(Football news) After their disappointing loss to Juventus last weekend, Jose Mourinho acted quickly and purchased Sergio Oliveira from Porto and Ainsley Maitland Niles from Arsenal both on 6 month loan terms. Jose Mourihno’s Roma have not played particularly well this season as there have been far too many inconsistent strings of results for the capital club.
Sergio Oliveira fits the bill not only because of his nationality but also because of his versatility . AS Roma have agreed an initial 6 month with a buy option of 15m Euros for the 29 year from Porto. Oliveria a couple of months ago put in an outstanding performance against AC Milan in the Champions League. He’s a versatile midfielder as he can typically play centrally, as Mourinho can utilise him in both more defensive and attacking roles as well. In 22 appearances this season, he managed five goals and an assist to his name. Sergio Oliveira has made over 102 appearances as the former Nantes, Paços Ferreira and PAOK Thessaloniki playmaker is joining the Giallorossi.
AS Roma also purchased Ainsley Maitland Niles from Arsenal, the midfielder joins AS Roma for the remainder of the 2021-22 season, having not found game time at the Emirates Stadium. Jose Mourinho will utilise Maitland-Niles as a player that can play both in the midfield and be used as a makeshift shift full back as well, offering Roma a much-needed squad depth. The 24-year-old made his Arsenal debut during the 2014-15 season, but broke out in the 2017-18 where he had 28 appearances during that campaign. He has since made 83 appearances for Arsenal since his debut, but currently has fallen down the pecking order a bit under Mikel Arteta's reign. He has also earned five England caps in 2020 after becoming an Arsenal regular under Unai Emery’s tenure.
Speaking about his move to the Giallorossi, Maitland-Niles said: "I'm thrilled to be here and can't wait to get started.I want to contribute to the team and show what kind of player I am. Thanks to all the fans for the support they have already shown me. We hope to do great things from here to the end of this season”.
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Roma general manager Tiago Pinto added: "With Maitland-Niles we deliver to Roma a young player who meets the requirements we were looking for to strengthen the team and who knows how to fill different roles. When we spoke to Ainsley, we were struck by his enthusiasm to join our group and make himself available to Mourinho.
