Roma should go bold and sign Christian Pulisic to keep pace in Serie A

Serie A’s top teams have been gearing up for a grueling race for next season’s Scudetto.

Juventus added Cristiano Ronaldo and Joao Cancelo. Napoli brought in Fabian Ruiz and Alex Ruiz. Just this week, AC Milan has signed Gonzalo Higuain on loan and Inter Milan added Sime Vrsaljko, with Arturo Vidal or Luca Madrid potentially joining as well.

Unfortunately, Roma hasn’t made a move to keep pace. That could change quickly if they used the money from their sale of Alisson to sign the newly available Christian Pulisic.

It’s a no-brainer.

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Pulisic had been deemed untouchable by Borussia Dortmund earlier in the summer, but contract negotiations between club and player stalled according to Bild.

Many of the world’s top clubs immediately became interested when it was reported that Dortmund would be making Pulisic available.

It may be tough for Roma to outbid the likes of Liverpool, Manchester United, and even Real Madrid, but they should make a push for the player. He could make a major impact for the club in multiple ways.

Roma needs to make a move that will truly strengthen their squad. Bryan Cristante and Javier Pastore could both play a major role in the midfield if Pastore can stay healthy, but one of them is just a replacement for Radja Nainggolan. Nicolo Zaniolo and Justin Kluivert are both prospects with incredible potential, but likely aren’t ready to make consistently contribute yet.

Robin Olsen is an adequate replacement for Alisson, but must be seen as a downgrade at keeper. These moves should all be viewed as positives for Roma, but overall the team hasn’t seen much improvement this summer. Signing Pulisic would change that.

Cengiz Under played well on the right wing last season, but Pulisic would clearly be an upgrade. At times last season he already looked like the best player at Dortmund. In his 3 years of Champions League experience Pulisic has demonstrated that he can compete on the big stage in Europe.

The kid’s got talent.

With Roma we could even see a better version of Pulisic right of the bat, as Dortmund went through stretches of plain ineptitude as a team last season. Pulisic created 4 more assists than Under in league play last year and complete 5% more of his passes according to Who Scored.

He is also versatile enough to play as an attacking midfielder or on the left wing. He was able to play the left to partner with Andriy Yarmolenko last year and could give Kluiert some time to develop next year in his first year in a big league.

He would be a much more consistent option on the left than Stephan El Sharaawy and his versatility would allow Roma to sell Diego Perotti to help fund his transfer.

A Pulisic signing would also put Roma in a great position for the future. Roma appears to be grooming Patrik Schick as their next striker.

If he can regain the form from his 2016-17 season with Sampdoria he would be quite dangerous with the talent surrounding him. He managed to score 11 goals that season in 32 appearances even though only 15 of those appearances were starts.

A front 3 comprised of those two and 19 year old Justin Kluivert could form a dangerous attack for years to come.

Perhaps the most important reason to sign Pulisic is marketability. Whether Serie A’s tv rights end up with Turner Broadcasting or ESPN, Roma will be exposed to a whole new fan base.

However, they don’t currently have a player that could be considered a star. The USMNT’s best hope for future success would be the perfect star to attract new fans.

How the signing could benefit Roma

His signing would be sure to get Roma more televised games both in the league and in the Champions League. Serie A is making a push to become the world’s most popular league and locking down the biggest star the US has to offer would make huge contribution to those efforts.

Roma has been on the rise for years now, but has never made a marquee signing to really break out. Signing Pulisic would fit that bill and at the perfect time. Roma needs to make a splash to keep up with the other big teams in Italy.

Why not bring in a promising winger that can make you the most popular Italian team in the US?