Alisson's record move to Liverpool the latest win for transfer window specialists Roma

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  • Bargain of the season.

    That’s not a title you would normally bestow on a signing that cost an initial €42 million but Mohamed Salah‘s first season at Anfield was such an overwhelming success that it seems apt.

    Liverpool couldn’t have asked for more from their then club record signing as the insatiable Egyptian plundered 44 goals across all competitions since his arrival from Roma last year.

    The astronomical €222 million fee that saw Neymar move from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain dwarfed Salah’s price tag while Philippe Coutinho’s switch from Liverpool to Camp Nou, for a sum that could potentially amount to €142 million, just made Roma look a bit silly.

    The Serie A outfit’s sporting director, Monchi, came under even more scrutiny when Salah did the damage against them during Liverpool’s 5-2 win in the first leg of the Champions League semi-finals.

    “Roma must have been mad to sell Mo Salah,” former Reds goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar exclaimed.

    Selling Salah was one of Monchi’s first acts in his role at Roma but there is more than meets the eye.

    Bargain buy: Mohamed Salah.

    Bargain buy: Mohamed Salah.

    The club were being closely monitored by UEFA for breach of Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations and were desperate for a boost in income.

    “We had no option but to sell Salah before June 30,” Monchi explained back in April.

    “He wanted to leave, but we would have kept him if the regulations weren’t against us. When I arrived, the offer (from Liverpool) was €30m but we managed to get it up to almost €50m with bonuses.”

    Indeed, Monchi’s efforts procured the best possible deal for Roma at the time and it is in keeping with his reputation as a transfer market expert of sorts.

    When Sevilla were relegated from the Spanish top flight in 2000, Monchi was appointed their director of football and tasked with developing their youth system and their scouting network.

    The club’s former goalkeeper worked wonders, placing over 700 scouts around the world. In the process, he helped discover the likes of Alberto Moreno, Jesus Navas, Sergio Ramos and Jose Antonio Reyes.

    Mastermind: Roma's football director Monchi.

    Mastermind: Roma’s football director Monchi.

    Monchi became notorious for recruiting players on the cheap and selling them for large profits as well. Adriano, Dani Alves, Julio Baptista, Federico Fazio, Seydou Keita and Ivan Rakitic were among the players who helped the club turn a profit in the transfer market of over €200 million in the following years.

    The 49-year-old eventually left the club last summer with the team winning 11 trophies over the course of his tenure.

    The recruitment of young Czech forward Patrik Schick in January on an initial loan deal was a sign of things to come in the early stages of his Roman reign while their ultimately unsuccessful pursuit of Riyad Mahrez was still a step in the right direction.

    Monchi is starting to hit his stride this summer though, with Liverpool poetically handing him his biggest win yet.

    After just one impressive season with the club, the Premier League outfit have been made to splurge €62.5 million – rising to €72.5 million with bonuses – on Alisson.

    The exorbitant transfer fee is the highest of all-time for a goalkeeper, smashing the record set by Juventus’ €53 million purchase of the legendary Gianluigi Buffon.

    Signed and delivered: Alisson (Photo Credit: Liverpool FC).

    Signed and delivered: Alisson (Photo Credit: Liverpool FC).

    Meanwhile, Monchi has impressively landed one of the most sought-after youngsters in Europe in Justin Kluivert, for a paltry €17.25 million. While Radja Nainggolan has been moved on to Inter Milan, Roma received €24 million in return for the 30-year-old including Davide Santon and Nicolo Zaniolo.

    The accomplished Javier Pastore has come in as well for €24.7 million to replace the Belgian while the Romans remain hot on the heels of Bordeaux attacker Malcom who has courted interest from the biggest clubs in Europe.

    Roma’s success in the transfer market dates back to the summer of 2011 though when Walter Sabatini was appointed as director. In the following three years, the Italian played a key role in overhauling an under-performing squad.

    Chief among his recruits were Erik Lamela and Marquinhos, both of whom were later sold for a combined profit of over €50 million. Other notable bargains included Kevin Strootman, Gervinho, Nainggolan and Mehdi Benatia.

    For a club perpetually on the fringes of Europe’s elite, Roma have found a formula to remain competitive in the transfer market and putting faith in the expertise of seasoned football directors has proved to be their greatest investment yet.

    The question is, when will they finally get a seat at the table with the big guns? In a football world largely dominated by traditional powerhouses and those of billionaire owners, that reality seems a distant future. The Giallorossi is headed in the right direction though even if they’re destined to punch above their weight for years to come.

    Rome wasn’t built in a day.

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