In questi ultimi anni, Memphis, che era una delle squadre europee più dinamiche, è rinata. Are i suoi migliori giorni passati, o può tornare a cavalcare in Rome?

As Paulo Dybala delays his decision on whether or not to accept Al-Qadsiah’s three-year €60 million offer, Roma’s list of potential replacements grows longer and more ludicrous. From sensible albeit underwhelming options like Giovani Lo Celso to practical but expensive choices like Rodrigo Riquelme to oh-please-god-no alternatives like Jeremie Boga, the rumor mill has cast a wide net for Dybala’s eventual successor.

Dybala’s unique talent is precisely what makes this search difficult, and it’s likely why such a wide range of players have been tabbed to take his pace. After all, if uncovering a silky smooth, tactically versatile, and outrageously skilled left-footer was easy, every club on earth would have a Dybala.

With so little time left in the transfer window and Roma already struggling to integrate their new pieces, Daniele De Rossi and Florent Ghisolfi will likely have to compromise in their pursuit of Dybala’s heir. If you can’t find a player with that exact amalgam of gifts, you have no choice but to focus on one or two key traits that you can replicate with a slightly less talented player.

Memphis Depay is no less talented than Dybala and could have been considered a superior talent as recently as 2020. However, the Dutch international has fallen on hard times since leaving Lyon on a free transfer to Barcelona in July 2021. Depay, who has been intermittently linked with Roma since 2016, has suffered a steep decline in production since leaving Lyon.

In parts of four seasons in Spain (with Barcelona and later Atletico Madrid), Depay mustered only 22 goals and three assists in 61 La Liga appearances. While figures like that don’t necessarily mean Memphis should be shipped off to a retirement league, the difference could hardly be more stark when you consider what he did in his last four years with Lyon (58 goals and 37 assists in 122 Ligue 1 appearances).

At his peak, Memphis was one of the most dynamic players in Europe but now finds himself exploring the vast free-agent wilderness. According to Dutch outlet VoetbalInternational, Roma has joined the likes of Porto and an unnamed Premiership club in the chase for Memphis, who prefers to remain in a top European league, having already turned down overtures from MLS.

None of this suggests that Memphis would be a poor addition, but he’s fallen dramatically from his Lyon peak and saw his La Liga career blunted by a series of muscle injuries, including stints on the sidelines with hamstring, calf, and thigh issues.

So the question we have to ask ourselves is this: If we can only recreate a portion of what Dybala brings to the table, what’s the better route—a guy who used to play like Dybala but can’t stay out of the physio room, or a slightly younger player who, while healthy, can’t scale those same heights?