Roma have done anything but avoid the spotlight this summer, with the Giallorossi taking all the headlines.
Their dealings in the transfer market has seen their squad depth swell with quality as they venture into Europe once more and look to balance both a Scudetto and Champions League challenge. A replenished squad built around the mainstays and heartbeat of the team has meant many have put them as Serie A favourites. This is partly due to the departure of Antonio Conte from Juventus, after three hugely successful seasons.
But the twists and turns at Roma this summer are keeping everyone on their toes, especially after the latest headline news in which star defender Mehdi Benatia has departed for Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich in a reported €27 million transfer with added bonuses.
This was the one dark cloud lingering on the horizon for Roma this summer. Would the 27-year-old stay, or will a club come knocking on his door? In the end, with a week to go of the transfer window, he has left, the allure of Bayern being too great to resist.
Last season Benatia established himself as one of the best defenders in the world, alongside the likes of Thiago Silva and Mats Hummels. What a rise it has been too. From not being given a chance to show his worth at Marseille, Benatia first went on loan to Ligue 2 side Tours before a switch to Lorient. Unfortunately the move didn’t work out as he was hampered by injury. He instead started to grow into a tough, combative defender at Ligue 2 side Clermont.
The eagle-eyed Udinese scouts picked him up and Benatia flourished in Serie A, adding the tactical side of the game to his stern defending. Three years in Udine saw the Moroccan develop into a solid defender who could also play from the back.
The summer of 2013 saw the arrival of Rudi Garcia at Roma, he was joined at the Stadio Olimpico by Benatia who signed for €13 million. What a coup it turned out to be.
Roma started the season in historic fashion, winning their first 10 matches. Benatia had won his last seven matches at Udinese, leading to 17 successive victories in Serie A. The defender’s mobility — despite his impressive 6’3” frame — and reading of the game brought reassurance to the Giallorossi back-line. In the 2012-13 the capital club had conceded 56 goals. In the whole of the 2013-14 campaign, Roma conceded just 25 and kept an outstanding 21 clean sheets.
Benatia was the heartbeat and bedrock of the Roma defense. Benatia not only solidified Roma’s defense but also added goals by being a threat from set-pieces, scored five goals last season.
It is easy to see how and why Roma will miss his presence. Despite the solitary season in the capital, he left a lasting mark at the club. Romanisti will hope that new recruits Davide Astori and Greek defender Konstantinos Manolas can grow and blossom into as formidable defenders as Benatia did. They both certainly have the ability to do so, while Leandro Castan could take more responsibility at the back.
Roma have options, a favorable position to be in after the speedy ascent of the last year under Garcia’s tutelage; but Mehdi Benatia’s quality will be hard to replace as he helped thrust Roma back into Europe after a record-breaking season. Can Roma make the next step without him? That remains to be seen. What it does do though, is further open up a highly unpredictable Scudetto race.
Follow Tom Rowland on Twitter at: @TWRowland
