Wijnaldum receives wild welcome in Italy to complete move
After months of negotiations, Roma has reportedly completed the signing of PSG midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum. The dutch international landed in the Italian capital yesterday to finalize his move to Jose Mourinho’s side and was greeted by hundreds of supporters at Ciampino airport.
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What are the terms of Wijnaldum’s move?
According to Fabrizio Romano, Wijnaldum joins the Italian side for one year on loan for a fee of €2 million with an €8 million buy option attached that could become an obligation should Champions League qualification be secured. He’ll be paid €5m net by the Giallorossi, with PSG paying the other €2m, and he gave up around €1m in add-ons to facilitate the move.
The 31-year-old will be Roma’s fifth signing this summer. José Mourinho has already brought in Mile Svilar, Nemanja Matić, Zeki Celik, and Paulo Dybala so far. The latter shone a light on the passion of the fans, too, as his unveiling attracted over 10,000 supporters.
Wijnaldum enjoyed his best spell with Liverpool, serving as a part of Jurgen Klopp’s midfield trio at Liverpool. The Dutchman found great success while acting as a box-to-box midfielder on the left side. Perhaps most notoriously, he came on at halftime to score two goals against Barcelona in the 4-0 semi-final victory.
Watch Roma fans swarm Wijnaldum as he lands in Italy
What are Wijnaldum’s plans during his stay?
He headed to Roma’s training center in Trigoria after arrival. It was said that he took his pre-transfer medicals on August 5.
On Sunday, Roma will present Wijnaldum to the fans at the Stadio Olimpico before the friendly match against Shakhtar Donetsk. Around 65,000 fans can vitness this important moment.
What would be competition like for this midfielder in Roma?
Gini will face a fight for minutes at Roma, with competition for midfield places fierce. Mourinho favours a midfield three, with two playing deep and one in a more attacking role. In recent years, Wijnaldum has struggled to be as potent further forward.
What will be the difference in tactical solutions after this Dutch midfielder joins Giallorossi?
Wijnaldum will offer Roma a plethora of tactical solutions.
3-4-2-1 formation
If Roma uses a 3-4-2-1 formation as settled in the previous campaign with Nicolò Zaniolo and Lorenzo Pellegrini supporting Tammy Abraham upfront while Henrick Mkhitaryan played in the double pivot alongside Bryan Cristante, Wijnaldum will probably act as a direct replacement for the Armenian who signed for Inter this summer.
4-2-3-1 formation
Following Dybala’s arrival, many observers speculated a return to the tactician’s favorite formation (4-2-3-1), Wijnaldum would probably act as one-half of the double-pivot but with a license to go forward and support his new Roma teammates up front.
