Gerson Denies January Loan Reports

As Sam mentioned earlier today, Roma find themselves in a bit of precarious position. With Juve slipping from the they’re-winning-this-by-December perch of late summer to they’ll-probably-still-win-but-by-less-than-seven-points November nadir, a crack of light has suddenly burst through Roma’s once dreary windows, offering the slimmest of hopes of that mystical S-word. In order to harness that light, Roma will need to make some augmentations during the winter.

However, as is so often the case, winter is just as much about who leaves as who arrives, and the man (kid more aptly) front and center in this discussion is Gerson Santos da Silva, Roma’s seldom seen midfield prodigy and CdT’s #1 and #2 ranked U23 prospect the past two seasons, respectively.

Gerson, for whom Roma paid a handsome €15 million but have yet to find a proper role for, has amassed all of 14 league minutes this year, which is just about as much time as you spend on the toilet on any given day, right? Well, depending on one’s burrito consumption levels, of course.

Horrid analogies aside, the point is simple: Gerson’s talent is undeniable, especially for a player his age, but thus far it hasn’t translated to even a bit role with Luciano Spalletti’s squad, leading many to speculate about a January loan move. That “many”, as it turns out, doesn’t include Gerson himself.

If you’re like me and know Portuguese like the back of your hand, there’s no need to go to Google, but Gerson essentially said that he isn’t going anywhere and plans to continue developing at Roma. The key (translated) phrase being “I am only in my first months in Italian football and I feel that, for all the structure offered by the club, I will evolve even more.”

I mean, what can you even say about that level of maturity? It’s remarkable; he has every right and motivation to play the prima donna but chooses to keep an even keel and focus on his long-term development, which certainly bodes well for his future.

Honestly, despite his protestations otherwise, I’d love to see him get some regular minutes somewhere in Europe. The sooner he gets acclimated to actually playing on the continent the better, besides you’d hate to see his youth, his talent and his spirits wither on the bench ala Salih Uçan. And with Roma desperately chasing Juventus atop the table, where every moment and every point is life or death, odds are he won’t make it off Spalletti’s bench too often down the stretch; so match minutes, even in mop up duty, are far from assured.

However, if Gerson truly wants to stay, you’d have to imagine they’ll abide by his request, if for no other reason than the substantial investment they made in him; one would imagine they’d like to keep him close to the vest, so to speak. But make no mistake, these nascent days on the developmental curve will go miles in determining what sort of player he becomes.

In the meantime, keep telling yourself...five more days till a Roma match...five more days till a Roma match.