Roma director Pinto blasts Tottenham target Nicolo Zaniolo

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Nicolo Zaniolo wanted to sign for Tottenham Hotspur in the January transfer window, but the Italian had to join Galatasaray in the end.

The 23-year-old has long been linked with a move to the Premier League. Spurs have seemed like the likeliest destination on more than one occasion, but a deal never materialised.

Now, Roma director Tiago Pinto has aimed a dig at Zaniolo.

Roma director Pinto blasts Tottenham target Nicolo Zaniolo

Gazzetta dello Sport reported in the final week of the January transfer window that Nicolo Zaniolo had a dream and it was to move to the Premier League and join Tottenham Hotspur.

Spurs had entered talks with Roma to sign Zaniolo on loan. The two sides just could not agree on a deal, and in the end, Tottenham decided to sign Arnaut Danjuma instead.

Zaniolo’s dream was crushed and no other top club made a concrete bid to sign him. He was forced to accept a deal to join Galatasaray instead in the end, which is something nobody would’ve predicted a few weeks ago.

After his move to Galatasaray was done, Pinto held a press conference and had a go at Zaniolo. He aimed a dig at the ‘extraordinary‘ Italian for thinking he’s really good while the offers that came in for him suggested otherwise.

Pinto said in a press conference, as quoted by journalist Siavoush Fallahi: “If I believe I’m so good & should make X as salary, but when I leave Roma the only clubs making a true offer for me are Bournemouth and Galatasaray, maybe I’d consider it’s not only Pinto who’s bad at his job, something isn’t right.”

TBR View:

Zaniolo had been Roma’s prized asset for years.

The 23-year-old was one of their best players. He was always viewed as the guy who had the potential to play for most big clubs in the world, but things just haven’t gone to plan.

Pinto’s comments clearly suggest that things ended very badly between Roma and Zaniolo, which really is a shame. However, there’s nothing that can be done now.

It will be interesting to see how Zaniolo will fare in Turkey at Galatasaray. If he shines, Spurs could well consider signing him again in the not-too-distant future.