For Marash Nikolin Kumbulla, an Albanian defender with Italian citizenship, things went wrong this year at Sassuolo: Roma could recall him to the team.
The Albanian class of 2020 is still under contract with Roma, but it is not certain that he will play for the Giallorossi next year. His year on loan at Sassuolo was not satisfactory in terms of results, as the neroverde team was one step away from relegation. Nevertheless, the boy has grown a lot. He has not played very often as a starter, but when called upon he has shown personality and seriousness.
For example, in Sassuolo’s recent 5-1 rout against Fiorentina, he was one of the few who did not give up until the end, even if he had to take some responsibility on the viola’s third goal. Among so many bunglers, he was the one who made the least trouble: let’s put it this way.
Lucas Carminitana, FIFA agent and market intermediary responsible for Kumbulla’s 2020 move from Verona to Roma, spoke to TVPLAY’s microphones to discuss the defender’s fate and introduce Ugresic, a midfielder who could be very much liked by Bologna, to the market.
“Ognjen Ugresic is currently playing a trequartista,” Carminata explained, “but he can play very well as a midfielder. Although he is six feet tall, he has game vision and is good at dribbling. He can split teams in two. We are currently in contact with several mostly foreign clubs, especially PSV and Genk. There have been emissaries from Bologna, who recently brought home a shot from Partizan.”
“The conditions are favorable,” the interviewee continued, “because as he has not made it into the first team the price is relatively low. Serbia is an expensive store, but we have very good relations with the club. So he could also end up in Italy. “
News on Kumbulla’s future: “He’s not playing but has market “
Kumbulla arrived in Rome as a young promise for the defense. The club paid dearly for him: Verona sold him on a two-year loan with a conditional redemption obligation at 13.5 million euros plus 3.5 million in bonuses. However, the situation became complicated when he suffered a ruptured cruciate ligament in a match against AC Milan in April 2023. This kept him off the field for several months. And it then made him a marginal player.
In January he went on loan to Sassuolo, where he has played little so far. “On the last day of the market there was strong interest from Hamburg for Marash Kumbulla,” the interviewee related. “Unfortunately he is not playing, but he always has some market in Germany, between lower Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2.”
“The player still wants to wait. For a future at Roma it all depends on De Rossi. I think there are possibilities that he could go abroad, particularly to Germany,” Carminata revealed. So will there be a transfer?