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Ex-Roma sporting director Walter Sabatini rues Scamacca exit

John Solano
Gianluca Scamacca of Sassuolo

Former Roma sporting director Walter Sabatini discuss his former side today during an interview with Tuttosport.

Sabatini spent five years in the Italian capital with the Giallorossi before departing for Inter in the summer of 2016. He also had a brief stop in Sampdoria before settling in at Bologna, where he’s been since June 2019 but will be exiting after the season.

“I’m disappointed with how things have ended with Bologna because it wasn’t my decision to leave,” he told the newspaper.

“President Saputo showed me the door and I didn’t stand in the way. My dream for the future? I dream a lot less now but I’d like to start over at a historic club that resembles me a bit, such as Torino or Napoli.

As for Roma, Sabatini praised the club’s choice to appoint boss José Mourinho as their new manager. Though, he also lamented losing former Primavera and current Sassuolo striker Gianluca Scamacca, who left the club in 2015 to join PSV.

“Roma did well to appoint Mourinho, I would’ve done the same thing,” he admitted. “Even though appointing him would mean that a sporting director probably isn’t needed.”

“As for Scamacca, I always thought that he would be the future centre forward of Roma. I did everything I could to keep him, but his family lived on the outskirts of Rome and they wanted to have an experience abroad at PSV.”

He added, “Perhaps Scamacca at a club like Juve wouldn’t be able to offer as much as Icardi in the short term, but he’s nearing his completion as a player and will become a top footballer.”

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