Official: Roma Signs Eldor Shomurodov

When you have a striker as legendary and as prolific as Edin Dzeko, you tend to put the future off as long as you can. For most of the past three summers, Roma danced around their future at striker, entering into a variety of proposed swaps that would have seen their third all-time leading scorer head for greener pastures in exchange for slightly younger and more athletic facsimiles of the Bosnian striker. From Arkadiusz Milik to Alexandre Lacazette to Moise Kean to Andrea Pinamonti to Mauro Icardi, the breadth of Dzeko's possible replacements has been astounding.

However, rather than landing “the next big thing” from some far-flung club, Roma seems to be taking a collective approach. Last year, they brought in Borja Mayoral, hoping the young Spanish striker could eventually supplant Dzeko. And while Mayoral did well to rack up 17 goals in all competitions, José Mourinho owes him no allegiances.

This brings us to the news of the day: Roma has officially signed Eldor Shomurodov from Genoa.

According to the official press release, the terms of the deal are as follows:

Shomurodov, 26, joins AS Roma on a permanent deal for an initial fee of €17.5 million.

The agreement, which includes a number of performance-related clauses, also sees Genoa retain the right to a percentage of the profit, where applicable, that may arise from any future transfer involving the player.

The Uzbekistan international has signed a five-year contract with the club that runs until 30 June 2026.

On this new move, Shomurodov spoke about the leap he'll be taking trading Genoa for Roma:

Joining Roma represents a huge step forward in my career – I will do everything I can to show I deserve this opportunity and to demonstrate what I can do at one of the biggest clubs in the world

The speed in which this deal was agreed is testament to my desire to be able to join up with the coach and my new teammates and get to work as soon as possible

Roma GM Tiago Pinto took the mic next:

Eldor is a forward with great potential to develop even further and he is hungry to prove himself at Roma, in a league he already knows well,” said Tiago Pinto, the club’s General Manager.

Along with that desire, his qualities as a player also fit well with the way our coach wants to play - and for that reason we are delighted to be able to welcome him to the club

We'll have a closer look at what Shomurodov brings to Roma in the coming days, but needless to say, this transfer is not without its risks. Shomurodov has scored only 24 goals in all competitions since 2017 and by signing him to a five-year deal, one that could cost Roma potentially €20 million, Pinto is betting that Mourinho can turn Shomurodov into a bonafide scoring threat.

What Shomurodov lacks in goal-scoring acclaim, he more than makes up for in athleticism, effort, and commitment; traits that should make him an ideal forward for Mourinho. While he’s missed the first few weeks of training, Shomurodov is already in Portugal with his new teammates to see out the remainder of Roma’s pre-season program before the season kicks off on the 22nd against Fiorentina.

Shomurodov will wear the number 14 shirt recently vacated by Gonzalo Villar, who switched to the number eight kit for the 2021-2022 season.