Former Roma midfielder Radja Nainggolan spoke very fondly of his years in the Italian capital under the guidance of Luciano Spalletti.
With Spalletti, in the 2016/2017 season, Nainggolan went on to become one of Europe’s most effective box-to-box midfielders, scoring 14 goals and collecting 6 assists in 51 appearances across all competitions.
The Belgian international spoke to Radio Kiss Kiss and mentioned his and Edin Dzeko’s relationship with the current Napoli coach.
“When Spalletti arrived at Roma, Dzeko really took off. The year before he scored eight goals,” he said. “The season afterwards, with Spalletti, he scored 39 goals in all competitions.”
“Let me tell you something,” continued Nainggolan. “One day Dzeko scored a brace and Spalletti was furious with him. He’d wanted him to score two more.”
“Spalletti’s like that. He’s very meticulous. With him I had the best year of my career, scoring 14 goals and playing in a totally different position. That was all thanks to him.”
