Should Roma Move for Taison?

Over the last few months a string of wingers have been linked with a move to the Italian Capital. Federico Chiesa, Domenico Berardi, Leon Bailey, and Christian Pulisic are all names that have been linked to the club, among many others. However, none of them have followed all the roads that lead to Rome. As reported earlier here at CdT, Taison is the latest winger to be linked to Roma. The Shakhtar Donetsk man is a familiar face after last season’s encounter in the Champions League Round of 16. However is it the right man for Roma?

All along it was believed that Roma were after a left-footed, right winger. Taison doesn’t fit this mold. He generally plays wide left and, as can be seen in the highlight video, generally shoots right footed. So how would this work for Roma?

Perhaps, EdF has seen enough out of Justin Kluivert playing wide right in the preseason to believe that he can be an adequate change up to Under? We’ve also seen El Shaarawy get time wide on the right as well, but he’s far from a left-footed player. Could he see some time spelling Under on the right? Could Taison switch over from time to time?

If Roma do make the move for Taison, he would bring a different dimension to the left side of the attack. In addition, he would bring some positional flexibility, with his ability to play as an attacking midfielder, or second striker, if EdF ever strays away from his signature 4-3-3. He’s a quick player who has good technical ability and is a strong dribbler. His pace is something that Perotti and El Shaarawy don’t offer on the left. However, based on his numbers, he’s also not the goal scoring threat that Il Faraone is. Only once since his arrival at Shakhtar has he scored 10 goals (in all competitions) in a season.

What else does Taison bring that could benefit Roma? Experience. Despite plying his trade exclusively in Ukraine since 2010-11, Taison has plenty of Continental experience. In fact, in his six years at Shakhtar, he has made 55 appearances in European competition, mostly in the CL. Critics would argue that he’s already 30 years old. However, Roma have a very young team, especially when you think about three of their six forwards being 23 years old or younger (Kluiver, Under, Schick). This experience could pay big dividends on those big European nights. This seems like it would be a move with the current season and maybe next in mind. Monchi knows he has talent coming through the pipeline that might not be quite ready for the big stage. Taison could alleviate some of the pressure on the younger players.

Another thing that might be attractive to Roma is Taison’s price tag. Unlike some of the bigger name players mentioned above, Taison has an affordable price tag. After spending around €30 million on Steven N’Zonzi, there isn’t a ton of Alisson money left to go around. If rumors are to be believed, then the player who is rated at €11 by transfermarkt can be had for about €15 million. In the current market, an impact player for €15 million is a bargain, even if he’s 30 years old. It’s a price tag that Roma can live with, both short and long term, even if Taison doesn’t work out.

If Roma could move for a, experienced, talented player like Taison at the price being thrown around then I don’t think it would be a bad move for the club. However, I just wonder if EdF can find enough minutes for all of these wingers, especially on the left. Or does a Taison arrival mean the departure of a player like Perotti?