Official: Henrikh Mkhitaryan Renews With Roma Through 2021-2022 Season

After weeks of speculation surrounding his future, Henrikh Mkhitaryan officially extended his contract with Roma today. Despite the rumors that Mkhitaryan wasn’t interested in working with his former manager José Mourinho due to their tense relationship at Manchester United, the Armenian attacking midfielder reportedly talked with Mourinho recently to patch things up and get a better sense of his potential role under The Special One. With those conversations going well, Mkhitaryan is now set to continue plying his wares at the Stadio Olimpico for one more year.

Here’s what Roma’s official website has to say about Mkhitaryan extending his contract:

The club is delighted to announce that Henrikh Mkhitaryan has extended his contract with AS Roma until 30 June 2022.

Mkhitaryan, 32, joined the Giallorossi in the summer of 2019 and has since gone on to make 73 appearances for the club in all competitions – scoring 23 goals.

“Over the last two years at Roma I’ve fallen in love, both with the club and the city, thanks in large part to the incredible passion of the fans,” Mkhitaryan said.

“The club’s ambitions are very high and I am proud to have the chance to play my part as we take on all the challenges that await us next season. Daje Roma!”

The Armenia international scored 14 goals over the course of the 2020-21 campaign, providing a further 13 assists.

“We are very pleased that Henrikh has decided to continue his adventure with Roma,” said Tiago Pinto, the club’s General Manager.

“As he has already shown with his performances on the pitch, his quality will be very important in helping the team reach their targets next season.”

Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s two seasons in Rome haven’t been the most successful in recent memory, but he has nevertheless shown himself to be one of the best attacking midfielders in Serie A. The fact that he’s decided to stay with Roma despite the recent signing of José Mourinho suggests that the Armenian feels that he has unfinished business with the Giallorossi; considering his success at most of the other clubs he has played at before, maybe he wants to grab another trophy before moving on from the Giallorossi. Maybe Tiago Pinto’s summer mercato plans were intriguing enough to him that he’s decided to stick around to play with Andrea Belotti and a real goalkeeper. Maybe he just really likes cacio e pepe.

Whatever the reason why, the Giallorossi will be welcoming back their first player to break the ten goals, ten assists barrier since Mohamed Salah in the 2016-2017 season. Mkhitaryan was one of Roma’s few consistent bright spots this past season, and arguably their best player; the highlight reel that the Giallorossi uploaded with his renewal announcement really only scratches the surface of what the Armenian does to make Roma games an interesting watch.

At age 32, Mkhitaryan may not be a long-term piece of the Giallorossi puzzle in the same way that Gianluca Mancini, Ebrima Darboe, or Nicolo Zaniolo look to be, but if his first two seasons with the club are any indicator, expect to see Mkhitaryan continue to prove himself to be one of the most complete attacking midfielders Roma has had in the twenty-first century.