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Don't look now, but Roma are possibly, actually entertaining the idea of completing a transaction during the summer transfer window. I know it's crazy, right? What's gotten into them? With everyone from The Telegraph to The Guardian chiming in, it appears as though Walter Sabatini has gotten his man, in the form of Arsenal keeper Wojciech Szczesny.
While we're still a few steps away from the oh-so-elusive PDF, the framework of the deal seems set. According to those same sources, Roma and Arsenal have tentatively agreed on a one-year loan for the Gunners 25-year-old former number one keeper, reportedly with an option to buy set at €5 million. At this point, at least according to those sources, the only sticking point remains how much of Szczesny's salary and/or what initial fee Roma will pay their London counterparts, with the rumored figures falling between £250,000 and £1,000,000.
Since I don't make a habit of keeping tabs on backup Premiership keepers, a simple Twitter search reveals some divergent opinions on Roma's supposed new keeper. While some fans rejoiced at the news, reveling in the fact that Arsenal were able to rid themselves of a liability, others held firm in their belief Szczesny may yet fulfill his enormous promise. This particular Tweet seemed to capture the pulse of Gunners fans everywhere:
Szczesny is 6'5. What a player he could be if he didn't have the brain of a 8 year old.
— Footy Hipster (@FootyHipstar) July 21, 2015
Of course, those delayed cognitive abilities could have something to do with this:
EXCLUSIVE: Arsenal Goalie Woj caught out by ‘hippy crack' film http://t.co/zV4ehUSJzt pic.twitter.com/qjnKhgGMkQ
— The Sun Newsdesk (@SunNewsdesk) July 13, 2015
That "hippy crack", as the Sun so delicately and creatively calls it, is actually just, well "just" I suppose, laughing gas. Whip Its, as we called them back in my day, have been known to...how shall I put this delicately...fuck with one's brain in a rather quick manner, not that I know from experience or anything. So, while the quasi-journalist in me loves the storylines this kid could bring to Roma (can you just imagine what he and Ashley Cole will get up to in their spare time?), you have to wonder if he's not just Mario Balotelli in a keeper's kit.
But, and this is always the case in these situations, if steady playing time reigns in his wandering and gas enthused mind, Roma might reap the best from Szczesny, potentially setting up another hostile and protracted negotiation next summer.