Serie A Roma could have easily lost Manu Kone in the summer transfer window. Arsenal, Manchester United were initially interested and late in the window, Chelsea stepped forward for a deal but the move never went through.
At that point, it was clear Gian Piero Gasperini had stopped the move from going through, as he sees Kone as a key part of his side. This was been evident in the campaign, where the Frenchman has showed his imporance.
Gasperini has now spoken to the media – via Corriere dello Sport, about how Kone’s situation looked in the summer. When speaking about Chelsea’s move, he revealed that the Blues ran out of time.
He said: “There wasn’t enough time. Also because these transfers involve bringing in a lot of people, even just to draft contracts.”
Gasperini also backed Kone to get even better, which will only lead his value getting higher in the next few months.
“He’ll have plenty of time to increase his value, even if he’s already done so.”
The Italian also further noted that he does feel the backing of the Friedkins, even if they could’ve sold Kone to Chelsea.
“I feel the Friedkins’ support, even though they’re far away and rarely come to Rome. Galantic is here, but my goal is to bring them closer together.”
Decision paying off
Kone has impressed for France in the last two weeks and this came right after he got a brace against Inter. That, in itself shows that he will be huge, if Roma are to challenge for the Serie A. Without him, they would be significantly weaker.
Kaustubh Pandey – GIFN
