Official: Roma Signs Barbara Latorre

While the men's transfer market remains awash in rumors and speculation, Betty Bavagnoli and Alessandro Spugna have been working quietly behind the scenes to prepare the Giallorosse for their first-ever title defense. Roma laid the first brick when they signed decorated Japanese midfielder Saki Kumagai but have remained eerily quiet as their competitors continue to augment their squads ahead of the 2023-2024 season.

Now, some of Roma's radio silence stems from the nature of the women's transfer cycle, which doesn't generate the same level of buzz as the men's game, at least not yet. Similarly, with the 2023 World Cup set to kick off next month in New Zealand, transfer rumors have fallen by the wayside as each federation prepares its final cuts ahead of the July 20th kickoff.

But earlier today, Roma announced their second signing of the summer, former Atletico Madrid midfielder/forward Barbara Latorre:

Latorre, 30 years old, signed a two-year deal with Roma, ending her six-year stint in Spain, where she played for Espanyol, Barcelona, Real Sociedad, and Atletico Madrid. Nominally listed as a forward, Latorre can also play in midfield and has 30 career league goals to her credit, including ten over the past two seasons in Madrid.

Speaking on her new club, Latorre could hardly contain her excitement:

"I'm over the moon to become a Roma player and to be part of the Romanista family"

"I can't wait to get stuck in, meet everyone and achieve a lot together, for the team and the fans. I'd like to thank Roma for this opportunity. I'll give my all for this team in pursuit of our objectives."

On the club's new signing, Director of Sport Gianmarco Migliorati spoke about Latorre's tactical fit with Roma:

"I knew that Barbara was after a fresh career challenge and we realised that she could be a very useful player for us with the style which we employ,"

"She's been really keen to know everything about our plans from the moment in which we first made contact. We're really happy to have her come to our club."

Given her ability to play in midfield and attack and her depth of experience in Spain, Latorre should ostensibly fill the shoes of Andress Alves, who left the club earlier this month.

It's been a quiet start to silly season for the women of Roma, and while they've added two solid veterans to the mix, one can't help but think there's a bigger fish out there waiting to be reeled in—stay tuned.