Opinion: Veretout a flexible addition to Fonseca's options

Roma's latest addition, versatile midfielder Jordan Veretout, joins the club from Fiorentina after two successful seasons in Italy that saw him establish himself as a high calibre Serie A midfielder.

Featuring 75 times in all competitions for La Viola, the Frenchman is a well-rounded midfielder who's capable of playing as a holder, as an attacking midfielder, in a box to box number eight role or even out wide if need be.

Tactically intelligent and comfortable tailoring his game to fit different formations throughout his career, his knowledge and understanding of the game should hold him in good stead to fulfil whatever role Paulo Fonseca has in mind for him.

Unquestionably one of Fiorentina's standout performers, he registered an admirable 15 goals (albeit a number of those from the penalty spot) and six assists during his time in Florence, his ability to hold his nerve to score some crunch goals was a particularly highlight.

Indeed, the fact he found the back of the net against the likes of Inter Milan, Atalanta, Roma (twice) and bagged a memorable hat trick against Lazio evidenced this aptly.

Moving onto his other offensive traits, and his influence extends far beyond just scoring goals, for he's a very handy operator in so many areas of the game. Neat and tidy with the ball at his feet, he passes the ball concisely and with conviction, as he helps construct, facilitate and add tempo to moves.

Adept at instigating build up out from the back, kick starting transitions, threading precise through balls, pinpointing a colleague in the 10 spaces, switching the angle of attacks or combining in close quarters, he has a pass to match a large array of situations.

So good at reading the play to spot teammates' runs, his passing then obliges their movement to propel his team upfield.

Crucially, however, he only launches more expansive deliveries if a viable option is available, meaning he doesn't turn the ball unnecessarily by being overly ambitious. So awake to his surroundings, his frequent head scans guarantee he gives himself an updated mental imagery of his surroundings so he can make well informed decisions.

Not one to recklessly give away possession, he remains composed and level headed as he keeps things ticking over sharply, thus ensuring he completes a large chunk of his passes even when under heavy duress. Moreover, his nifty touch, crisp control and how he receives in ideal body postures to weave away from danger while protecting the ball further underlines his press resistance.

While he's not a prolific dribbler, the deceptively quick Veretout has demonstrated how his upfield surges can be of benefit. Gaining territory and luring defenders out of shape before typically pinpointing a teammate in an advantageous position, his probing runs are certainly a useful tool.

Tying the aforementioned together with his movement, the former Aston Villa and Nantes man is hugely effective at finding spaces to exploit all over the pitch. Boasting a wonderful understanding of where best to situate himself in relation to his colleagues, the opposition and where the vacant spaces are, he constantly takes up great positions to support the attack.

Proficient at dropping alongside or between his central defenders, moving up between the first and second line of pressure or pushing into the 10 spaces, he smartly picks out central spots to assist the progression of attacks.

Moreover, the way he'll drift out wide to support wing attacks, perform the odd rotation with his winger or fullback and how he often creates an overload in the process only amplifies his value.

Importantly, if he's not ideally placed to be an outlet, he strategically draws or pins one or sometimes two markers away from space teammates can utilise. An underrated weapon of his, this could be a brilliant characteristic for Roma in so many ways, for it can be especially key in breaking down deep sitting defensive units.

Efficient at using blindside movements too, he cunningly peels off the back shoulder of his man when they get caught ball watching or lose concentration for a second, with this often allowing him to receive in excellent areas as shown in the graphic below.

Getting the fundamentals spot on and much more, a couple of other characteristics worth mentioning are is long range shooting prowess (with either foot), how we works so hard to supply an option for his colleagues and how he often inherits the ball in forward facing body postures so he can continue his momentum into attacks, which is much better than receiving back to goal.

Meanwhile, when it comes to the defensive end, he undertakes his work in a polished, authoritative and thoughtful manner. Well versed in the art of pressing, he hunts down his opponents fiercely, in an attempt to stop them from being used or to prevent them from making a clean action so his team can regain possession.

Pouncing on triggers like when the ball is played wide, his man drops with their back to goal, an opponent is about to receive an underhit pass or in an open body orientation, he recognises and acts on this swiftly.

This also transfers into his counterpressing, where he springs into life once possession is lost, for he reacts rapidly to heap pressure on his foes hoping to force turnovers by giving his targets minimal time or space to make a decision.

By regularly looking over his shoulder when pressing, this gives him a gauge of what angle to press from, thus allowing him to use his cover shadow to block passing lanes behind him to make life even tougher for the ball holder by limiting their options.

Positionally sound when not pressing or adhering to a trigger, he's disciplined when defending in a mid block, where he shifts to the ball side well, positions himself suitably to block lanes, identifies when to step up or drop back and when to take on a marking detail, with his goal helping to maintain team compactness.

Being so tactically aware ensures he doesn't need to apply many sliding tackles, as he instead reads the play proactively to chime in with interceptions.

A willing tracker and a player who has the presence of mind to drop into the defensive line if his central defender steps out, he plugs gaps in the structure admirably.

By the numbers from last term, his multifaceted output is documented by his 4.14 interceptions per game, 1.66 clearances pg, 4.23 ball recoveries in the opposition half pg, 0.18 expected goals pg, 0.15 expected assists pg, 3.69 accurate long passes pg, 8.54 passes pg into the final third at 75.1%, 1.57 shot assists pg and 1.46 progressive runs pg.

All things considered, the latest addition to Roma's ranks is another strong piece of business by Gianluca Petrachi - adding a number of different qualities to Paulo Fonseca's squad that the coach will be able to use as he sees fit.