The transfer of the Polish striker will probably be announced today. We asked experts who deal with the Italian league on a daily basis if it was a good solution for the 26-year-old. Mateusz Święcicki, Mateusz Janiak and Dominik Mucha answered our three questions.
Mateusz Święcicki, commentator on Eleven Sports: This is a decision forced by circumstances and logic. Wishful thinking was clear – Juventus. But there is nothing wrong with plans B or C. Let me remind you that Monchi, who thanks to his work in Sevilla (because not in Rome) always had plans B, C or D for a specific position and sometimes these elections turned out to be better than option A. Milik goes to the club with a new owner at the beginning of his way to a wonderful city to live in. But replacing Edina Džeko will be insanely difficult.
Mateusz Janiak, “Przegląd Sportowy”, Onet: In the present circumstances, this is the best solution for Milik. He seems to have foolishly believed Juventus would pay for him the hefty millions a year before his Napoli contract ended, which seemed unlikely from the start. Bianconeri do not work like that, it would be unprofitable, since it would be available for free after the season. And since he has been doing poorly in recent months, in Naples they quickly found the cause – thinking about moving to Turin. For historical reasons, this is unacceptable. He alienated the owner of Aurelio De Laurentiis, alienated the fans who booed him during the sparring with the 6th league player. The head of Napoli warned that either the Pole would leave now on his terms, or he would spend the season in the stands. He was probably bluffing, but he’s a good businessman, but it’s better not to check. For sure, Milik can count on a stronger position than if he had joined Juve. After the departure of Džeko, the Pole will have a certain basic squad, while in the Bianconeri there would be no question of it.
Dominik Mucha, ekspert Eleven Sports: Whether the best is very difficult to say. This transfer window is completely different from the previous one, less funds are allocated to transfers, each one rotates one euro more carefully. Roma in these circumstances is not the best solution for Milik personally, because Arek would definitely like to move to Juventus the most, but from the point of view of the Pole, he should consider this solution as the most sensible. The choice was simple, either Roma or abroad. To get the status of a star, you have to earn it and earn it with goals scored. Milik is not a footballer with thousands of Italian fans bending the knees. He is a good, solid striker. He has to confirm this in Roma.
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Mateusz Święcicki: He did not make reference to Gonzalo Higuain’s results in Napoli, mainly due to an injury. Getting into Džeko shoes is a task on a similar difficulty level. Although Bosniak had a weak first season, he made compromising mistakes in it, from the second he was an absolute star. Even Robert Lewandowski, watching various attackers, appreciates Džeko for his overall performance. I don’t know if he is more underrated in Serie A today, but a more valuable striker. And it is no coincidence that clubs stronger than Roma each year after Džeko.
Dominik Mucha: It will be a very difficult task to replace Džeko, who is likely to leave, but for Milik such a fight will be nothing new. After all, he came to Napoli to replace Gonzalo Higuain. Even when he has some initial difficulties, don’t let Arek worry about it and take Džeko’s first unsuccessful matches at Stadio Olimpico at face value. It was then that Bosniak gained the nickname “il cieco”, meaning “blind man”.
Mateusz Janiak: It will not be easy for him, but he has experience in replacing. Eventually, he was brought to Napoli to replace Gonzalo Higuain, who did some amazing statistics. It is true that the situation was probably a bit different, because the Argentinian after moving to Juve became an enemy and no one was sighing for him, but at the same time Džeko in Roma scored over 20 goals in Serie A only in the 2016/17 season, and in the remaining ones he recorded similar numbers what a healthy Milik in Napoli.
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Mateusz Święcicki: The Champions League zone is the goal. Roma has an intelligent, great trainer who is supported by the local community. Fonseca was unlucky last season, with injuries still dropping more players. But he was able to develop many of them and I think it will be the same with Milik. The style of play – good for him, the coach – perfect, the city – great, the fans – crazy. Since the morning I have been listening to one of the Roman radio stations (most in Europe in terms of sport is in Rome) and they are still talking about Milik. It will go from one ball-crazy city to another. But much more beautiful.
Dominik Mucha: First of all, it has to be said that a transfer between Roma and Napoli a few years ago would have been shocking, because it is widely recognized that fans of these clubs hate each other the most in Italy. Only some inner-city rivalries give way to them. In this case, it is a bold step. Roma is predestined to fight for the Champions League. Two seasons without the Champions League is a wait too long for the giallorossi. As always, there will be quite a few rivals, but it seems that the giallorossi can make a surprise this season.
Mateusz Janiak: It is not a step backwards, but rather a step across, and that remains to be seen. In August, there was a change of ownership – James Pallott, not particularly popular with the Thifosi, sold his stake to the Friedkin Group consortium. The new owners have ambitious plans, they talk about “creating one of the biggest clubs in the world”. There is a chance to build something cool. At the same time, Milik is getting along with the transfer of the sensational Marash Kumbulla from Verona, which shows that at least at the beginning, the words are followed by actions. The Champions League group stage is absolutely real and probably Roma’s primary goal for the upcoming games.
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