Roma should look to Sagna

In the wake of yesterday’s news that Rick Karsdorp ruptured his ACL during the match against Crotone, Roma must look for reinforcements at the right-back position. Although Roma can still boast that they have two starting-caliber right-backs to rotate between, the shaky form of Bruno Peres, and the injury history of Alessandro Florenzi inspire little confidence that the right-back position will be as secure as the left side of the defense.

It is with this in mind that Monchi should look to yet another ex-Manchester City fullback, Bacary Sagna. Currently, of the four fullbacks released by City this past summer, Sagna is the only one yet to find a new club. The main reason for this is likely Sagna’s age, as he will be turning 35 this coming February. Despite his advanced age in footballing terms, reports lately have linked the French fullback with clubs such as Wolfsburg, Leicester, and Torino.

The latest news on Karsdorp, likely keeping him out for the rest of the season, should have Monchi on the attack, looking for some quick relief to an injury plagued Roma side. Taking a look at Sagna and potentially offering him a contract through the rest of the season would show some defiance in the face of this ACL injury crisis. With a little bit of luck, Sagna could prove to be the Kolarov of the right flank, helping to shore up the defense, as well as providing some quality service in attack.

Although it would be easy for Roma to simply hope for the best and ride out the season with a rotation of Peres and Florenzi, the best move for Roma, aside from a total overhaul of our training regimens, would be to take a proactive approach and bring in a veteran such as Sagna. If anything, it can give Eusebio Di Francesco some piece of mind that he’ll have some backup when the next Roma fullback falls to the ACL curse.