Could Roma Pursue Free Agent Serge Aurier?

While it's not quite as dramatic as cut-down day in the NFL, where dozens of quality players suddenly find themselves unemployed as teams across the league trim their rosters down to 53 select players, once the transfer window shuts in real football (you know, the one where the foot actually meets the ball on a regular basis), there are inevitably some players left out in the cold. Free agency in European football isn't quite as frenetic as its American cousin, but now that the 2021 summer transfer season is done and dusted, there are a few key players without contracts that could entice clubs across Europe.

Roma wasn't able to address their midfield needs before the transfer window closed yesterday—and there aren't many great midfield solutions on the free-agent market—but if you find yourself worrying about the club's depth at full-back, this Tweet may interest you:

Serge Aurier, who played for José Mourinho at Spurs for parts of two seasons, was just released from his Tottenham contract and is now officially a free agent. Aurier, 28, played four seasons with Spurs after arriving in North London from PSG on a €25 million move in the summer of 2017. In four years with Spurs, Aurier made 106 appearances, scoring eight goals while providing 17 assists in all competitions.

While Aurier isn't without his faults, he played some of the best football of his career under José Mourinho's watchful eye during the 2019-2020 season, during which he scored two goals and chipped in eight assists in all competitions. Nominally a right-back, Aurier played multiple roles for Mourinho during their two years together with Spurs, including appearances at wing-back, center-back, right-wing, and midfield.

Rick Karsdorp is firmly entrenched as Roma's starting right-back but with little behind him other than the raw Bryan Reynolds, Mourinho and GM Tiago Pinto may be intrigued by Aurier's combination of experience and versatility.

To be clear, there are no current stories linking Aurier to Roma, but, if the cost is right, Aurier could be an intriguing piece of Roma's Mourinho makeover.