Nainggolan: Should he stay or should he go?

Date: 1st March 2018 at 9:12am
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January may be the season of the transfer window, but that only serves to make the following months a time of speculation. Every year, players are linked with big moves, and every year only a small percentage of those rumours come to pass. One of the whispers that carries a little credence this time around is the link between Roma’s Radja Nainggolan and a move away from the Eternal City.

There are three sides to every story like this, and they should be judged accordingly. What benefit would it bring to the clubs, and what benefit would it bring to the player?

For the Giallorossi, there is an obvious financial incentive. A fee of around €50m has been mentioned, the Belgian having signed a new long term deal last summer. In theory, that should keep him at the Stadio Olimpico until 2021, but it may become more useful as a weapon to drive up his price.

One of the tenets of the club’s current ownership is a ‘moneyball’ tendency; to try to buy players when they are young, and cheaper, and then sell them on when they have reached their peak transfer value.

Nainggolan, at 29, is perhaps at that point around now. While his time at Roma has been somewhat successful, there has not been the silverware he would have hoped for when he moved from Cagliari. If anything, the Giallorossi have gone backwards during his time in the capital, with Napoli very definitely at the top table with Juventus instead of Roma. It must be frustrating to endure.

If it is, there are no signs of a player phoning in his performances. For a club who might fork out a large fee for Nainggolan, there is supporting evidence in most games he plays. A physical force of a midfielder who is able to carry the ball forward as well as pick passes, he seems to be growing into a creative role as he gets older.

While ‘key passes’ is not a perfect metric in isolation, the last three seasons’ figures have been the highest of the former Isolani man’s career, rising year on year to 1.9 per game this campaign; the fact this is mirrored in an increasing amount of assists would indicate an important development in his game during that period.

This being a World Cup year, it would have been unlikely to see Nainggolan move in January. Trying to win over a new coach in such a short time period would be a risky strategy, especially so soon after signing a contract extension. In that context, the summer of 2018 would seem a sensible time to engineer that big money deal.

Nainggolan’s combination of drive and vision would fit well into some of the best midfields in the world, so it is little wonder that the monied Premier League is thought to be interested. In truth, there are only two clubs in the upper echelons of that league that would be likely to shell out for a player on the cusp of 30 years of age. As it stands, both Chelsea and Manchester Utd will be looking to improve their sides over the summer, so a move for the Roma man isn’t too unlikely a prospect.

While any such departure would leave an undoubtedly huge hole in the Giallorossi ranks were Nainggolan to move on, Eusebio Di Francesco has a ready-made replacement already in his squad in the shape of Lorenzo Pellegrini. Having worked with the Argentinian at Sassuolo, he will be entirely aware of the youngsters ability going forward, where he is perhaps even more of a threat than Nainggolan himself.

The three sides of this idea all end up with a similar conclusion.

For the player himself, the chance of a big contract with a club competing for silverware would make a move an appealing prospect.

There are a few clubs who would be likely to be in the market for a player with Nainggolan’s skill set, and able to pay a fee that would convince Roma to part with a player under contract for another three years.

Furthermore, getting a hefty payout for an aging player who while not surplus to requirements, will allow a younger player through, is a perfect deal for the Giallorossi.

None of that means that there will certainly be a deal in the summer, but there is enough reasons to think that one would make sense.

 

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