Le Fée can fill Roma’s midfield void, helping De Rossi where Mourinho failed | OneFootball

Roma have welcomed their first summer signing, Enzo Le Fée, and Wayne Girard explains how the Frenchman can fill the Giallorossi midfield void, helping Daniele De Rossi succeed where José Mourinho failed.

On a snowy afternoon in Bergamo 11 years ago, Miralem Pjanić curled in a free kick as his white Roma kit blended into the blizzard. He led his team to a great victory against La Dea, in what became a strong era for the Giallorossi who had the Bosnian international pulling the strings.

Yet his creativity was sacrificed in exchange for the bottom dollar, and after being sold to Juventus, time has been even colder to Roma. Yes, there are the European affairs of which they have helped Italy for the coefficient, but they’ve suffered since the departure of the Little Prince eight years back, with just two Serie A finishes in the top four.

The void that Pjanić left was never filled, as a casino royale of directors – including the esteemed Monchi – tried and failed to bring in a centre-midfielder who could set, dictate and control the tempo. Every now and then, score a free kick too, and be the one relied upon from set pieces. Even Jose Mourinho tried to fill that gap by using Pellegrini in the double pivot, yet these players remained as only options, not solutions.

Over in France, Christophe Pelissier has become a mainstay manager in French football and can tell you a thing or two about Enzo Le Fée. The manager brought him in as a teenager for Lorient’s 2019-20 Ligue 2 title win. The diminutive midfielder showed grace at his feet and wind in his sails with a deadly one-touch ball over the top of the last defensive line to hit his forward or overlapping wingers. Enzo started 35 out of 38 of those matches with  11 goal involvements, all while still being just a teenager.

For Lorient and then Rennes, the Frenchman was subject to various formations, which became demonstrations of his flexibility. When playing deeper as one of the pivots in a 4-2-3-1, he became adept at playing with his back to goal and taking touches when under pressure close to his own goal. One thing that remained constant was his desire to get the ball at his feet, pass quickly and play the unpredictable ball, and progress movement.

Now 24-years-old, Enzo and Roma are an ideal match. He will act as the missing link for Daniele De Rossi’s quick-hitting play. Furthermore, the Roman legend has stressed the need for faster players on the wings, who are the exact profile that Le Fée thrives on connecting with.

If ‘DDR’ plays in a 4-3-3, expect Enzo to have looser responsibilities as he takes more forward positioning. But if the manager decides to slot him in the double pivot of a 4-2-3-1 in preference over Bryan Cristante, he’ll have a different approach from deep, which could be efficient when the team shifts to defend in a low defensive block. It could be just as dangerous when building from the back.

New sporting director Florent Ghisolfi received him at the airport on Monday, his first marquee signing of a new era. It was a warm gesture by his French compatriot, along with the dozens of fans at Rome’s Fiumicino airport. The blizzard has passed, times have changed, and the new French connection should point towards warmer weather for Roma.