Marten de Roon sparks anger among Atalanta fans after transfer to Roma
On Saturday evening the focus inevitably turns to the clash between AS Roma and Atalanta, where the 35‑year‑old Marten de Roon will play his first official match for the Italian capital, shortly after a fan set a €2,000 shirt on fire.
Moving to Rome and fan frenzy
The club legend of La Dea, who played a total of 445 matches for Atalanta, recently left for the Italian capital. At the end of the transfer window he was told that the club had ‘other plans’, after which he chose to return to coach Gian Piero Gasperini at AS Roma.
A disgruntled Atalanta fan, the Italian businessman Fabio Acquaroli, bought a special shirt of the former captain at a charity auction. He paid €2,000 for it and then decided to burn it as a protest against the ‘sensitive’ move.
Corriere della Sera reports that not all Bergamo residents harbour resentment; some understand that De Roon seized the opportunity to go into the Champions League under Gasperini.
Match preview
De Roon made his debut last weekend in a friendly match of Roma against Lecce, a game that ended in a 0‑4 defeat for the visitors. Now he is ready for his first official match for Roma at the Stadio Olimpico against Atalanta.
Roma have secured the first two Serie A‑fixtures of the season with convincing victories: 0‑4 against Lecce and 4‑0 against Fiorentina. In those two matches striker Donyell Malen has already scored five goals.
With the focus inevitably on De Roon, Saturday promises to be a tough evening for Atalanta, who are aware of the recent successes of their Italian rival.