal for Tammy Abraham and Alexis Saelemaekers to switch clubs on loan for the 2024-25 season.
At first, permanent moves were being planned, but with time not on their side, the two Serie A rivals agreed to sign off on loan deals for the pair.
Abraham was ready for his first full season back after a serious injury, while Saelemaekers was fresh from another loan spell at Bologna.
With the loan spells now over, it’s an apt time to look at how they went. Abraham got 10 goals and 7 assists from 44 games for Milan, while Saelemaekers got 7 goals and 7 assists from 31 games for Roma.
There has already been some contact between the two clubs about what happens next. While they work all that out, Giallorossi Yorkshire has joined forces with SempreMilan to give each club’s perspective on the loans.
Below, our Samuel Bannister and Milan expert Oliver Fisher will be answering the same set of questions about the player their club had on loan and the one they sent away.
AS Roma view
Samuel Bannister, Giallorossi Yorkshire
Embed from Getty ImagesDid Alexis Saelemaekers meet, exceed or fall below expectations?
“Being a signing that arrived quite late in the window, there wasn’t too much time to build up expectations before he joined Roma. On first glance, though, it looked like a useful deal thanks to his versatility and the fact that he’d helped Bologna finish above Roma the previous season on his past loan spell.
“I would say Roma’s subsequent shift to a back three formation under Claudio Ranieri helped Alexis surpass expectations, as he was useful either as a wing-back or further forward. Some of the roles he ended up playing in didn’t really exist in the system he signed up to be part of, but that structure allowed him to showcase his best qualities.
“He provided a useful impact in terms of goal contributions, even if starting as a wing-back. The only player with more combined goals and assists than him was the top scorer Artem Dovbyk, and let’s not forget Saelemaekers missed a portion of the season – an entire managerial era, in fact, since he was never available for Ivan Juric – through injury. For a side who finished one point outside the top four, I can’t help but wonder if having Saelemaekers available then, as much as we were otherwise struggling, might have helped us get the extra point or two we could have achieved something special with.”
What was his high point during the loan spell?
“For any player to score in a derby – whether that’s the Rome or Milan one – is a surefire way to endear themselves to the club they’re representing, so naturally Saelemaekers’ goal against Lazio in January springs to mind. He got an assist in that game too.
“But he scored some even better goals in terms of technique – I think of his volley against Parma and his left-footed curler against Monza.”
Would you take Tammy Abraham back?
“This might be controversial among Roma fans, especially non-English ones since some of us from over here still have a soft spot for him, but I wouldn’t rule it out depending on the new coach. It’s fair to say we only saw the best of Abraham in his first season with us and that’s a while ago now, but we’ll have to see what the coach wants from his strikers next season.
“Artem Dovbyk got a decent goal return but struggled to contribute in general play and wasn’t as mobile as Tammy would be. Abraham would need to be more clinical if he was to return but I can still think of worse strikers to have.
“That said, if the right offer arrives or Dovbyk stays – from a wage perspective it’s hard to imagine them coexisting – the time would be right for Tammy to find a new challenge elsewhere.”
Would you want to sign Saelemaekers permanently?
“This would be a less controversial call: yes. I’ve always admired Saelemaekers and seeing him in action for Roma has only convinced me further.
“Once again, it depends on the new coach’s plans, but he’s versatile enough to fit into almost any system. He’s inspired us this season with his involvement in attack, so it would be a shame to lose that.”
If the deals had been permanent in the first place as originally planned, which club would be happier now?
“From a Roma perspective, if we could only have one of Abraham or Saelemaekers next season, it would definitely be Alexis. Ergo, Roma would have been the happier club.
“Efforts to offload Abraham after his downturn in form and injury have been complicated, so it would have been one less thing to worry about ahead of the transfer window.
“Saelemaekers seems to have enjoyed his time in Rome and from the fans’ perspective, it would be nice for it to continue.
“There’s also the factor that he might cost more this summer after his form than he would have if the deals were permanent last year, so Roma would have been more glad to have got it wrapped up back then. If the cost isn’t too much – I think €15m, give or take, would be reasonable – he’s worth keeping now.”
AC Milan view
Oliver Fisher, SempreMilan
Embed from Getty ImagesDid Tammy Abraham meet, exceed or fall below expectations?
“In all honesty, he probably slightly exceeded expectations. Of course those expectations had been revised downwards after a serious injury that followed his explosive debut campaign with Roma, but to amass 17 goal contributions (10 goals, seven assists) is not a bad campaign.
“The reason for that verdict, above all, is how frustrating a season it must have been for him. Under Paulo Fonseca he was the deputy to Alvaro Morata, then when both left the Englishman must have felt primed to move up into a starting spot.
“However, the club decided to invest in Santiago Gimenez and bring in Sergio Conceicao. A few weeks after the winter window closed, Tammy wasn’t even the back-up striker any more. Conceicao decided to relegate him to third choice behind Gimenez and even Luka Jovic.
“Nonetheless, Abraham kept his head down, did well in the chances he got – as his goal every 176 minutes average shows – and will (potentially) leave with most Milan fans agreeing he was a bit hard done by in terms of opportunities.”
What was his high point during the loan spell?
“Absolutely zero doubts about this one: the Supercoppa Italiana final winning goal. It capped a sensational second-half comeback from 2-0 down, against our city rivals Inter, to win a 50th major trophy in our 125th anniversary season.
“Regardless of what happens from here, Tammy will be a part of Milan history. That game and that goal also showed everything that he can offer: his hold-up play was exceptional, and then he makes a near post run to get on the end of Rafael Leao’s cut-back to spark rapturous scenes.
“The other major highlight is his brace against his parent club Roma (sorry). The Englishman didn’t get a good reception from the travelling Romanisti and he seemed to be fired up by that, scoring twice to knock them out of the cup and set up a semi-final derby, which we would also win and he scored in the first leg.”
Would you take Alexis Saelemaekers back?
“I would. I’ve always thought he is at the absolute worst a very useful squad player for Milan. He can fill so many roles and he seems to do them all very well, while his attacking play has continually developed in Serie A and he seems to have added a goal-scoring edge.
“Ever since Milan switched to a three-man defence under Conceicao and results improved, many think that’s the way forward. Saelemaekers excelled under Claudio Ranieri, playing mostly as a right wing-back in a 3-4-2-1 system (or a slight variation of), from my understanding.
“In Serie A, the former Anderlecht man racked up seven goals and three assists in 23 games played which is a great return. I also gather that Romanisti were impressed by his exceptional work rate and endeavour on both flanks, which made him stand out in Milan’s 2020 to 2023 resurgence under Pioli.
“To summarise, there is a place for Saelemaekers in the squad next season regardless of the head coach and system, be it as a back-up winger/wing-back or even pushing for a starting spot on the right against Alex Jimenez, for example.
“The Belgian has never hidden his attachment to Milan, so – as much as he has settled in well with the Giallorossi – I think a return isn’t something he would hate either. If I were Milan, though, I’d speak to the player and grant him a big say in his fate.”
Would you want to sign Abraham permanently?
“It’s something I would explore, but for the right price. There is talk of Igli Tare being a big admirer of Abraham, something which is not beyond the realms of possibility given he watched him bang in goals for Lazio’s big rivals in 2021-22 above all.
“Tammy has probably fallen into a bit of a grey area with the season he’s had whereby his loan spell wasn’t a disaster, nor was it good enough to jump into a straight swap with Saelemaekers or to pay a fee of €25m+.
“There are a lot of links with other strikers at the moment such as Udinese’s Lorenzo Lucca, as well as the emergence of Francesco Camarda to keep an eye on plus the possibility of Luka Jovic renewing and remaining.
“Thus, signing Abraham permanently is something that Milan should only consider if he is available in a cut-price deal. If it were in the €15-20m range, then they might consider snapping him up to fix that deputy role for good. The new coach, of course, will have a big say too.”
If the deals had been permanent in the first place as originally planned, which club would be happier now?
“Roma, but perhaps not by as big a margin as some might think. As mentioned above, Abraham certainly did contribute for Milan and he scored some important goals so it was far from a wasted year for him or for the Rossoneri.
“Saelemaekers meanwhile struggled in the first half of the season with injuries, and it is only really in 2025 that he has hit the heights he has, while it remains to be seen how much impact Ranieri had in that, in terms of role and freedom.
“That being said, the fact that the Belgian became an established starter in a team that had a massive resurgence and chipped in with as many goal contributions (14 in total) as he did – from a wing-back role – tips the scales in his favour.
“With where we stand right now, I don’t think there is a huge gap in market value between the two, and I can’t say I would be furious either way if some exchange deal were agreed or if Alexis came back to stay and fight for a spot with Milan.”
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