Reports: Gonalons to Sevilla on Loan

While Roma’s incoming transfer business was largely done before Bastille Day, there was some pretty significant chatter they’d land their white whale before the August 17th transfer deadline day. With visions of Leon Bailey dancing through our heads, most Roma fans were entranced by the €50 million rated Jamaican attacking talent joining up with the likes of Cengiz Ünder and Justin Kluivert to give Roma three of the games best and brightest prospects.

Of course, cooler heads prevailed and Roma opted not to smash their transfer record on deadline day, preferring instead to keep their incoming quota at 12 new players. While we may very well rue missing out on Bailey someday, incorporating a dozen new players into the squad is no easy feat, so adding to that school of signings would have been tough to manage in the short run.

But it was that last of those dozen signings, Steven Nzonzi, that brings us to this evening’s news, the departure of Maxime Gonalons. Brought in last summer to deputize Daniele De Rossi, Gonalons had a few nice moments and was, in reality, not as bad as many made him out to be, but he nevertheless disappointed after making the switch from Lyon last year. We tend to forget but Gonalons was the captain of that French side and was still in the prime of his career, so many people were correctly geeked when Roma landed him last summer for a song.

For a variety of reasons, Gonalons was found wanting and only managed some 1,300 minutes in total action, leading many to scream for a new defensive midfielder from the mountain tops. While Roma very nearly missed out on Nzonzi, his arrival spelled doom for Gonalons’ future in the Eternal City.

And today it appears as though that doom has descended, as multiple reports indicate that Monchi has found a landing spot for Gonalons in his old stomping grounds, Sevilla. According to these sources, Gonalons will move to Sevilla on a loan with an option to buy deal; not ideal, but probably the best Roma could hope for so late in the summer and with literally no use for the player.

Switching from Gonalons to Nzonzi is a hell of an upgrade for Roma, but Maxime seems like a good dude and he does have a solid skillset, so let’s wish him the best in La Liga.