At the heart of the much-discussed winter transfer window at Olympique de Marseille, the Robinio Vaz case surprised more than one Marseille supporter. The 19-year-old striker, trained at the club, was sold to AS Roma for €25 million, with 10% on resale, this winter, after a successful start to the season under Roberto De Zerbi, punctuated by four goals and two assists in 14 appearances. But faced with an offer considered interesting from the Giallorossi, OM decided to part with him, making the young striker the 5th biggest sale in the club’s history, even though he only appeared 22 times in the Marseille jersey.
A notable arrival in Italy
“It’s a dream to be here, I thank the Friedkins. I’m going to prove what I’m worth (in reference to its price, editor’s note). Gasp is the ideal coach for me, he will help me progress and score a lot of goals. In recent years, I have seen that he is a very offensive coach. I’m a striker, so I’m happy to be part of his team and the club’s project.he confided when he arrived in Rome. A little over a month later, Robinio Vaz discovered the Italian lawns, accumulating 64 minutes of play spread over four matches.
Logically limited playing time, since it is a bet on the future. The Italian press had also praised his recruitment and his rapid internal adaptation. AS Roma having given up other avenues, such as Giacomo Raspadori, to bet on the Marseillais. If he has not yet unlocked his counter, his performances against AC Milan and Napoli allowed him to stand out, notably during a clash at the end of the match. Coming into play to occupy the forefront of the Roman attack during these two matches, Vaz displayed aggressiveness and explosiveness, suggesting interesting potential.
Gasperini doesn’t want to rush him
If he has still not opened his account in Italy, his trainer Gian Piero Gasperini is satisfied with his adaptation to the locker room and his first performances. “Vaz is an important investment for the club. He is very young and has only made appearances as a substitute so far. Its purchase price is a burden, because it naturally changes people’s perception of it. I’m trying to assess how useful he can be to Roma in the short term, because I’m convinced he will be very useful in the future..
“We have to evaluate him carefully based on what we see in training and when he comes into play. It is not easy to integrate immediately into a demanding championship like Serie A during the season”added the giallorosso manager. His playing time should also remain limited for the rest of the season. In the Europa League, Vaz will only be able to start from the knockout phase, while he will not play in the Italian Cup after the club’s elimination against Torino. Robinio Vaz will therefore have to continue to convince internally to gain the trust of his staff and gradually settle into the Roman rotation.
