Andrea Belotti, AS Roma’s Latest Free Transfer, Provides Perfect Competition For Tammy Abraham … And Juventus

It was not too long ago that Juventus were widely viewed as the kings of the free transfer market, the Italian giants repeatedly attracting out of contract players to join them after their previous deals expired.

That began of course with Andrea Pirlo’s 2011 move to Turin after a decade with AC Milan, and continued with Paul Pogba, Fernando Llorente, Kingsley Coman, Sami Khedira, Dani Alves and Emre Can.

The struggles of Adrien Rabiot and Aaron Ramsey almost certainly took some sheen off the Old Lady’s crown, but now – in a single summer – fellow Serie A side AS Roma might have snatched the title for themselves.

Over the past two months, General Manager Tiago Pinto had already managed to acquire Nemanja Matić from Manchester United, Georginio Wijnaldum from PSG and Juve’s own Paulo Dybala without spending a single cent in transfer fees.

That had already seriously strengthened the Giallorossi squad, but the Portuguese official had one more headline-grabbing move up his sleeve, and this week announced the arrival of former Torino Captain Andrea Belotti.

In so many ways, the 28-year-old is a perfect fit for Jose Mourinho and his team, providing them with something they seriously lacked last season; a viable alternative to Tammy Abraham as their leading striker.

The Englishman and his manager have a fabulous relationship, with Abraham lauding the impact of the serial winner ahead of last season’s UEFAEFA
Conference League clash with Leicester City.

“José is for me one of the best coaches to walk on the planet; he knows how to really drive you,” Abraham told reporters. “This is what I needed. I needed someone who could push me and really drive me. He always wants more. For me and the players he is the perfect manager.”

That continual provocation to bring out the very best his players can muster has long been a hallmark of Mourinho’s career, and since he arrived in the Italian capital, few players have been held to higher standards than Abraham himself.

After a 3-0 derby win over Lazio in March, the striker’s brace saw him break Gabriel Batisuta’s Roma record for most goals in a debut campaign, yet instead of praising him, Mourinho still saw room for improvement.

“When you say Abraham is fantastic I disagree, he can do even more,” the Coach told DAZN. “I demand a lot from him because I know his potential. I’m not talking about goals but he must play every game with this attitude.”

However, over the summer, he let the mask slip and told Sky Sports just how highly he regards his no.9. “He knows how happy I am,” Mourinho said. “He knows how much I love the kid and the player and I’m proud of what we are doing and I’m so happy for Tammy.

“We have got into this situation where I demand a lot from him because I know he can do amazingly well.”

But now the arrival of Belotti provides yet another method for the Coach to push Abraham even harder, bringing in a player who is simultaneously a perfect backup and genuine competition for the former Chelsea man.

A hardworking, tireless forward, Belotti is happy to press opponents for as long as his boss demands, while also possessing the goal scoring prowess that so often escapes such physical players.

His seven seasons with Toro saw him net 100 Serie A goals, and before that he spent two years as team-mates with Dybala at Palermo. Belotti’s quality, his attitude, work rate and playing style all make him an ideal fit with Mourinho’s approach, and that will in turn force Abraham to raise his game.

The latter scored his first goal of the new season away at Juventus over the weekend, but with a midweek round of Serie A action this week and the Europa League Group Stage seven days later, there will be no shortage of opportunity for Belotti to play either.

It will be interesting to watch the pair push one another to new heights, and at the same time see if Roma can truly claim to be the new kings of the free transfer market.