Roma Sign Four Permanently

Prestito con diritto di riscatto, or loan with the right of redemption (for those who don't want to get out their Oxford Italian pocket dictionaries) is the strategy by which Director of Football Walter Sabatini constructed the Roma roster last summer, and it finally looks like it's starting to pay dividends. Roma's first piece of business today could be labelled as essential, as the club signed winger Stephan El Shaarawy from AC Milan for a paltry 13 million euros. While 13 million euros is no small amount, especially for a club supposedly battling FFP regulations, it's a steal considering El Shaarawy's career renaissance and establishment as an integral part of manager Luciano Spalletti's side last season.

El Shaarawy, who's currently with the Italian national team at the 2016 Euros in France, took the time today to comment on his transfer to Roma being made permanent, saying "Today is a very special day for me because I am now a Roma player in every way." He also added "Together we will achieve big things... Daje Roma!" Il faraone is clearly an ambitious player with loads of skill, making him easy to love. Add in the fact that he's Italian, and he's basically a level below the romanisti on the team in terms of affection earned from tifosi. The Italian international has a contract until 2020 now, so Roma fans can exhale and enjoy El Sharaawy's play the next few seasons (*hopefully*) while management continue to reap the reward of an excellent gamble.

The other excellent piece of business today for Roma? The permanent transfers of Nigerian duo Umar Sadiq and Abdullahi Nura. Sabatini did well to find two gems here, but the best part by far is the transfer fee. Roma will pay Spezia 2.5 million euros for each player. That's it. Sadiq broke into the first team last season under former manager Rudi Garcia, however he played more with the primavera squad once current manager Spalletti arrived. While nobody knows definitively what Sadiq's future now holds, it feels like the striker will be sold for profit if he doesn't establish himself with Spalletti this summer. It might be a smart move considering the big clubs scouting him.

As for Nura, his future looks to be in the capital, as the right back position on the senior team is still wide open. Although Nura is currently recovering from an ACL tear which will keep him out until December, Spalletti has already indicated that he'd like to look at Nura when he returns. Nura really burst onto the scene with the primavera squad this season, as even Barcelona began tracking him after playing against him in the UEFA Youth League. The last piece of business today was a bit of a head-scratcher, as defender Norbert Gyomber's move to Roma was made permanent for 1.5 million euros. What role Gyomber plays or what he brings to the team remains a mystery, but let's focus on the good here: El Sharaawy, Sadiq, and Nura.