Video: Kone reveals De Rossi role in convincing him of Roma | OneFootball

Manu Kone reveals that talking to fellow midfielder Daniele De Rossi convinced him to join Roma, while Paul Pogba was his idol, but is ‘no longer a role model.’

The 23-year-old completed his transfer from Borussia Monchengladbach on deadline day, on loan with obligation to buy for €18m plus another €2m in add-ons.

He had also been linked with Milan and some Premier League clubs, but what made him come to Roma?

“What convinced me is the fact it’s an historic club. I also spoke with the coach, he convinced me, showed what the club could do for me and he was a midfielder too. That really made me excited,” said Kone on the official Roma website.

“I’ve seen a lot of messages from fans on social media, which made me even more excited by this move. I can’t wait to meet them at the stadium and make them happy.

“I’ve known about Roma since I was young. Some great players have played here, so I wanted to be a part of it. I spoke to the coach and he really won me over with his words, I knew he had confidence in me and that I could help the team. That was one of the main things that convinced me.”

Kone is not perhaps expected to provide tricks and magical moves, but he is well aware that his strengths lie elsewhere in a Roma side that has been very open to dangerous counter-attacks.

“I’m a midfielder, so I try to be well-rounded. I can defend and help the forwards, I’m able to win the ball back and break down their press. That’s what I’m going to bring to the team this season.”

Kone takes inspiration from a former Serie A player and France international, although Pogba is still technically on the Juventus roster, he is out pending an appeal against a ban for failing a doping test.

“Paul Pogba is a role model for me, because he did great things in Serie A, he was on fire here and every young French person dreamed of being like him.

“Now I’ve grown up, so he’s not really a role model, but when I was younger, he was my idol.”

He participated in the Paris Olympics with the France squad and is already teammates with Enzo Le Fée for Les Bleus.

“I can’t wait to make my contribution. I know there are lots of fans that love football, they live for it. We just want to win as many matches as possible and make people happy.”