DiMarzio: Viña and Chomorodov will leave on loan
Tiago Pinto’s first transfer market as Roma GM during the summer of 2021 will be remembered mainly for two things: the yeoman he put in to clear several bad contracts and the acquisition of Tammy Abraham. It was Abraham’s goals combined with the steady hands of newly arrived Rui Patricio that gave Roma the extra quality to help Mourinho’s side win the UEFA League title.
However, not all of the moves coming through that window were fruitful. The next window only features two other players in addition to the aforementioned striker and goalkeeper: Eldor Shomorodov and Matias Fina. And while Viña’s move was a reaction move to cover for the injured Leonardo Spinazzola, Mourinho and Roma were said to have been high enough on Chomorodov to send Genoa €18m for his services.
Truth be told, both moves were a complete and absolute flop for the Gelorussi. And now, if reports from transfer boss Gianluca Di Marzio turn out to be true, they will both leave the Italian capital before the end of the month.
From Shomorodov to Spezia on loan
The Eldor move was always a head scratcher given his age (26) and limited playing time in Europe’s top five leagues – just one season and eight goals for Grifoni. What made the move even more baffling was the fact that Roma coughed up nearly €20m for it.
It may have been the arrival of Abraham that diminished his role in the team before his career with Roma took off, but the Uzbek managed just over 1,000 minutes and 5 goals in all competitions last season. And this season, even with injuries and ineffectiveness plaguing Roma’s attacking line, Shomorodov played just 150 minutes and scored just once.
After a summer exit didn’t come to fruition, it was always possible that Pinto would shop for the player in January. And the arrival of Ola Solbakken ensured that Eldor would have to go elsewhere to play.
Last week it looked like Cremonese might be his destination, but reports out on Thursday confirmed that Spezia have outlasted the new boys in Serie A. The move would be a dry loan for the rest of the season for a fee of €1.5m.
It’s a move that should benefit both parties as the player is likely to find plenty of extra minutes with the Ligurian side. Meanwhile, though it’s only a dry loan, Pinto and company are hopeful that Shomorodov can show enough quality to attract summer suitors and allow the Gelorussi to recoup some of his transfer fees.
Vienna to Bournemouth
While Bournemouth’s €30m bid for Nicolo Zaniolo dominated Roma headlines yesterday, he isn’t the only player from Roma the Cherries are eyeing. In fact, the England side are said to be close to securing a transfer for left-back Matthias Fina.
Having arrived from Brazilian side Palmeiras in August 2021 for €13m, Fina looked like he would provide solid cover on the left side of Jose Mourinho’s defense until Spinazzola returned from a ruptured Achilles tendon. Thus began the 2021-2022 season for Uruguay. However, unsettled play from Fina opened the door for Mourinho to play with Nikola Zalewski as a wing-back.
Zalewski took the bull by the horns and never looked back. That prompted Fina to the bench. Now, with Spinazzola back, Viña has been pushed into third choice position and is looking to move away.
Having recently turned 26, Viña has a lot of football ahead of him if he can find the right fit. And at the moment it looks decent as a Bournemouth side are looking for reinforcements to pull themselves out of the relegation zone. According to Di Marzio, the agreed proposal is a €1m loan with an option to buy.
While Shomorodov’s replacement is already on the list at Solbakken, Roma will reportedly look to bring in another defender – potentially a centre-back – on loan to replace Vienna.