Evan Ndicka may be closing in on a transfer to Roma, but could we still see him in the Premier League in the future?
Fabrizio Romano recently revealed to CaughtOffside that Tottenham have always been kept informed on Ndicka’s situation, while Jonathan Johnson has now provided further insight in his exclusive column for CaughtOffside.
Although Johnson shares Romano’s information that Ndicka looks poised for a free transfer to Roma from Eintracht Frankfurt this summer, the French football expert says he could see this as just being a bit of a stepping stone for the 23-year-old.
It’s clear Ndicka is a top talent and Roma look to have done very well to snap him up, but Johnson has suggested that Spurs and other Premier League clubs, or indeed other big names from around Europe such as Paris Saint-Germain, may have some luck in pursuing him in the future.
“Evan Ndicka now looks set to complete a move to Roma, having been a high-quality opportunity for a number of clubs on a free transfer,” Johnson explained.
“He’s had interest from clubs who don’t quite have the budget to compete with the elite clubs in Europe this summer, so I think for him to join Roma looks like a good opportunity for him, especially with an experienced coach like Jose Mourinho in charge. It’ll be a big boost for them as well as they continue to do some smart work building their squad.”
He added: “There was the opportunity for Ndicka to sign a new contract and stay at Eintracht Frankfurt, but he ultimately made the decision to push ahead with moving on. There were murmurings of interest from within the Bundesliga, but that would probably only have given him a select number of clubs to choose from if he was to make a true forward step, and my understanding is that there wasn’t really ever any strong interest from Bayern Munich or Borussia Dortmund in obtaining him.
“That made it difficult for him to stay in the Bundesliga, but Ligue 1 was another option – PSG were interested in his profile, a young French talent from the Paris region, but ultimately Roma offered the best potential stepping stone for him to join a top European club where he can play regularly.
“He’s been linked with elite clubs in the past, and that’s not to say Roma aren’t quite at that level because they are a great club, but I think it looks like a good move for him to accrue more experience. He’s still at an early stage in his career as well, so in two or three years it could make more sense to see him move to the Premier League or other elite European clubs.”