Could Verona's Marco Silvestri Be Roma’s Next Goalkeeper?

We probably knew (or felt it in our bones) that this transfer rumor was bound to happen, sooner or later. Ever since we saw Marco Silvestri’s heroics for Verona against AC Milan earlier this season, all it would take was one bad Antonio Mirante performance in a Roma jersey for the perfect transfer rumor storm to hit our radars. Sure enough, Il Romanista and other media sources are now reporting that Roma are looking to move for Verona’s starting goalkeeper within the next two transfer windows, at a potential cost of €12 million. And it shouldn’t be any surprise.

Don’t Do It, Marco!

If we’re being honest with no BS, Roma isn’t a classy club when it comes to sport. The club doesn’t have the patience to nurture talent, much less stick by it. It’s that noisy club of the Eternal City that just keeps phoning you up to talk about the latest get-rich-quick-scheme they found in the back pages of wherever, and if you caution them to think twice before going on the next hair-brained adventure, they’ll abuse you for daring to doubt their delusions of grandeur. Just ask Alessandro Florenzi, who’s playing much better now he’s free of Rome. Or the current Roma squad, who are on pace to set new league records now that Roma’s stadium is (like it was in 2016-17) empty, free of fans whistling the team just because they’re still stuck at 0-0 by half time.

Better yet, ask Pau Lopez. The Spanish goalkeeper reportedly has a matter of weeks to redeem his place as Roma’s starting goalkeeper, or it’ll be his neck on the chopping block as Marco Silvestri walks into Trigoria to take Lopez’s place. This comes less than 18 months after Pau Lopez was signed by Roma for a cool €23.5 million, and has seen his status go from Spain’s number two international keeper to yet another career thrown off the rails by making the mistake of moving to A.S. Roma.

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Just don’t tell Gianluca Petrachi any of this, as Roma’s ex-sporting director is still busy cutting interviews this week, where he takes credit for absolutely everything going right with Roma at the moment; including the decision to play Antonio Mirante. God knows in what world Petrachi believes it’s credit to him that Antonio Mirante is doing well in a Roma jersey, but it’s better not to ask.

Are Roma On Good Terms with Verona?

There’s only one stumbling block in the way of a Silvestri-to-Roma deal which, again if we’re being real with you, sounds like just more invented BS from the media. Apparently, Roma are on bad terms with Verona after the “fallout” of the 3-0 defeat between both clubs in this season’s opener, decided off the pitch after Roma screwed up their own team sheets.

Now only a brat would be petulant enough to fill out some paperwork wrong, cost themselves a league point, and then go onto blame Verona as if it was “the other kid” who put the pen in Roma’s hand and made Roma do it. But there are reportedly grudges being held between Roma’s management towards Verona for the whole affair. We don’t believe it, but we owe it to you to pass on the rumor, all the same.

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If Marco Silvestri truly fancies joining this circus of ego, glory-hunting and the fabled pursuit to buy overnight success, then he could move to Roma as early as this January’s winter transfer window; though a move in the summer of 2021 seems more likely. By next summer, Silvestri would have only one year left on his Verona contract, and the time seems right for Silvestri to push for a move to bigger club right now. The Italian keeper is the flavour of the month, after finally being called up to the Italy senior squad as a reward for his league form, and Silvestri will turn 30-years-old at the beginning of next year.

It’s now or never for the Italian to take that final step in his career while he’s entering his prime. I’ve loved watching Silvestri’s performances in a Verona jersey this season and would welcome the move, but just don’t be surprised—if Silvestri puts on a Roma shirt by next season—to see his career takes a turn for the worse in the capital.