COP or DROP: Justin Kluivert x AS Roma

Item: Justin Kluivert

Brand: AS Roma

Made in: Netherlands 

Release date: 5/5/1999

Price: €15M

As every summer, the transfer market has brought in our league many new faces and this year, maybe like never before, there are lots of young hopes that apporach their first season in Serie A. Of course the clubs that buy young players with little experience take a risk, a bit like what happens to us when we have to decide whether to buy a new item that could be envied by our friends, as well as turn out as a sensational fail. For this reason, nss sports has decided to launch the new column "COP or DROP", to get to know and analyse the new arrivals in the league, in order to decide if they are absolute must haves - maybe worth a resell - or they'd better stay hidden in the closet. 

Among this season's risky 'cops' we must mention the arrival of Justin Kluivert at Rome. Patrick's legacy, who played briefly at Milan in 1997 and blossomed at Barcelona, did some great things at Ajax, even though he was there just for a couple of seasons. Following the hype spread by the media and the social networks - but also by the observers - Rome has decided to 'cop' Kluivert, a bit like you would do with Supreme latest release. The probability of a drop is quite high, though, since it's a known fact that Italian league is a tough place to play and it could be complicated for a young player to emerge, despite his talent. We decided to try and imagine a few cases for Justin Kluivert's season, waiting for the beginning - and the end- of the championship, to see how it goes. 

Best case scenario: Lorenzo Insigne

Clearly there are some differences, but between the young Dutch and Lorenzinho there might be also some similarities, first of all regarding the technique. What would be a dream scenario for Kluivert - who, if able to do what Insigne did, could become one of the best outwards in Italy and Europe - could be fundamental also for Rome FC, which would find a player to build his future on. In the 263 matches played with Napoli, Insigne scored 63 goals and did 63 assists, becoming at the same time the symbol of the Neapolitan club. Let's see if Kluivert will do the same for Rome. 

Worst case scenario: Patrik Schick

The purchase of young outwards with a little experience is not something new for the Roman club, that last summer spent almost 35 millions on Patrik Schick, who arrived from a great season with Sampdoria. Kluivert will be under less pression - also because his price was lower - but the risk of spending the season more on the bench than on the field, due to both injuries and technical choices, could prevent him from becoming a champion. Worst case scenario, for him and for Rome. 

Expected: Patrick Kluivert

Just like his father, young Justin has chosen Serie A as a first step to become an important player. For Patrick it was Milan, where he played not a brilliant season, but good enough to transfer to Barcelona. And guess where Justin has always wanted to play when he grew up? In our opinion, it's possible that Kluivert shows his great qualities, despite facing all the difficulties of Serie A. And in the case in which a huge offer comes in after just one season, his leave for a foreign club is just around the corner... Alisson leads. 

Fun Facts 

Here's a couple. The triplet scored by Kluivert against Roda in the league was the first scored by a 18-year-old player of Ajax since 1981 and it's something that his father Patrick was never able to do, and he was a forward. Not a bad presentation. 

The second is that here in the office a real bet has begun , since - of course - we have contrasting opinions on Justin's performance at Rome. Who's writing believes strongly in Kluivert and has bet that he will score at least 5 goasl with the Rome jersey. Fingers crossed!