Sampdoria president Massimo Ferrero has claimed that Mikkel Damsgaard is better than Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka as he offers him to Roma.
The Swiss international was one of the standout stars of Euro 2020 amidst public interest from the Giallorossi, with new manager Jose Mourinho named as a fan of his talents.
Xhaka’s move to Roma seemingly broke down in recent weeks however, and he is now expected to sign a new contract in North London, meanwhile Sampdoria’s Ferrero claims that he has the answer for Mourinho.
Another of the standout stars from the European Championships was Mikkel Damsgaard, the player to score the only free kick of the entire tournament as he helped his Denmark side to reach the semi-final stages, and his club president claims he is the answer to Roma’s issues.
“Damsgaard is the player Roma need,” Football.London quotes Ferrero as saying to Corriere Dello sport.
“If they call me up we can talk about it and find an agreement. He’s better than Xhaka.
“Damsgaard is a quality player, he can even play in front of the defense. So let’s get together, all I’m waiting for is a phone call and we can find a solution. Xhaka’s not coming to Roma, so they’re still missing a player in the middle of the pitch.”
He added: “I want him to go to Roma. I am a Romanista and Damsgaard would be a great reinforcement.”
Damsgaard certainly is a talent, but he has spent much of his recent outings on the left-wing, although there is no doubting his talent.
With Arsenal on the lookout for an attacking midfielder, I’d be a little disappointed if we wasn’t considering his arrival although we clearly have other ideas at present, and I think he would be a great addition to our squad, although I wouldn’t be looking to drop him back into central midfield personally.
Patrick
Were you even aware of this player before the Euros. We cann’t afford the James Rodriguez situation from Monaco to Real
If he want sell his player he should go ahead. first of all it is not Xhaka fault the the transfer did not go through. He should stop disrespecting other club players. No one new about that his player before the Euros
Carefully planned and executed by our nemesis, Jose Mourinho, we were snookered into extending the contract for the unimpressive Granit Xhaka, on higher wages too. It was a big mistake to reject the offer from Roma considering the glut of other midfielders that were and still are available at reasonable prices. Frankly, I thought his social media exchanges with JM during the off season were majorly embarrassing.
so true RF…I spoke about the potential for Jose, considering our history, to troll the living sh** out of our amateur hour administrative wing…saddest part about the whole dilemma, minus the fact that we still have this player on our books, is that Xhaka publicly expressed his desire to go there in a not-so-sly and frankly disrespectful manner
His contract extension is just a year extra and Sambi will be taking his position very soon whilst Xhaka won’t be into the dreaded last 2 years so can be offloaded next year when the market has picked up. In any case he is not so bad as some on here think. We all just need to get over the fact he’s staying.
It is a two year extension with a pay increase. Age plus high wages means no resale value. Xhaka will be here 4 more years.
There is no market for midfielders in their late 20s on high wages and that won’t change next year. Xhaka turns 30 in September 2022. No PL midfielder over 30 has ever attracted a fee of more than 8 million pounds (the fee paid when Fabregas left Chelsea).
On the other hand, the manager who wants to keep Xhaka for four more years at Arsenal has just two more years left in his contract with us. What if we are stuck with Xhaka for two more seasons, if the current manager’s deal is not extended after two seasons? Another “deadwood” saga?
Sky reporting one year and your source is?
Very wise Declan
Just consider this one thing, SueP.
MA who’s handing Xhaka, another four years at Arsenal, has just two more years left in his deal with us. What if MA is not here after two seasons and we are left with Xhaka for two more seasons. There’s no guarantee that whoever succeeds MA will play Xhaka, unless it is Mourinho.
Having an additional year or even two in his contract won’t double Xhaka’s market value next summer. It’s a gamble we needn’t take at this time. Xhaka still has two more years with us. If MA gets a third and if he still wishes to keep Xhaka, we can consider this at that time.
Still feel it’s wise handing Xhaka a new deal?
Xhaka IS not a bad player….Being admired by Mourinho Wenger Hitzveld and so on IS not a bad sign….Can anyone give me a better option of a 99 caps player at international level in the market…..
May be Xhaka is a “good” player playing “bad football” for the past 5 years with us. No leaderhip skills, except to shout foul words at fans with no apology, can never change a game with either individual brillaince or getting the lads into the groove when the chips are down. Definately a game changer for the opposition with either a card or set pieces near the penalty box, and like the gransdafther’s clock pendulum move the ball from left to right to achieve 100% pass completion stats. Saw the backs of Wenger, Unai, Freddie and may he save Mikel from the fall.