Roma Could Make a January Move for Giacomo Raspadori

The versatile Italian talent has drawn comparisons to the legendary Antonio Di Natale, and according to Italian sources, he’s perched atop Ranieri’s winter wish list.

With only 14 goals scored through 13 league matches, Roma’s attack has been stuck in the mud for much of 2024. Whether it was José Mourinho, Daniele De Rossi, or Ivan Juric at the helm, the Giallorossi haven’t exactly redefined the tenets of attacking football. However, despite that profligacy in front of goal, things are looking up under Claudio Ranieri. While they saw two goals nullified thanks to a pair of offside calls against Tottenham on Thursday, Roma’s attack looked as spry as we’ve seen in months.

Now, celebrating an almost-win may feel a bit wishy-washy, but for the first time in months, Roma managed to look like a competent football team, one that actually knew what it wanted to do with the ball and how to unlock an opposing defense. It wasn’t the exact plan we envisioned last summer, but we caught a few fleeting glimpses of the team we thought we had in August: Artem Dovbyk leading the line, Paulo Dybala and Matías Soulé buzzing around the wings, Manu Koné keeping the ball moving and Alexis Saelemaekers doing a bit of everything in between. However, for reasons well beyond the scope of this article, that plan (and those goals) never got off the ground.

With only two matches in charge thus far, Ranieri will continue experimenting with lineup combinations as he strategizes to get the most out of Roma. While the Tinkerman has sung Roma’s praises thus far, with the winter transfer market nearly upon us, Ranieri may seek help on the open market. According to sources in Italy, Roma is vying with Juventus for Napoli talent Giacomo Raspidori. The 24-year-old player from Bentivoglio appeared to be the next big star after scoring ten goals for Sassuolo in 2022. However, he has struggled to maintain that momentum in recent seasons, managing only seven goals and five assists in 68 league appearances since joining Napoli in the summer of 2023.

According to Calciomercato, Roma and Juventus are preparing winter offers for Raspadori, who Italian scout and intermediary Michele Fratini likens to Antonio Di Natale, “He can play as a first or second striker, but also as an attacking midfielder. And last year, he even played as a mezz’ala… He reminds me a bit of Di Natale,”

And if there’s one manager in Italy who values positional versatility, it’s Claudio Ranieri. While Calciomercato doesn’t speculate on the cost or nature of this transfer, we can safely assume that Napoli won’t let a talented youngster like Raspadori go for much less than the €27 million they paid for him last summer.