holder and contract renewal
ROME – Zaniolo starts again as owner. Sunday in Salerno Mourinho will send him on the field from the first minute, with Abraham, Dybala and Pellegrini. It will be the first official match after the Conference League final, resolved with Nicolò’s goal. The young striker worked hard over the summer and proved to be one of the fittest players. He shone on the night of the Olimpico against Shakhtar Donetsk, but also in the Portuguese friendlies.
Sunday’s match strengthened the solid relationship between Zaniolo and the Roma fans. The rumors of the transfer market have been swept away, with the turnaround of the Giallorossi company that has closed the sale to Tottenham, after having reached an agreement in principle. Now Nicolò is charged, he has taken the idea of packing his bags out of his head and has fueled the feeling with his audience, which he greeted and applauded several times, both in the presentation and in the 65 minutes he remained on the pitch. His performance on Sunday bodes well for the debut game in the league. Zaniolo proved to be perfect in athletic conditions, in the “Fab Four” he exalted himself, staging his entire repertoire: speed, physicality and a lot of quality. Then the goal, celebrated under the Curva Sud and with the fans crazy with joy.
Turn image
Mourinho uploaded him making him feel important and Nicolò from Tuesday, once the discussion with Tottenham was over, changed the image on his social profiles. During this period in which the market rumors were overlapping he had put a photo “in civilian clothes”, while now he has changed it with a photo that immortalizes him cheering after the goal scored against Shakhtar. An unequivocal sign of his confirmation, of a serenity found after a few months of uneasiness and uncertainty, also fueled by the club’s need to make an important sale.
And now the contract
Zaniolo felt at the center of the project again. In September, the renewal of the contract becomes a priority, after the promise made for months. The duration will be extended (the current one expires in 2024) and the engagement will be significantly adjusted. The bonus will go from 2.5 million to 4 million more, to get closer to that of the highest paid players in the squad, namely Abraham, Pellegrini, Dybala and Wijnaldum. Summer is not over yet and the scenario for his future has changed many times. But already in Portugal Nicolò was convinced to stay, then Tottenham had emerged, with Conte who strongly wanted him in London. Now Mourinho has put an end to the catchphrase and he would not be surprised if he sponsored the renewal of the contract, as he did with other players. On Tuesday evening, Zaniolo went to dinner with a teammate in a restaurant near Casal Palocco, the usual meeting place for the Giallorossi players. The striker said he was happy to stay, to help Roma win.