On 27th August 2012, James Pallotta became the president of AS Roma – marking the start of a new era for the club.
That era closed earlier this year, when Pallotta sold the club to the Friedkin Group. It brought an end to an eight-year spell with several highs and lows.
One of the criticisms often levelled at Pallotta by his detractors was how often Roma’s better players were sold on for profits. In some cases, those frustrations were understandable, but sometimes such sales were necessary – either to meet financial targets, or because the players themselves were pushing for moves.
But which players did Roma make the biggest profits on during Pallotta’s time in charge? Here are the top 10.
10. Medhi Benatia – €14.5m
Embed from Getty ImagesOne of the more controversial departures of the past decade, Medhi Benatia left Roma after just one season at the club, prompting a public argument with Pallotta.
Signed from Udinese in 2013 for €13.5m, Benatia quickly became a key figure in defence for Roma. But 37 appearances later, he had left the club.
Roma more than doubled their money when selling Benatia to Bayern Munich for €28m. The centre-back claimed to have been sold against his will, but that the club needed the money. Pallotta responded by calling Benatia a “poison” and alleged he was lying.
9. Leandro Paredes – €16.75m
Embed from Getty ImagesOne of the more sudden departures at Roma recently, Leandro Paredes only had one full season as a first team regular before being sold towards the start of Monchi’s time as sporting director.
It originally cost Roma just €250,000 to bring Paredes in on loan from Boca Juniors in 2014. At the end of that season, they signed Paredes permanently for a further €6m.
The midfielder spent the next season on loan at Empoli, where he impressed, before Roma reintegrated him for the 2016-17 season. He was a relative success, but left at the end of the year, joining Zenit St Petersburg for €23m.
Paredes has since become a Champions League finalist with Paris Saint-Germain – who bought him from Zenit for €40m in January 2019.
8. Emerson Palmieri – €18m
Embed from Getty ImagesProportionally, Roma made a bigger profit on Emerson Palmieri than most other players, selling him for 10 times what they paid for him. Only goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski – signed for €890,000 and sold for €9m despite never being first choice – left the club for a bigger multiple of his original fee during the timeframe in question in this article.
Initially signed on a free loan, Emerson cost just €2m when he joined permanently in January 2017. At that stage, he was already halfway through the best season of his career, holding down the left-back spot as his own.
An injury disrupted his progress the year after, though, and with Aleksandar Kolarov impressing after joining, Roma opted to sell Emerson in January 2018. He joined Chelsea for €20m.
7. Radja Nainggolan – €20m
Embed from Getty ImagesOne of the best signings – and players overall – that Roma have had in the past decade, Radja Nainggolan initially joined the club on loan, then via a co-ownership deal with Cagliari. By the time Roma secured all of his rights permanently in 2015, they had paid a total of €18m for him.
It was a great piece of business, as Nainggolan repaid the faith shown in him. In the 2016-17 season in particular, the midfielder thrived in and around the edge of the box, contributing to several goals.
The following campaign showed some signs of decline as he approached 30. However, Roma still fetched a big sum for him, as he joined Inter Milan in a cash-plus-players package that was worth €38m.
Nainggolan’s energy and passion have been missed, but on the plus side, the deal allowed Roma to sign Nicolo Zaniolo.
=5. Kostas Manolas – €21m
Embed from Getty ImagesAnother player sold as part of a swap deal, Kostas Manolas had given Roma five years of service since joining in 2014 for €15m.
During those years, the Greek centre-back was virtually always a first choice. He wrote his name in the history books by scoring the decisive goal in the Champions League comeback against Barcelona.
Across his time in the capital, Manolas had been repeatedly linked with a move to a bigger club. But eventually, his next destination was smaller in comparison to those he could have joined, as he made the switch to Napoli for €36m.
It meant Roma more than doubled their money for Manolas, while they also took Amadou Diawara in return.
=5. Miralem Pjanic – €21m
Embed from Getty ImagesSigned in the summer before Pallotta became president, Miralem Pjanic eventually departed in controversial circumstances.
The midfielder, who had joined from Lyon for just €11m, left for rivals Juventus when his €32m release clause was activated. Roma were powerless to stop the deal.
In his five years at the club, he had made a big contribution, developing a reputation as one of Roma’s most creative players. However, the manner of his exit left a sour taste in the mouths of many fans.
4. Antonio Rudiger – €22m
Embed from Getty ImagesOne of the high-profile sales from Monchi’s turbulent first summer as sporting director, Antonio Rudiger left Roma just a year after they bought out his loan from Stuttgart.
Roma had paid the German side €4m for his loan in 2015 and a further €9m the summer after. Rudiger’s form improved in Serie A, and in 2017, Chelsea forked out €35m for the defender.
Rudiger had played as a centre-back or a right-back for Roma. His two seasons in Italy, however, marked the shortest time he has spent at a club.
3. Mohamed Salah – €22m+
Embed from Getty ImagesProbably the most frustrating sale Roma have made in recent years – potentially ever – was that of Mohamed Salah to Liverpool, in the same summer as Rudiger’s exit.
Salah had been a major hit in Rome since joining from Chelsea, initially on loan. The Giallorossi had paid €20m between the winger’s loan and permanent transfers.
The Egyptian then wanted to prove himself again in the Premier League, and Liverpool came calling with a €42m offer. After making the move to Anfield, Salah’s value soared even further, as he showed extraordinary form to become a Premier League Golden Boot winner in each of his first two seasons back in England. At least he earned Roma some bonuses in the process.
According to Transfermarkt, Salah is now worth €120m. In hindsight, Roma definitely could have got more money from his sale. However, Liverpool’s successes in the Champions League and Premier League recently will have added more funds into Roma’s pockets thanks to the add-ons included on top of the €42m deal. While the overall value of the bonuses is unclear, it is likely Salah should actually be second on this list.
2. Marquinhos – €24.2m
Embed from Getty ImagesRoma have a strong record of plucking promising prospects from South America and seeing them blossom into top class talents. Few have epitomised that as much as Marquinhos.
The Brazilian defender joined from Corinthians in 2012, in a deal that would eventually total just €7.2m. After only one season, Roma sold him for more than four times what they had paid for him.
PSG signed Marquinhos for €31.4m, giving him the platform from which to become a Champions League finalist, as well as the winner of several Ligue 1 titles.
While his time in Rome was fleeting, it was an important step in his career.
1. Alisson Becker – €54.5m
Embed from Getty ImagesSometimes a player expresses such good form that their club soon realises it won’t be possible to keep them. That’s exactly what happened with Alisson Becker at Roma.
A backup in his first season after joining for €8m, Alisson became first choice in his second campaign in Italy. What followed was probably the greatest individual season a goalkeeper has ever produced for Roma.
Alisson made spectacular save after spectacular save, helping Roma to the Champions League semi-finals. By the end of that season, he was arguably the most in-form goalkeeper in the world – even if the wider public didn’t recognise it yet.
Hence, Roma were resigned to losing him when the transfer market opened, and once again, Liverpool were the buyers. They paid Roma a record sum for a goalkeeper to land Alisson for €62.5m, potentially rising by another €10m.
As with Salah, Liverpool’s success in the Champions League and Premier League will surely have activated some of those bonuses, meaning Roma turned a huge profit on the goalkeeper.
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