With the return of Saelemaekers at the end of the month, there will be less playing time. There is still no news on the contract extension, and his numbers are negative.

The absurdities that have characterized Roma’s last two months are too numerous. And among the pile, there is also the situation related to Nicola Zalewski. The winger was taken off the team after turning down Galatasaray, only to be integrated back in later. In the midst of it all, there was the dismissal of Daniele De Rossi and the arrival of Juric. He was rewarded for the professionalism he demonstrated in the past few weeks, and also reclaimed his place as a starter. But the performances of Zalewski – for nearly two years – have been lacking. The season that culminated in the Conference League victory was a terrible mirage, and he has not been able to perform at that level anymore. In recent matches, he had been negatively at the forefront, gifting two goals to the opposition. First against Inter (with the complicity of Celik) and then yesterday against Verona. A disastrously misjudged horizontal pass opened the way for Tengstedt, who triumphed over Svilar and initiated the dance of victory at Bentegodi. In previous days, Juric defended him, referring to him as one of the few wingers capable of outmaneuvering his opponents. Is this really the truth? Since the beginning of the championship, the stats are staggering: only one successful dribble out of 13 attempts. Incredibly, Hermoso has two. No goals and few offensive highlights. Precision is also lacking in Zalewski, who, among the moving players, ranks last in the squad for successful pass percentage. Roma had already formalized a proposal for extension before the offer from Galatasaray. In that case, the Roman club had put forward about 800 thousand euros plus bonuses. Now, relations have cooled and a possible departure in January is not to be ruled out. From Turkey, news continues to arrive about a possible interest from Besiktas. Without a renewal agreement for his contract, Nicola will depart the Capital on a free transfer. Come late November, Saelemaekers will return, which could lead to diminished playing time. Verona could prove ‘fatal’ for him.