Ranking Roma’s Youth, #8: Marco Tumminello

The further we dive into the Youth Countdown, the more likely a prospect is to make the jump from potential to production, from youth team supremacy to senior team impact, from “X Years Away” to here and now. Although this is Marco Tumminello’s first appearance on our annual Youth Countdown, don’t take that to mean that we’ll have to wait three or more years to see him roam the field of the Olimpico. If he plays his cards right and Roma’s new manager looks upon him with favor, Tumminello has all the skills to contribute to the senior squad very soon.

Number Eight: Marco Tumminello

Age: 18

Position: CF

Current Club: AS Roma

Rank Last Year: N/A

Future Comparison: Christian Vieri

Who Is He?

Marco Tumminello was born on the island of Sicily on November 8, 1998, but he first joined up with the Giallorossi in 2011 at the behest of Bruno Conti. Tumminello quickly rose through the ranks in the Roman youth system, joining Alberto De Rossi’s Primavera side full-time in the 2015/2016 season. His first season with the Primavera was impressive enough, especially for a 17-year-old: in 1749 minutes, the striker found the net twelve times. Yet Tumminello truly became the Primavera’s star player this past season, banging in thirty goals in thirty-two appearances while leading one of the most potent attacks in Italian youth soccer (alongside Edoardo Soleri and Sidy Keba Coly).

Even though Tumminello received his first senior cap in the 2015-2016 season and has been training with the senior team for quite some time, he’s never been given much of a run in the first team. That might be changing soon, however: Marco certainly impressed during Roma’s summer tour, providing a last-minute goal against Tottenham Hotspur and fitting right into Eusebio Di Francesco’s tactics.

What Can He Do?

Well, as evidenced by his Primavera scoring record, he can certainly find the net. Tumminello has a powerful left foot and knows how to use it; there’s a reason why some have already christened him the next Bobo Vieri. He’s a ferocious threat in the penalty area with a keen eye for goal, using physical strength and good vision to make sure the ball goes where it needs to.

What Can He Become?

With left-back Luca Pellegrini out with A.S. Roma’s 10,000th ACL tear, Tumminello is arguably Roma’s best healthy Primavera prospect. Considering James Pallotta’s recent assertion that Roma will work to take better care of its Italian prospects, Tumminello might be the ideal centerpiece for a potential Italian renaissance at the Trigoria.

One of Monchi’s first moves as Director of Football was to hand Marco a five-year contract extension, and despite reported loan interest from multiple Serie A and B clubs, Tumminello has so far remained in Rome, implying that EDF sees promise in the player. The signing of Gregoire Defrel, a quality striker who has a long history with Roma’s new manager, makes Tumminello’s path to the Olimpico slightly hazier, but make no mistake: Marco’s performance so far this summer means he could be set to receive a handful of chances over the course of the next year. It’s up to him to seize those chances and put Di Francesco in a tricky situation.