Nicolò Zaniolo has broken his silence with an open letter urging Roma to welcome him back. ‘The future is in our hands and I hold out mine, putting myself at the complete disposal of the Roma family.’
It remains to be seen if the situation can be repaired, as he put in a transfer request, refused to be called up for several games and then infuriated the club by turning down a lucrative transfer to Premier League side Bournemouth.
They were the only team prepared to buy him outright, without an option to buy as part of the deal, but Zaniolo wanted a more prestigious move such as Milan.
He then escaped to the family home in La Spezia after receiving threats from Roma ultras in the street outside his house.
“Many things have been said and written in the last few weeks that are not true,” read Zaniolo’s letter to news agency ANSA.
“I arrived at Roma as an unknown player and the fans welcomed me as one of their own. They gave me confidence, courage and affection in the terrible and dark moments of my injuries.
“In Tirana, with that goal, I felt that I had repaid them for all that I had received, contributing to a great and unforgettable moment of joy for all Romanisti.”
He was referring to the goal scored in the Europa Conference League Final, lifting the only official UEFA trophy in Roma’s history.
“At the age of 23, I have been through experiences that many of my colleagues haven’t had in their entire careers: falling down, getting back up, falling again, climbing once more, winning.
“In the last few months, it has been a delicate period for me, when it became difficult for me to understand what my professional future would be. However, I always worked hard on the pitch and in training with the utmost professionalism.”
Zaniolo mentions the threats received from ultras as being the breaking point, although that came after Jose Mourinho and director Tiago Pinto had publicly stated that he never wanted to play for Roma again.
“For the first time, I was afraod, for me and my family, and I felt abandoned. It had never happened to me before and I was terrified.
“The future is in our hands: I hold out mine and put myself at the complete disposal of the Roma family.”
The letter comes just as La Repubblica report that Roma removed Zaniolo’s photograph and name from the locker room at the Trigoria training ground.