Roma's sporting director Toni D'Amico summarized the recently concluded summer transfer window during a press conference on September 2. He confirmed that Roma came very close to signing Jamie-Leweling in the final stages, and that an agreement with Luiz Henrique had also been reached with both the player and club, but ultimately fell through due to "technical issues."

Discussing Roma's overall summer operations, D'Amico said: "The matches will tell us what we did well and what we didn't do well enough. I'm pleased that since my arrival, we've kept Dybala, Pellegrini, Cristante, and G. Mancini—four important players who helped the team return to the Champions League last season. Dybala and Pellegrini had no contracts at the time, and Cristante and G. Mancini's contracts were also expiring. Perhaps the previous management had different ideas, but for me, these are equally important signings. They are part of the team's historical core, and I thank them for being willing to stay."

"We're also satisfied with all the new signings; they are all motivated and actively chose Roma. In fact, many other players also chose Roma, but for various reasons, deals ultimately couldn't be finalized. I often hear that players reject Roma, but in reality, very few actually reject Roma, including some important players."

On strengthening the attack, D'Amico said: "When the manager and I arrived here, the objective was to reinforce the attacking line, and that was our request. So-called priorities must be considered in conjunction with specific situations, because you initiate many negotiations simultaneously—some can be concluded quickly, while others take longer. We didn't spend the entire budget that was specifically reserved for attackers."

Regarding the winger position, D'Amico said: "We have Rodrigo Mora, whose characteristics are different, but we believe he can play in that position. Indeed, we were still looking for players with different characteristics and stronger physical attributes right until the end. Our goal was always to strengthen the team, and the other players who ultimately joined were also those we had initially planned to recruit."

D'Amico acknowledged that Roma's squad is still slightly understaffed: "This season, we'll compete in three competitions, and the Champions League will place enormous physical and mental demands on us. In terms of numbers, we are indeed missing one player. But we believe that through our work going forward, we can manage until the winter transfer window, when we'll then look for appropriate players. Realistically, we are indeed still missing one player."

On the rumors about Chelsea and Koné, D'Amico clarified: "There was indeed contact, but it was just to understand the situation. We signed six players, and there were official offers for all these transactions. For Koné, there were inquiries, but we never received an official offer. I also saw someone say the manager issued an ultimatum, or even that he might resign—that's a completely fabricated story."

Discussing relevant UEFA financial regulations, D'Amico said the club knew from the start what targets needed to be met, but the transfer market situation is constantly evolving: "Player prices can increase, and the UEFA agreement involves not just the cost of purchasing players, but also total wages and other issues that are difficult to explain clearly today. We must be able to adapt to these changes."

On the club's internal decision-making process, he said: "There's the owner, the sporting director, and the head coach, and since August, there's also a CEO. Whether it's selling or signing, we communicate fully. Since I arrived here, I meet with the head coach and owner every day. Everyone discusses together, makes choices together, then executes the final decision unanimously."

On Pellegrini's future, D'Amico said he never feared he would leave like Çelik did: "Pellegrini was the first player I spoke to after arriving here. He has a very deep affection for this shirt and this city, so I never had any doubts. The same goes for Dybala, Cristante, and G. Mancini. Çelik's situation was special; he was participating in the World Cup at the time, and communication was very difficult. We had practically finalized the contract renewal, but he then decided to join Juventus."

D'Amico also revealed he began making contact with Roma after Atalanta informed him of his departure: "I met Ryan Friedkin. I found Roma to be a very good club, very eager to invest, but constrained by relevant agreements and unable to act completely as it wishes. The owner has invested and has always supported us. As a manager who joined midway, I need time to understand certain operational mechanisms of the club, and we also need to understand each other to find ways to work around the existing constraints."

On whether Roma should strengthen through the free agent market, D'Amico said: "We'll assess later what the market can still offer. In these final days, we actually blocked two or three targets we thought were really suitable for the team and could help, but deals ultimately couldn't be finalized."

D'Amico then detailed the two failed transfers for Leweling and Luiz Henrique: "Leweling was the latest one. We actually had practically reached an agreement with the club and the player himself, but then the player changed his mind. There were other players ready to join us, but they couldn't all satisfy us, so we didn't pursue it."

"As for Luiz Henrique, we encountered issues that prevented the deal from being concluded. This agreement had also been agreed with the player and club, but due to technical issues, we ultimately couldn't proceed. These things happen in the transfer market, so you must be ready to seek alternatives at any time."

Finally, discussing Roma's gap with Inter Milan, D'Amico said: "We invested in a group of promising young players, and also recruited strong, experienced players like De Roon and Balerdi. Our transfer strategy is forward-looking and aims to improve and expand the existing core squad."

"This is very important for our football philosophy. Young players must be supported by a team of solid, mature players. We won't set a specific goal of 'how to catch up to Inter Milan.' Roma will do its own thing, just like last season. We will do our best to be competitive in all competitions. It will be difficult, but also very exciting for everyone."

Traduit par IA.

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