Roma sporting director Tony D'Amico summarized the club's 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 an agreement for Luis Enrique had also been reached with both the player and his club, but ultimately fell through due to "technical issues."

Discussing Roma's summer activities overall, D'Amico stated: "The matches will tell us what we've done well and what we haven't. I'm pleased that since I arrived, we've kept Dybala, Pellegrini, Cristante, and Mancini—four important players who helped the team return to the Champions League last season. Dybala and Pellegrini were out of contract at that time, and Cristante and Mancini's contracts were also expiring. Perhaps the previous management had different ideas, but for me, these were equally important signings. They are part of the club's core history, and I thank them for wanting to stay."

"We're also satisfied with all our new signings; they all showed great motivation and actively chose Roma. In fact, many other players also chose Roma, but for various reasons, those final agreements couldn't be completed. I often hear people say that players rejected Roma, but in reality, very few actually rejected Roma, including some important players."

Regarding reinforcements for the attack, D'Amico said: "When the head coach and I arrived here, the objective was to strengthen the attacking line, and that's also our requirement. Priorities must be considered within specific contexts, because you start many negotiations simultaneously—some can be completed quickly, while others take longer. We didn't allocate all the funds earmarked for attacking reinforcements to a single deal."

On the wing-back position, D'Amico stated: "We have Rodrigo Mora, who has different characteristics, but we believe he can play in this position. In fact, we kept looking until the final moment for players with different characteristics and stronger athleticism. Our goal has always been to strengthen the squad, and the other players who eventually joined are also those we had originally planned to bring in."

D'Amico acknowledged that Roma's squad depth is still slightly lacking: "This season we'll compete in three competitions, and the Champions League will bring very significant physical and mental demands. In terms of numbers, we really are one player short. But we believe that through our ongoing work, we can manage until the winter transfer window and then look for the right players. In fact, we genuinely need one more player."

Regarding rumors linking Chelsea to Kone, D'Amico clarified: "There were indeed contacts, but only to understand the situation. We signed six players, and there were official offers for all of those deals. With Kone, there were inquiries, but no official offer was ever made. I've also seen people saying the head coach issued an ultimatum and might even resign—this is completely fabricated."

When discussing UEFA financial regulations, D'Amico stated that the club knew its targets from the beginning, but the transfer market situation constantly changes: "Player prices can increase, and UEFA agreements aren't just about transfer fees but also total wages and other factors that are difficult to explain clearly today. We have to be able to adapt to these changes."

On the club's internal decision-making process, he said: "We have an owner, a sporting management, a head coach, and since August, a CEO. Whether selling or signing players, we communicate fully. Since I arrived, I meet with the head coach and the owner every day. Everyone discusses and makes choices together, then consistently implements the final decisions."

Speaking about Pellegrini's future, D'Amico said he never worried he would leave like Celik did: "Pellegrini was the first player I spoke to when I arrived. He has very deep feelings for this shirt and this city, so I never had any doubts. The same applies to Dybala, Cristante, and Mancini. Celik's situation was special; he was at the World Cup at that time, and communication was very difficult. We had essentially completed the contract extension, but then he decided to join Juventus."

D'Amico also revealed that he began discussions with Roma after Atalanta announced his departure: "I met with Ryan Friedkin. I saw this was a very good club, very willing to invest, but constrained by various agreements and unable to act entirely as it wished. The owner has invested and always supported us. As a director arriving mid-way through, I need time to understand some of the club's operating mechanisms, and we also need to understand each other to find ways to improve the current limitations."

On whether they might strengthen from the free agent market, D'Amico said: "We will assess afterward to see what the market can still provide. In recent days, we really did identify two or three targets that we thought would genuinely suit the team and could help this group, but ultimately those deals couldn't be completed."

D'Amico then explained in detail the failed deals for Leweling and Luis Enrique: "The last one was Leweling. We had essentially reached an agreement with his club and the player, but then the player changed his mind. There were other players willing to join, but they couldn't satisfy all our requirements, so we didn't proceed."

"Regarding Luis Enrique, we encountered some issues that prevented the deal from being completed. That agreement had also been reached with the player and his club, but due to some technical issues, ultimately we couldn't proceed. These things happen in the transfer market, so you always have to be ready to find alternative options."

Finally, when discussing the gap between Roma and Inter Milan, D'Amico said: "We've invested in a group of young players with high potential, and also brought in strong, experienced players like De Roon and Balerdi. Our transfer strategy is oriented toward the future while also aiming to refine and expand our current core squad."

"This is very important to our football philosophy. Young players need a strong, mature team to support them. We won't set a specific target of 'how to catch up with Inter Milan.' Roma will be Roma, just like last season. We will try our best and maintain competitiveness in all competitions. This will be difficult, but it's also very exciting for everyone."

Website AF đã ra mắt! Xem tin tức đầy đủ, bình luận, chi tiết trận đấu và thống kê trên máy tính. Truy cập: www.allfootballapp.com