Radja Nainggolan’s recent transfer to Eternal City club Roma will no doubt have many Cagliari tifosi worrying for their team’s chances of beating the drop this season, and while the influential midfielder’s departure has severely weakened the Rossoblu, if they don’t find an adequate replacement soon, they could soon live to regret their decision to let him leave.
The Giallorossi snapped up the 25-year-old Belgian international on loan, paying an initial €3 million to bring him to the Stadio Olimpico, after beating off fierce competition from Napoli, AC Milan, Juventus, Inter and Paris Saint-Germain. He is set to complete a move on a co-ownership basis in the summer, with a further €6.5m going into Isolani President Massimo Cellino’s coffers for half of his contract.
It is of course no coincidence that so many high-profile clubs were clamouring for the Antwerp native’s signature, as he had demonstrated himself to be a very dependable and versatile all-action midfielder during his four seasons in Sardinia. He went on to become a key performer for the Isolani, hitting the back of the net seven times in 131 games following a move from Piacenza in 2010.
This term he had continued to demonstrate his value to the side, as along with captain and bandiera Daniele Conti, Nainggolan was Cagliari’s best player during the first half of the season, scoring twice and making an average of 3.9 tackles a game, more than any other player in the squad.
As well as being crucial to the Rossoblu’s defensive play, he showed his offensive endeavour by attempting an average of 3.1 shots on goal every match. When you also consider his strength on the ball, and his excellent passing range and ability, it is safe to say that he will be sorely missed at both ends of the pitch.
He brought this form right into his final two games for the club, behaving with real professionalism by not allowing the furore surrounding his future to affect his performances, instead focusing on the job at hand; He was the best player in a Cagliari shirt by a country mile against Chievo during their 0-0 draw on January 5, and before the turn of the year he was outshone only by man of the match Davide Astori in the side’s 1-1 draw against Scudetto hopefuls Napoli.
From what we’ve seen already in the capital, Cagliari’s loss has very much been Roma’s gain, with Nainggolan seemingly fitting seamlessly into his new team’s system; Not only did he achieve a 94% pass success rate during Roma’s recent 4-0 demolition of Genoa, but he also had 126 touches of the ball, eight more than nearest rival Kevin Strootman.
Instead of being overwhelmed by his new surroundings, it appears as though he is a player who is ready to take a step up in quality, and his new coach Rudi Garcia made a glowing assessment of the midfielder after their resounding victory.
“Nainggolan knows how to do everything, he has technique, plays the long ball, can push forward and shoot for goal,” the Roma tactician said. “Today his role was more about providing balance to the team.
“He’s incredible, it’s as if he has been with us since the start of the season.”
Indeed, if things are looking rosy for him in the Eternal City, they have taken a turn for the worse for his former team in Sardegna following the winter break, with Cagliari having lost both of their games since the Belgian made the move to the mainland.
Week 19’s 4-1 defeat against Juventus was unsurprising given how impressive the Bianconeri have been this year, but one can’t help but think that the deficit would have been less had Nainggolan still been present in the Rossoblu camp.
The stand-out players for the Sardi were defenders, with only Daniele Conti really making his presence known in the midfield; His colleagues, Daniele Dessena and Albin Ekdal were unable to step into Nainggolan’s considerable shoes as both only achieved a pass success rate of 79%, and between them made just four tackles (Nainggolan made an average of 3.9 per game in the first half of the season). Ekdal was later sacrificed for Gabriele Perico, as Coach Diego Lopez opted for damage limitation with the game already a lost cause.
Cagliari then fell foul of Atalanta in round 20, being beaten 1-0 in a match which saw La Dea overtake the Rossoblu in the table. Following a highly positive end to the calendar year, the Sardi look likely to slip further down in the standings if they can’t turn things around quickly.
The main issue is now a lack of midfield depth and quality, with neither Dessena nor Ekdal showing themselves to be of the same calibre as their more experienced colleague Conti. Against Atalanta, both were substituted after failing to win the midfield battle, being outshone by their Nerazzurri counterparts Giacomo Bonaventura, Luca Cigarini and Giulio Migliaccio.
However, perhaps the more worrying issue is who Diego Lopez has to turn to should his first-choice midfielders not perform: Matias Cabrera, Sebastian Eriksson and Agim Ibraimi have mostly been used from the bench so far this term, but have not shown enough to suggest that they should be anything more than bit-part players for the time being, while youngsters Alessandro Masia and Andrea Demontis have yet to feature for the first team.
There is no doubt that Daniele Conti is a brilliant midfield general, but at 35 years of age, his legs won’t last forever, and to place the majority of the midfield burden on the veteran’s shoulders wouldn’t be a wise decision. It is imperative that Cellino invests at least some of the money from Nainggolan’s sale in midfield reinforcements in January.
The club has been linked with a move for Flamengo’s 22-year-old midfielder Luiz Antonio De Souza Soares, a player who could bring some much needed samba flair and energy to the middle of the park. Meanwhile, Bari and Modena midfielders Daniele Sciaudone and Andrea Mazzarani have also been paired with the club in recent times, but it remains to be seen whether they could make the step up from Serie B.
Instead of opting for these somewhat unknown quantities, it could be more astute to opt for a seasoned midfielder with experience in the Italian top flight, who could offer immediate reassurances and help the side steer clear of relegation.
Whatever happens however, more signings must arrive before the transfer window slams shut on January 31 if the club don’t want to get dragged into a fight for their Serie A lives.
