Roma Coach Rudi Garcia brushed off questions about Erik Lamela ahead of their trip to Livorno. “I trust the club.”
Roma Coach Rudi Garcia brushed off questions about Erik Lamela ahead of their trip to Livorno. “I trust the club.”
Lamela is thought to be on the verge of a transfer to Tottenham worth €30m plus a further €5m in performance-related bonuses (£25.8m plus £4.3m add-ons).
Nonetheless, he is named in the 23-man squad going to Livorno for the Sunday evening Serie A game. Click here for a match preview.
“I won’t change what I said pre-season, which is that I wanted all the players in the squad to remain, but this is not the day to talk about the transfer market,” opened Garcia when asked about the sales.
“There are two aspects to be considered: sporting and financial. At times the financial aspect comes first. I always consider the transfer market to be the worst time for a Coach and the fact our season begins before the session has closed is irritating.
“We are working along with the directors and I trust they will give me a competitive squad.”
As Lamela is in the side, Garcia was asked whether ‘El Coco’ will be in the starting XI against Livorno.
“As always, I only give the line-up to my players two hours before the game. Erik is in the squad, exactly like the other 22 players.
“I can’t do anything about the transfer market, so I am concentrated on tomorrow’s game to start with a win. We always play for the victory, whether home or away, regardless of our opponents.
“The objective does not change, as we need to get back into Europe. To play our type of football we need to work with a definitive squad, but that must not be used as an alibi. Tomorrow we must win with this team, then we’ll see on September 3 what the side looks like.
“I have faith in my club because this will be a strong Roma, which is important for the fans and for all of us. I trust the club will give me options, so if someone leaves he’ll be replaced by someone of the same level.”