Monchi on Nzonzi, the transfer window, possible deals and more

“I’m happy to introduce you today to a World Cup winner and a top player," Monchi said.

"I’m delighted to have brought him here. Adding him to the other midfielders, we are strong in that area of the pitch and that makes me glad.”

The Spaniard then answered a variety of questions from the assembled journalists.

Are you satisfied with the transfer window Roma have had?

“The window closes tomorrow – we have one day to carry on working. The window for outgoing players has stayed open too. I’m happy with what we have done. You can always do better but I think we've achieved what we had in mind; we wanted to act quickly in the first part of the window to get a full squad more or less.

"The first purchases arrived before we started the training camp. Then we brought Robin Olsen in and after that we carried on looking for opportunities to improve the squad even more. When you achieve what you set out to do, you must be pleased.”

Is the idea for Nicolo Zaniolo and Ante Coric to go on loan?

“We’ve been surprised by the level of both these players. There are always going to be question marks over players’ level when they come to Roma, but with these two we’re very pleased. We’ve got a lot of bodies so we need to consider the possibility of finding another Serie A team for them to make another step forward, particularly in the case of Zaniolo. But as I’ve said, we’ve been pleasantly surprised by them.”

You’ve put together an outstanding midfield, but in attack you’ve only got one left-footed wide forward. Are you looking for further reinforcements there?

“The right-wing forward position in the role where we perhaps have the most options: Cengiz Under, Justin Kluivert, Alessandro Florenzi, Patrik Schick, Stephan El Shaarawy. I don’t think there’s another role where have that many solutions.”

You’ve not just purchased youngsters – you’ve also spent a fair amount on experienced players. Is that a change of strategy?

“This has been my strategy throughout my life. We’ve bought a lot of young players. As well as Steven Nzonzi and Javier Pastore, we’ve added Kluivert, Bryan Cristante, Zaniolo and William Bianda. Roma can’t just recruit youngsters, because they need time to develop and big clubs don’t have much time.

"It was the same story last year; we bought youngsters and some established players. If I buy 10 players, six are usually young, two a bit older and two that are in-between. That’s how the market is – when you want a good player, you need to pay for them.”

What led you to buy Nzonzi for a second time, after doing so at Sevilla?

“I have faith in him – I know him well and am aware of what he’s capable of. He’s a good player who can get even better, playing alongside the likes of Daniele De Rossi, Cristante, Pastore and Edin Dzeko. Once the first phase of the transfer window finished, we tried to bolster a team that was already strong.”

Some time has passed since you missed out on Malcom. You promised that you’d get an even better player in his role. Have you changed your mind?

“Don’t you think a World Cup winner is better than Malcom? He plays in a different position, but I think Steven is a better player than Malcom. Jokes aside, in Malcom it seemed like we had an opportunity to get a very good player.

"We continued with our assessments and it appeared that the deal to bring Steven in was impossible just days ago. However thanks to his desire, that of his agent, and the financial efforts of the club, we’ve managed to bring him here.”

Will Maxime Gonalons leave the club?

“I can only speak positively about this player. He’s a good professional and a good player. There is of course more competition with Steven’s arrival. We’ll talk and we’ll decide.”

Roma have been one of the biggest-spending teams in Europe. What message does that send out at home and abroad?

“We did what we thought we needed to, in order to keep building as strong a team as possible. We have brought in more money than we’ve spent. Sometimes it may seem that Roma are a team that only sells players. It’s not like that. Nor are we a team that just wants to make money.

"Our ambition is to plan towards growth; to take the club as far as it can go. This is my second summer transfer window and I can say that the club has never said ‘no’ to me. Sometimes it has taken a minute, other times an hour and perhaps even a whole day to convince [the president] Jim Pallotta of a particular move, but I’ve always got their support. For a sporting director, that is absolutely crucial.

"Roma have bought a lot of players. Rajda Nainggolan, Alisson, Gregoire Defrel, Lukasz Skorupski and Gerson have departed, but a lot have come in. Whether we’ve done well or not will be seen in the league, and I will take responsibility. Nevertheless the club is always ready to invest in building a stronger team.”