Reports: Roma Signs Sebastian Driussi for €12m?

One of the trademarks of a Walter Sabatini summer mercato was how long it took for any player to fly into Fiumicino Airport. Romanisti were subjected to week upon week of rumors: subsisting on whispers from Gianluca Di Marzio telling of Sabatini’s flights to London - now Milan - now Boston, all the while hoping that this criss-crossing of the globe would result in a shiny new player. Maybe it’s the lack of a cigarette addiction, maybe it’s his love of spreadsheets, maybe it’s Maybelline, but at first blush it seems like Monchi won’t be taking the same approach with the Roman treasury. First, the Spaniard quickly tied up renewals for two of Roma’s most important leaders in Kevin Strootman and Daniele De Rossi. Now, with Eusebio Di Francesco reportedly set to manage the Giallorossi going forward, Monchi has started to work on filling the few remaining holes in the squad. Enter Sebastian Driussi, River Plate striker and potential backup to Edin Džeko.

There have been quite a few young striker prospects linked to the Giallorossi recently, including Patrik Schick (who looks Juventus bound), Kasper Dolberg and Giovanni Simeone, but Driussi looks to have just as much potential as Monchi’s other targets. Nicknamed “La Joya” or The Jewel by River supporters, the 5’ 8” striker has scored sixteen goals in twenty-six appearances this season, spearheading the second best offense in Argentinian football and garnering interest from the likes of Tottenham and Fiorentina.

As for Driussi’s style, he certainly would provide a contrasting type of striker for Roma’s next manager to work with: where Džeko uses his height and technical prowess to find goalscoring opportunities, the much shorter Driussi is more in the mold of the Bosnian Diamond’s former teammate Sergio Agüero. Both Argentinians rely on agility, acceleration and shooting technique to beat their man, and Driussi’s finishing ability would only add to Roma’s potent attack.

The beauty of this (purported) deal is that Driussi represents both a short-term and long-term fix for Roma. As he continues to develop and learns more about Serie A, he can act as an understudy to the current capocannoniere, allowing for more rotation in the attack and letting Džeko focus on delivering i Lupi a deeper run in the Champions League. In addition, when Džeko starts losing his inevitable battle with Father Time, Roma will have an in-house striker who has learned the team’s tactics and is ready to become the focal point of the Giallorossi attack. With reports saying that Driussi will be signed for the rather low fee of €12 million, Monchi’s first foray into the transfer market looks like a positive sign for things to come.