Opinion: What will Spinazzola bring to Roma?

Joining AS Roma in the prime of his career at 26, the capture of Leonardo Spinazzola from Juventus is one that comes with plenty of positive aspects.

Having risen to prominence during a two-year loan at Atalanta spanning 2016-2018 after being sent on six previous loans by the Old Lady, the Italian proved he has what it takes under Gian Piero Gasperini to make it at the top level.

Developing into one of the finest fullbacks/wingbacks in Italy at La Dea, where his energetic performances earned him his first Italy caps, his 63 polished appearances for Atalanta saw him return to Turin as a very accomplished player.

Unfortunately towards the end of the 2017-18 season, though, he suffered a serious knee injury, forcing him to miss roughly five months of action. Going on to feature in 12 matches for the Bianconeri last term once recovered, he demonstrated his worth by putting in some excellent performances in the closing months of the campaign - with his outstanding outing in Juve's 3-0 Champions League comeback triumph over Atletico Madrid undoubtedly the pick of the bunch.

An extremely useful player on both sides of the ball, Spinazzola well placed to contribute from the off under Paulo Fonseca's stewardship. To start with his defensive efforts, and he's an effective operator in this regard with his athleticism, 186 cm frame and positional awareness seeing him undertake his duties capably.

Blessed with scintillating speed - in combination with his sound scanning of where his opponents are - means Spinazzola can track runners strongly. In addition, his pace is a great asset when recovering his position, handling a blown marking assignment or when helping his teammates deal with a counter.

An energetic presser, who harries opponents with intensity and aggression, the 26-year-old's quick to step out and make life as difficult as possible for his man to execute their actions cleanly.

Indeed, he's honed this aspect of his game brilliantly working under Massimiliano Allegri and Gasperini, for he's competent pressing high while man marking or settling into a more zonal mid block setup in order to ensure compactness.

Robust in the tackle and knowing how to direct his pressing, he transfers this over into his counterpressing, where he reacts immediately to win the ball back as close to his team's goal as possible.

Handy in aerial duels to boot, his admirable leap and solid reading of the ball's flight mean he handles crosses and goal kick scenarios soundly for the most part.

When it comes to his offensive impact, this is where Spinazzola really comes into his own, as the former winger's attacking instincts rise to the fore. With his speed a huge weapon of his here too, his marauding runs provide desirable width and depth to attacks, as his movement stretches opposition backlines both horizontally and vertically.

Timing his runs shrewdly, he recognises when to underlap, overlap, stay wide to receive crossfield switches or surge forward into the box with one of his nifty blindside runs at the back post.

It's also worth noting how he performs slick rotations with his nearby winger to give his adversaries something extra to think about.

Always available and keen to join in attacks at every available opportunity, he can be a real nightmare to play against, with the explosive defender's presence often negating the influence of his direct opponent, for they get pinned back when tracking him deep.

Technically proficient and competent with the ball at his feet, he's a tidy passer who connects play, hits measured through balls and recycles possession coherently in build up phases. Two footed and a very adept crosser, his deliveries from out wide are the highlight of his distribution repertoire.

On top of meaning he can be used on either flank, being able to use both feet also means he can beat his man on the inside or drive around their outside, thus adding to his unpredictability.

To further touch on his dribbling, and he blends power and finesse quite potently. Whether using feints, shimmies, cheeky nutmegs or just knocking the ball beyond his man and using his pace to outfox his foes, Spinazzola constantly drives his team forward with his direct 1v1 ball carrying.

Although he can give away possession cheaply and expose his team to potentially damaging transitions on occasion, the positives far outweigh any negatives.

The fact he can be deployed in a variety of different positions, including left wingback, right wingback, left back, right back or as a winger, is another bonus, for this will vitally give Fonseca plenty of tactical flexibility as to how best deploy him.

Upon looking at his numbers from his final season at Atalanta, this large sample size of data demonstrates his multifaceted threat, as he completed 5.14 dribbles per game at an amazing 72.7% rate, 1.61 accurate crosses pg, 35.25 passes pg ag 78.1%, 4.86 interceptions pg, 1.43 clearances pg, 3.11 progressive runs pg, 0.82 shot assists pg, 4.8 ball recoveries pg, 1.4 won aerial duels pg and 1.2 tackles pg.

Looking forward to the prospect of stamping his mark with the Wolves, he spoke enthusiastically about his ambitions for the season ahead, explaining: "I want to have another great season in the league – like I have done in the last, well, the last three seasons or so.

"Even last year, for Juve, I had a good season even if I did not play so many games. I did well when I played. I want to play a lot, with consistency, staying fit and focused."

All things considered, there's a lot to like about the signing of Spinazzola, especially should he prove he has fully put the memory of that knee injury behind him.

The acquisition of the talented Italian international is a wonderful way to signal Roma's intent for the Fonseca era.