Arsenal, Aston Villa to battle for Roma’s Leonardo Spinazzola
According to reports, Arsenal and Aston Villa have entered the competition to sign Leonardo Spinazzola, a left-back for Roma in January.
The 30-year-old’s contract expires in the summer, so Roma may want to cash in on him now rather than wait for a probable unlikely contract renewal.
Since, suffering an Achilles tendon tear at Euro 2020 that kept him out of action for more than nine months,
Spinazzola has slid far down the hierarchy at the Stadio Olimpico under Jose Mourinho.
At Roma, young Nicola Zalewski has emerged as the first-choice left wing-back,
with Stephan El Shaarawy occasionally even starting ahead of Spinazzola in a role that is new to him.
Unsurprisingly, Luciano Spalletti’s preparations have seen Spinazzola drop out of the Italy squad,
with Cristiano Biraghi, Federico Dimarco, and Destiny Udogie now starting ahead of him.
As a result, the left-sided defender might look to move in an effort to increase his prospects of playing for the Azzurri at Euro 2024.
Davide Lippe, Spinazzola’s agent, stated to Sport Italia that there is no possibility of a renewal.
If the market doesn’t improve in January, [his contract] will expire.
Although, Spinazzola is known for being a very offensive wing-back,
he did play some left-back during Italy’s Euro 2020 campaign,
before to suffering a catastrophic injury that forced him to withdraw from the competition.
With the majority of its left-back options playing out of position, Arsenal is lacking in depth at the position.
Though, he is a midfielder by trade, Oleksandr Zinchenko has a wealth of experience in that capacity.
Jakub Kiwior and Takehiro Tomiyasu are two center defenders who can also play on the left.
Although, Jurrien Timber’s versatility was a factor in his signing,
his rookie season was cut short before it started due to an ACL injury sustained on opening day.
Given that Lucas Digne will be sidelined for several weeks due to a hamstring injury, Villa may also be searching for a left-sided defender.
Unai Emery may still wish to bolster his team,
which is still contending with three fronts going into the second half of the season, even with Alex Moreno sitting in reserve.
Nicolo Zaniolo, Spinazzola’s teammate on the national team and current Villa Park teammate,
may play a significant role should both clubs pursue the player.
Spinazzola may be given a rare chance from the start when Roma face rivals, Lazio in the Coppa Italia on Wednesday, with opportunities in Serie A few and far between.
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