Opinion: Pellegrini primed to hit ground running for Roma

Despite spending the last two seasons with Sassuolo, Lorenzo Pellegrini won’t need much time getting used to his new surroundings in Rome. Having grown up in Roma’s academy since 2007, Pellegrini is all too familiar with life in the nation’s capital.

After spending more than seven years in Rome as a youth player, Pellegrini moved to Sassuolo to continue his progression at senior level. Under Eusebio Di Francesco, the young midfielder established himself as one the peninsula’s top talents and became the youngest ever player in Serie A to have a hand in 10 goals, finding the back of the net six times and assisting a further four in the 2016-17 season.

By the end of the year, the 21-year-old would add another two assists, confirming his talent.

With Sassuolo, Pellegrini emerged as a versatile mezz’ala (box-to-box midfielder) and quickly became one of Di Francesco’s main men in the midfield. Capable both in his defensive end and in the final third with a keen eye for goal, the midfielder will serve as a useful alternative for a Roma side fighting on three fronts next season.

While he is technically the new guy at the club, Pellegrini’s advantage is that he’s already familiar with the inner workings of Di Francesco’s system, having played an integral role with the Neroverdi for the past two years. Tactically, Pellegrini represents an ideal fit as he knows exactly what is expected from him on the outside of a midfield three.

In addition to his familiarity with the Giallorossi’s new boss, Pellegrini is also a homegrown talent and knows what it takes to succeed at Roma. After all, it’s an environment he’s grown up in all his life.

In Daniele De Rossi, Radja Nainggolan and Kevin Strootman the midfielder has all the necessary role models to take his game to the next level.

With Roma competing in the Champions League this season, playing time won’t be hard to come by for the Italian. Should he continue in the same vein, Pellegrini could emerge as a darkhorse to go to the World Cup in Russia with Giampiero Ventura’s Azzurri.

He has already made his debut, after all, and just this past summer the 21-year-old was a standout player at the Under-21 European Championship and played a similar role in Luigi Di Biagio’s 4-3-3 for gli Azzurrini.

Simply put, Pellegrini’s return to Trigoria is beneficial for everyone involved. On one hand, the player can showcase his talent on a bigger stage, while doing so within the confines of his hometown club and under his former boss.

On the other hand, Roma snap up one of Italy’s highly-rated midfield talents for a low price and will be able to count on him for years to come. Considering all this, the midfielder may just prove to be the steal of the summer.

Without having to familiarise himself with his new surroundings, Pellegrini finds himself in a situation where he can hit the ground running from day one.