AS Roma Recruitment Analysis 2025/2026: Beto, Joshua Zirkzee or Jeff Ekhator For The No.9 Role? – Scout Report

AS Roma have been missing a reliable striker, other than Evan Ferguson, to provide a heavier presence in the box and help finish the team’s chances with consistent efficiency.

It will be very important for the Giallorossi to sign a striker during this transfer window in order to continue competing for the top four spots seriously and avoid getting behind, especially with the fierce competition of the top Serie A teams.

Having a proper striker would guarantee more goals, more reliance on through passes in space during counterattacks, and more threat from set-pieces as well.

It is true that with Ferguson, Roma have not looked bad; however, bringing in a more reliable, experienced, and powerful striker would make Roma even more dangerous in attack, with Ferguson remaining as the plan B option and adding freshness in second halves, for instance.

Therefore, this AS Roma recruitment analysis will primarily focus on the three striker profiles Roma are considering for the January transfer window.

The analysis will highlight the strengths and weaknesses of each profile while providing a fair comparison between the three profiles in the end.

Joshua Zirkzee Scout Report 2025/2026

Since Joshua Zirkzee is not receiving sufficient playing time at Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United, as he is not considered a first-choice striker, this could represent a suitable opportunity for the Giallorossi to try to sign the player during the winter transfer window.

Zirkzee is a very suitable option for the role, mainly because he knows the Italian Serie A well, given his successful experience with Bologna and, before that, with Parma.

This can represent a real advantage for the Dutch player when evaluating the best possible player to be signed for that striker position at Roma, as the previous success in Serie A guarantees minimal adaptation time and direct integration within the team, as well as a guarantee for performing well starting from the first few games.

Zirkzee has all the characteristics that a head coach like Gian Piero Gasperini might need: he has a clean touch on the ball, is good at passing, playmaking, and ball control, and does not get uncomfortable when retreating or changing position.

This means that Zirkzee can be useful and reliable within Gasperini’s plan, as he already moves well without the ball and can become even more unpredictable with Gasperinis instructions.

Leaning towards one of the wings and retreating when needed, while being good enough in duels, dribbling, and passing, will surely help Gasperini create many more attacking variations and plans, leveraging Zirkzees versatility and the advancement of his teammates.

While at Bologna, Zirkzee scored 12 goals and provided seven assists in his second season, which was a positive average.

However, he failed to achieve those numbers at Manchester United, and the fact that he was not the confirmed starting striker did not help him a lot, either.

If the deal succeeds with Roma, it will be crucial to have Gasperinis confidence and to give him enough playing time to become clinical once again, after his negative period at Manchester United at the start of this season.

The following two pizza charts of Zirkzee Manchester United and at Bologna, respectively, confirm Zirkzee’s remarkable contribution in the defensive phase and his ability to win defensive duels.

They also show that Zirkzee is a striker with excellent passing skills and has the vision and key-passing abilities needed to disrupt defensive lines, especially when he receives the ball a bit behind the penalty box.

This represents a considerable asset for Roma as their actual striker, Ferguson, is not really a creative passer but rather a classic striker who loves moving inside the box, playing with his back to the goal, engaging himself in aerial duels, and playing as a stationary striker.

Zirkzee would propose an unorthodox striker type that fits Gasperini’s playing style, given that Gasperini’s preferred style and philosophy rely on interchangeable positioning and encourage players with roles that do not necessarily suit their natural positions.

In other words, Gasperini relies heavily on engaging defenders in the attacking phase and creates the space needed for them to advance and be involved in attacks in the final third.

Likewise, if he gets the opportunity to have a striker like Zirkzee, he will surely encourage his playmaking and make him move and play in unexpected areas of the pitch, while remaining the team’s striker inside the box when needed as well.

That said, it is important to note that Zirkzee’s goal contribution averages were not particularly high in the past, which suggests that Roma should not rely solely on Zirkzee for goalscoring.

In case the deal goes through, it will be crucial to work with him on finishing and on finding ways to increase his goalscoring averages, mainly by asking for the ball more often and shooting with more accuracy and intelligence.

Furthermore, failing to win a high number of territorial duels on average cannot be acceptable for a player with sufficient physical strength and, more importantly, a remarkable 1.93 meters in height.

That’s an aspect that Roma might consider when evaluating the profile of Zirkzee as well, given that Roma need a reliable finisher from set-pieces and crosses.

Joshua Zirkzee Pizza Chart 2024/2025 & 2023/2024

Joshua Zirkzee Finishing Abilities

If Zirkzee gets the playing time he needs with Roma, he could get back to his Bologna form.

At Bologna, Zirkzee was good enough with movement inside and outside the box, as well as with assist-making and goalscoring from different situations.

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