Totti Today #120: Summer Sale Sadness

Salah, Paredes, Rüdiger. And Rui, Bruno Peres, Skorupski and Manolas could follow in their steps as well. And perhaps also Fazio and Radja, who have been linked to other clubs these days. Ow, and did I just see a Dzeko to China rumor coming up? And what are Iturbe, Gyomber and Vainqueur still doing here, offload them! It's pretty clear by now: We might as well change the AS from Associazione Sportiva to Absurd Supermarket, American Stock or Always Selling. Sell first, ask questions later seems the new family motto.

Our most lethal weapon in attack, our most promising CB (considering age, skill, mentality) and one of Serie A's most intruiging talents in midfield. Gone. All three gone. Salah: The fastest man on earth, next to Simplicio (whenever he sees a burger) or Pallotta (whenever he sees a bag with a dollar sign). Paredes: The dynamo who could finally break into the first XI and dictate play from deep in midfield. Rüdiger: The lovable, cheerful kid at the heart of the defence who is also a force of nature.

While the people that have joined Roma so far are not above or even on the same level as those I mentioned earlier, there's still time to fill this huge void in the team. Two sure starters left, a third one was the coach's first choice coming off the bench. Unless you see Iturbe as Salah's heir and Castan as Rûdiger's replacement of course. In that case, keep smoking what you're smoking, you cheap ass hippie!

Selling a big part of the core of your team that went on to collect a massive 87 points in the league and broke records left and right is not a smart thing, unless Monchi really has a plan B up his sleeve. Let's hope it won't take long before he unveils a new and true quality signing. You know, a guy that actually brings 10.000 fans to the airport of Fiumicino, not 100.

The players and Roma's new coach are gathering at Trigoria as we speak. At Pinzolo Eusebio can analyze some young guns and the obvious question marks like Peres, Castan, Sadiq and Vainqueur. But by the time Roma travels to America, a lot of homework should be finished. With prestigious games like PSG, Tottenham and Juve coming up in two weeks time, Roma can't afford to disgrace the badge and get arse-kicked so soon in the season.

But hey, why all this negativity in the streets of Rome and on this blog? History has shown us that selling your top players isn't necessarily holding the club back. Roma sold Lamela, 'Hos and Osvaldo in 2013 and then ended second in the league with a grand total of 85 points. We lost Romagnoli, Benatia and Taddei in 2014 but that didn't affect the club as they were once again vice-champions behind Juventus.

Last Summer it was Pjanic' turn to go, and we all know how many points and wins Roma gathered in 2016-2017 after his sale. It's simply in Roma's DNA to sell. We're not a feeder club but also no heavyweight like Barca, Bayern or Juve. And what's the big deal anyway, Juve also sold Vidal and Pogba not so long ago and are now at their peak of powers. Bayern got rid of Gotze, Schweinsteiger, Kroos and Mandzukic in recent times. Real the same thing with Xabi Alonso, Di Maria, Ozil and Higuain and they still keep winning the CL. There's no shame in selling.

What matters though is investing that money in the right way and in the right players. Moreno, Karsdorp, Gonalons and Pellegrini are decent additions and perfect rotation pieces, but we desperately need two to three more guys with the calibre of a Salah and Rüdiger. A lot of dough came after all those sales, over 100 million. Now it's Monchi's move to spend wisely but also efficiently. Undeniably a harder job to do.

Or, you know, sell some more and bring in even more cash, just for fun. After all, there's no shame in selling. It seems Monchi was right all this time. Roma's no supermarket. It's a damn shopping mall.