Shomurodov’s second coming? Why Roma’s first scorer of the season can take his chance as backup striker

Hands up who had money on Eldor Shomurodov scoring Roma’s first goal of the season?

Nobody? As expected. But after a dreadful display by Roma’s starters against Empoli on Sunday night, it was the Uzbekistan international who came off the bench to head home the goal that halved the deficit.

It was not enough to rescue any point for Roma – despite Shomurodov later drawing a foul that could have been deemed worthy of a penalty – and for most, it served to illustrate the low standards put up by the rest of the players. But many appreciated the efforts of a player who has been out in the cold over the past 18 months, on loan at Spezia and then Cagliari.

Life at Roma has never quite been fair to Shomurodov. As has been written about before, he joined the club to fulfil a role that quickly became obsolete when the striker he was brought in to back up left, prompting the investment in an even more costly striker who overshadowed him and neutralised his niches. After receiving the opportunity of a lifetime, a decent first pre-season with Roma in 2021 was soon forgotten about.

Shomurodov scored just three league goals in his debut season with Roma, while Tammy Abraham – ahead of him in the pecking order – scored 17. Halfway through the 2022-23 campaign, Roma sent Shomurodov away and it looked like he may never get a chance with the club again.

This summer, Cagliari failed to agree a deal to buy him permanently after his three-goal spell there, then a move to MLS never progressed before the American market deadline. Thus, Shomurodov has been stuck in Roma’s group of presumed expendables and there was something of a last-throw-of-the-dice feel when Daniele De Rossi threw him on with Roma trailing 2-0 to Empoli on Sunday.

Genuinely, some Roma fans forgot he was still on the books. But he soon grabbed their attention.

Latching onto a right-footed cross from fellow impactful substitute Tommaso Baldanzi, Shomurodov hung up well in the air and headed the ball back across goal with conviction and into the net to provide Roma with their first goal of the season on the second matchday. He was an unexpected first scorer, it’s fair to say. But, although it is important to avoid knee-jerk reactions, could it be the start of a renaissance for Shomurodov at Roma?

The player who, as referenced earlier, effectively limited Shomurodov’s chances at first – Abraham – spent the entire match on the bench. West Ham have made an offer to take the former Chelsea forward back to the Premier League, after his underwhelming second season at Roma and injury-impacted third.

With time swiftly running out in the transfer window and Roma still finding various leaks in their squad, they might have just uncovered an unexpected answer to one of their problems: the backup striker role.

Embed from Getty Images

Let’s say Abraham leaves. Roma have already spent big on a striker – Artem Dovbyk, last season’s La Liga top scorer – this summer. They need someone who can rotate with him, but there is neither the time nor allocation of funds (while the squad remains critically lacking in midfield, central defence, right-back and on the left wing) to even pay a similar fee to the €17.5m they committed to for Shomurodov himself three years ago.

That fee and the desire not to make a major loss on it is one of the main reasons the 29-year-old is still at the club. But with his goal tally this season now one from one, maybe there will finally be a chance for Shomurodov to maximise what he can give back to Roma.

The former Genoa forward has never been the most prolific scorer. Across his club career, he averages a goal every five games. But he does his duties up front with a humility and mobility that can make him useful, especially in instances like the Empoli debacle when Roma are chasing a game.

In Dovbyk, Roma have got their main man up top. Shomurodov happened to beat him to the first goal of the season and actually only had seven fewer touches than him despite being on the pitch for 77 minutes fewer, but hopes are high that the Ukrainian can be a clear target man for Daniele De Rossi’s side if they can develop ways to get the ball to him more functionally.

Right now, there is no reason why Roma can’t rely on Shomurodov as their second choice in attack (or even third choice if Paulo Dybala is used as a false nine). Besides, he’s still under contract for another two years. This season could be make-or-break for how his time with Roma is judged, but if last night was anything to go by, there might be a trick card for De Rossi to deploy.