DiMarzio: Viña and Shomurodov Leaving on Loan

Tiago Pinto’s first transfer market as Roma GM during the summer of 2021 will be remembered mainly for two things: The yeoman’s work that he put in to clear out numerous bad contracts and acquiring Tammy Abraham. It was Abraham’s goals coupled with the steady hands of newly arrived Rui Patricio that gave Roma the extra quality to help Mourinho’s side to the UEFA Conference League trophy.

Nevertheless, not all of the incoming moves during that window proved to be fruitful. The incoming window only including two other players in addition to the aforementioned striker and keeper: Eldor Shomurodov and Matias Viña. And while the Viña move was a reactive move to cover for the injured Leonardo Spinazzola, it was said that Mourinho and Roma were high enough on Shomurodov to send €18 million to Genoa for his services.

Truth be told, both moves have been complete and utter flops for the Giallorossi. And now, if reports from transfer guru Gianluca Di Marzio turn out to be true, both will be leaving the Italian capital before the end of the month.

Shomurodov to Spezia on Loan

The move for Eldor was always a head scratcher considering his age (26) and limited time playing in Europe’s big five leagues—just one season and eight goals for the Grifoni. And what made the move even more baffling was the fact that Roma coughed up nearly €20 million for him.

Perhaps it was the arrival of Abraham that decreased his role in the squad before his Roma career ever got off the ground, but the Uzbeki managed just over 1,000 minutes and 5 goals in all competitions last season. And this season, even with injuries and ineffectiveness plaguing Roma’s frontline, Shomurodov has played just 150 minutes and scored only once.

After a summer exit didn’t come to fruition, it was always likely that Pinto would shop the player in January. And the arrival of Ola Solbakken all but guaranteed that Eldor would have to go elsewhere to play.

Last week, it looked like Cremonese could be his destination, but reports on Thursday have confirmed that Spezia has overtaken the Serie A new boys. The move will be a dry loan for the rest of the season for a fee of €1.5 million.

It’s a move that should benefit both parties as the player will likely find plenty of more minutes with the Ligurian side. Meanwhile, even though it’s only a dry loan, Pinto and company will hope that Shomurodov can show enough quality to attract suitors in the summer and allow the Giallorossi to recoup some of his transfer fee.

Viña to Bournemouth

While Bournemouth’s €30 million proposal for Nicoló Zaniolo dominated the Roma headlines yesterday, he’s not the only Roma player the Cherries have been eyeing. In fact, the English side is said to be close to securing a move for left-back Matias Viña.

After arriving from Brazilian side Palmeiras in August 2021 for €13 million, Viña looked like he would provide solid cover on the left side of Jose Mourinho’s defense until Spinazzola’s return from a ruptured Achilles tendon. And that’s how the 2021-2022 season started for the Uruguyan. However, unsteady play from Viña opened the door for Mourinho to toy with Nicola Zalewski as a wing back.

Zalewski took the bull by the horns and never looked back. That pushed Viña to the bench. Now, with the return of Spinazzola, Viña has been pushed to third choice at his position and looking for a move away.

Having recently turned 26 years old, Viña has plenty of football ahead of him if he can find the right fit. And at the moment, that fit looks to be a Bournemouth side looking for reinforcements to pull itself out of the relegation zone. According to Di Marzio, the agreed upon proposal is for a €1 million loan with option to buy.

While Shomurodov’s replacement is already on the roster in Solbakken, it’s said that Roma will look to bring in another defender—likely a center back—on loan to replace Viña.