How Jose Mourinho’s Roma will fare
James – While many have called into question Jose Mourinho’s compatibility with the modern game, doubts only exacerbated by his failure at Tottenham Hotspur, I think this is a match made in heaven. However, the strength of competitors means it’ll be difficult for Roma to squeeze into the top four. Remember, they finished seventh and a whopping 16 points off the Champions League places last season. Mourinho has a lot of work to do in the Eternal City, but you can expect a marked improvement from the Giallorossi this time around – even if it isn’t enough to return to Europe’s premier competition. A deep cup run, whether it be the Coppa Italia or Europa Conference League, is on the cards as well.
Jo – As already mentioned, I can see Jose Mourinho’s AS Roma finishing among the very best of Italian football by the end of the domestic campaign. Since he arrived at the club, Mourinho has overseen some sensible business. He’s brought Tammy Abraham to replace their star striker in Edin Džeko, while the addition of Rui Patricio will be a massive boost in the team’s goalkeeping department. If we run an eye through their full roster, there are not many squads, on paper, better than that of the Giallorossi in Serie A. People, Jose Mourinho is ready to prove his doubters wrong and he has chosen Roma to accomplish his objective.
Signing of the summer
James – Tammy Abraham
Tammy Abraham’s €40 move from Chelsea was made official on Tuesday and it’s such an intriguing move. Abraham has the potential to be something quite brilliant, although his talent only manifested in brief spells at Stamford Bridge. While he led Frank Lampard’s line, Thomas Tuchel was left unconvinced by the Englishman. Nevertheless, the athletic, technically proficient and predatory Abraham has all the tools to thrive in Italy under Jose Mourinho. He’ll swiftly evolve into a transformative addition for the Giallorossi.
Jo – Mike Maignan
There are seriously too many names to choose from, with Hakan Çalhanoğlu’s switch from AC Milan to Inter, Milan signing Olivier Giroud, Roma signing Rui Patricio and now Abraham. But the move that impressed me the most was AC Milan’s capture of Mike Maignan for a reported transfer fee of just around €15 million. The graduate from the Paris Saint-Germain academy in France, Maignan won the Ligue 1 with Lille last season. He finished the league with 21 clean sheets, which was, of course, a league record for a custodian. AC Milan moved swiftly to replace Gianluigi Donnarumma, who joined PSG this summer. The signing of Maignan reflects on Milan’s competency in the transfer market as well as their rapidity in terms of concluding the deal.