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When Justin Kluivert arrived in Rome in 2018, the anticipation was at a fever pitch. Despite the club cheekily disguising him in a wolf costume, revealing his personage bit by bit, there was no escaping the hype. This was Justin Kluivert, son of former Barcelona hitman Patrick Kluivert, and a player famously singled out by José Mourinho after The Special One's Manchester United side toppled Kluivert and Ajax in the 2017 Europa League final.
He wasn't meant to deliver Roma to the promised land on his own, but after forking over nearly eighteen million for his services, Monchi, Roma's Director of Sport at the time, clearly saw the then 19-year-old as a critical piece of the puzzle for the Giallorossi.
While he was a bit player during his first season with the club in 2018, Kluivert still managed two goals and eight assists in approximately 1,800 minutes, adding seven more goals and one assist the following season. For a teenager making the switch to a larger European league, Kluivert's first two years in the capital weren't that bad, all things considered: nine goals and nine assists in roughly 3,800 minutes in all competitions.
Unfortunately, that was all she wrote. With the club cycling through coaches and tactical approaches, Kluivert was on the outside looking in, spending the 2019-2020 season on loan with RB Leipzig before moving to Nice and Valencia on loan the past two seasons.
Despite scoring eight goals in Spain last season, Valencia opted not to retain Kluivert, casting another shadow over his once-promising career.
But hope is not lost:
Justin #Kluivert è vicino ad indossare la maglia del #Bournemouth: trattativa al traguardo per la cessione dell'attaccante olandese che non è stato riscattato dal Valencia. Altro incasso per l'#ASRoma@tempoweb #Calciomercato pic.twitter.com/D4ArieoH0k
— Filippo Biafora (@Fil_Biafora) June 20, 2023
According to Il Tempo, Kluivert is close to signing with Premiership club AFC Bournemouth. Despite recently changing managers, Bournemouth's new headman, Andoni Iraola, is a fan of the now 24-year-old Dutch winger. Il Tempo and Fabrizio Romano report that Roma and Bournemouth are discussing a permanent transfer, with Kluivert moving to the Cherries on a potential €10 million deal.
Kluivert's career in Roma started off promising enough, and while it didn't pan out like anyone imagined in 2018, he may, at the very least, help Roma satisfy their Financial Fair Play penalties.
Thanks, Monchi!
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