Daniele De Rossi had high praise for his former Roma teammate Radja Nainggolan and noted he’d ‘love to have’ the Belgian in his SPAL squad.
The 34-year-old midfielder was suspended indefinitely by Royal Antwerp after being seen vaping on the bench after being taken off in a 3-0 league loss to Standard Liege. Nainggolan joined the Belgian outfit after leaving Inter on a free transfer in August 2021 and has recently been linked with a move to Serie B side Cagliari.
Speaking in a press conference, De Rossi was asked if Nainggolan would be joining SPAL this month.
“As far as I remember Radja is a player who has nothing to do with Serie B. He is a unique player, strong and without a team. And I always want strong players without a team. But he also brings with him a lot of other things that might scare some people, but not me.
“He has a giant heart. I would love to have Nainggolan in my team. He’s strong and I trust him. I haven’t heard from him for a long time, the president and the sporting director have to take care of that. Right now, I just have to think about the guys I already have in the dressing room.”
Nainggolan started his career in Italy in 2004, joining Piacenza as a teenager. He came into his own at Cagliari and moved to Roma in January 2014, initially on loan before making a €15m move. The Belgian midfielder spent four years in the Italian capital, scoring 33 goals and providing 28 assists across 203 appearances.