Reports: Roma Signs Lucas Digne From PSG

In the light of other recent transfers, Roma's capture of PSG left back Lucas Digne was a relative walk in the park. There were no complicated three-way negotiations, no threat of FIFA sanctions and no foreign intrusion—did you notice how quickly Liverpool fell by the wayside? Outside of waiting for PSG to pick up a replacement (which took a hell of a long time), this was a breeze. But I guess that's life, huh? Sometimes you eat the bear, sometimes the bear eats you. Dude idioms aside, Roma now has a new fullback, and get this, he's under 30-years-old!

As far as the particulars of the deal are concerned, Digne comes to Rome on an initial loan with an option to buy, believed to be in the neighborhood of €18 million (the total cost, 1.5m for the loan 16.5 for the buyout). Now, that's an awfully large stack of pastel colored money to invest in a kid, but, as we mentioned when this rumor first broke, given the way the market is going in general--to say nothing of the dearth of young fullbacks—if Digne comes good, Roma will be way ahead of the game.

For Digne and Rome, the timing of this move couldn't have been more perfect. Now that Ashley Cole has been handed his walking papers and Federico Balzaretti has headed up stairs, the left back spot is Digne's for the taking, something that couldn't be said during his tenure in Paris.

Now that this transfer has leaped from the papers to the pitch, let's talk about the tactical implications of this move. Simply put, this marriage looks damn near perfect. Digne's passing, crossing and movement are entirely and ideally suitable for Garcia's tactics. Digne should be the perfect foil for Edin Dzeko, Mohamed Salah, and the twelve other wingers on Roma's roster. Salah's ability to draw double teams in the final third should open up acres of spaces for Digne to exploit, where he is then free to pump crosses into Dzeko virtually unfettered.

While Digne's time in PSG hasn't been as productive as either party hoped—it's awfully tough for a young player to make their mark on that side—the blueprint is there. Digne has all the makings of a top fullback and is being dropped into a nearly ideal situation, where ample playing time and a near-perfect tactical set up waits.

Get excited, Roma may have finally found an ideal solution to their fullback troubles.