Though he's earned his keep since the fall of 2011 Manchester City's Edin Dzeko set for AS Roma transfer. Despite a delay due to AS Roma exceeding their quota of non-EU players, Dzeko will be joining the Serie A club on a year long loan, with the option of a permanent transfer later. The details are vague but it seems as though a permanent transfer will be for a fee of around £14 million (plus a reported £2.6 million in add-ons). That's a good deal less than what City paid to bring Dzeko to England four years ago--£27 million, to Germany's Wolfsburg-but not altogether surprising considering Edin's diminished role at Etihad Stadium last season.
Still, despite the reduced price, Edin Dzeko is likely to be the biggest transfer of the summer for AS Roma, who have mostly been modest with their signings as of late. He's also the only forward to join the club yet this summer-surprising, considering that Roma didn't exactly set the scoreboard on fire during the 2014 2015 season. Indeed, the club's top scorers last year were Adem Ljajic and Francesco Totti, who managed eight goals apiece in the Serie A. Despite the low goal tally, Roma worked good defense to finish second in the league-albeit, 17 points behind Juventus.
Dzeko: A New Offensive Power
Undoubtedly, the goal for Dzeko is that he can help improve Roma's offensive line. Last season, the team only scored 54 goals in 38 Serie A fixtures-a lower tally than seven other clubs on the table. Dzeko didn't have a great season in Manchester, hence the Sky Blues' willingness to let him go in spite of a recent contract renewal. However, the Bosnian forward is still 29 years old, and likely has a few good years left in him as an offensive power. If the Wolves can unlock that potential, they will have a much better chance of taking on Juventus this season.
Potential is certainly something Edin Dzeko has. While he only scored four goals in 22 Premier League appearances last year (and six in combined league, cup, and continental play), one need only look a bit further back into his career to see top-tier numbers.
Indeed, in his four and a half seasons at Manchester City, Edin managed 185 caps and 71 goals. In 2013 2014, he played a big role in the soccer club's Premier League-winning campaign, scoring 16 goals in 31 league fixtures-the third-best tally of any Man City player, and the seventh best in the league. He added another 10 goals in cup and continental matches.
Wolfsburg and the Prime Years
Dzeko was even more impressive when he was at Wolfsburg. In 2009 2010, he scored 22 goals in 34 games to become the top scorer in the Bundesliga. The season before, he tallied 26 goals in league play, though he finished second in the goalscorer rankings behind Wolfsburg teammate Grafite. Unsurprisingly, Wolfsburg went on to win the Bundesliga title that year.
It is possible that Edin's days of scoring 15 to 25 goals a season are done. However, it's also possible that the lofty competition and skill on display in the Premier League actually resulted in lower goal counts than Dzeko might have recorded if he stayed in the Bundesliga. Will the Italian Serie A, which is a step below both the Premier League and the Bundesliga in terms of sheer competitiveness, see a renaissance of sorts for Edin Dzeko? Finding out certainly seems worth the £16.5 million that AS Roma is investing in the Bosnian star.
Transfer Trouble
Though never really in danger of falling through, Dzeko's transfer to AS Roma did hit a snag when it became clear that he would push the football club over their quota for non-EU players. Now, it looks like the Wolves will solve that problem by loaning Paraguayan striker Antonio Sanabria to Spain's Sporting Gijon. That move would free up a non-Eu spot with the team, and give Dzeko the go-ahead to complete his transfer, although initially a 1-year loan, and don the AS Roma home jersey 2015 2016 for the brand new season.
What do you think Edin Dzeko will bring to AS Roma in 2015 2016? Will he help the football club finally displace Juventus from the top of the Serie A table? Or will he just add a small handful of goals, as he did at Manchester City last season? At Soccer Box, we want to hear what you think, so find us on social media to talk football! We are currently active numerous social networks including Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
