Ahead of their Coppa Italia match tonight against Sampdoria, AS Roma head coach Luciano Spaletti was asked about his team’s transfer targets for the rest of this month, one of whom was supposed to be Chelsea youngster Charly Musonda. True as that may be, Spaletti basically ruled out a move for the 20-year-old, saying that the kid’s not ready and he has no interest in a development project.
“We do not seek an apprentice, it takes a player who is in our game and in the mentality of our team. Musonda I have not rejected, however, he does not play. Conte talks about Musonda in a stratospheric manner but if you take a kid who has not played at the Olimpico, you’re asking for trouble.”
-Luciano Spaletti; source: Sky Italia via Google Translate
Mangled Italian translation aside, that’s pretty clear. Musonda would not get much playing time, if any, under Spaletti.
So, if what Musonda’s father was saying earlier is true, and the only two options in play for his son were a loan to Roma or staying with Chelsea, perhaps it is indeed the latter that will play out. Conte may not play the kid much either, but hopefully young Charly will impress enough to change his mind.