With Bosnian international striker Edin Dzeko set to join Chelsea from Roma, fans of the Giallorossi will once again be disappointed at seeing another high-profile name leave the Eternal City, following Mohamed Salah’s summer move to Liverpool.
 

When the dust settles however, their opinions may change and they will hopefully come to realise that it’s a win, win situation for both the Premier League side and the team that finished above them in this season’s Champions’ League group stage.
 

Roma Sporting Director, Monchi, arrived at the club towards the end of last season and his remit was to work the same magic as he did at Sevilla; bringing in low cost young players who will develop into top-class performers. 


 

With the Italian side bound by FIFA Financial Fair-Play restrictions, Monchi knows he has to live within his budget and the chance to off-load Dzeko (along with full-back Emerson Palmieri) for around €50M (£45M) is an offer to good to refuse.
 

Dzeko does not fit Monchi’s prototype of the kind of player he wants at the Stadio Olimpico. The big Bosnian will be 32 in March and the Spaniard is all too aware that after last season’s blistering form, which saw him net 39 times in 29 top-flight appearances to win him the prestigious Capocannoniere (or top Serie A goalscorer) award, he needs to cash-in whilst his stock is at its maximum.


 

Dzeko’s form this season has faded badly after another great start, and whilst he still has nine Serie A goals to his name, seven of them came before October.
 

Monchi will now use the influx of cash from the Premier League champions, to keep Roma on an even keel both on and off the pitch. There will be a couple of new faces arriving before the end of the current window for sure, but more importantly, the power brokers will be happy that the balance sheet makes remarkably good reading as we head into the second-half of the campaign.
 

Roma are still in transition from the Spalletti era; new coach Eusebio Di Francesco has already conceded that the current squad does not have title potential and it’s clear to see that they are punching above their weight in Europe.
 

Monchi will be given time by club President James Pallotta, to put together a side on a relative shoestring compared to some of Europe’s heavyweight clubs, and fans will need to be patient before hopefully reaping the rewards from some diligent work behind the scenes.
 

Back in London, Chelsea boss Antonio Conte has made no secret that he wants a big target man to try to complement Alvaro Morata. The Stamford Bridge side has been linked with the likes of Peter Crouch and Andy Carroll but in fairness to the aforementioned names, the Italian tactician was looking for more quality.


 

In Dzeko he now has a player who has undoubted quality, if a little inconsistent, but a player who knows his way around the Premier League having played 189 games for Manchester City, finding the back of the net on 72 occasions during his time at The Etihad Stadium.
 

What makes more interesting reading for Conte however will be the assists column, which tells us that his new striker notched up 39 whilst playing in England. 
 

People will undoubtedly question why he has paid €30M (£26M) for a player whose goals have recently dried up, but in today’s market, an amount like this is surely worth a gamble for a player who may benefit from a new lease of life back in English football’s top-flight.


Steve Mitchell

@barafundler