Gini Wijnaldum has revealed Mohamed Salah helped convince him to join AS Roma earlier this month.
The Netherlands international left Liverpool at the end of his contract last year, signing for Paris Saint-Germain on a Bosman transfer following five successful seasons at Anfield. However, his time in Paris was not a success as he made only 22 starts before being deemed surplus to requirements.
The midfielder joined Roma on a season-long loan deal earlier this week, with the Serie A outfit having the option to make the move permanent. Meanwhile, the 31-year-old was given the warmest of welcomes at the Stadio Olimpico when unveiled last weekend.
READ MORE: Liverpool can make opportunist midfield transfer as Julian Ward plans change
READ MORE: Rio Ferdinand names three Liverpool players he 'hated' and 'didn't like'
And having been pictured on holiday with Salah during the same summer, Wijnaldum has revealed he spoke to his former Reds team-mate, who spent two seasons with Roma prior to moving to Anfield, about the Italian club before deciding to make the move.
“I wanted to come because of the effort the club made to sign me and because I spoke to Mo Salah and Kevin Strootman about the club and the city and I only heard good stories about it,” he told reporters his media unveiling. “I also spoke to Achraf Hakimi, even if he played for Inter. He said that Roma is a beautiful club. That convinced me a lot also because I knew the club.
“We played once with Liverpool and the atmosphere was amazing. I knew I’d play for a club with beautiful supporters, it was the only thing that I knew. What convinced me the most was the effort Tiago Pinto put in to sign me. I felt wanted and appreciated and that made me make the decision.”
Having been referred to as a ‘perfect midfielder’ by Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, Wijnaldum will be hoping to reignite his fortunes in Rome and live up to the standards he set at Anfield as opposed to his disappointing year with PSG. And the midfielder hinted as much when reflecting on his role at Anfield.
“I’ve joined a team with good players,” he said. “I think my quality suits the team’s style, I can attack and defend, when I’m fit, I can do most parts of the game.
“It’s always difficult to say what’s the perfect midfielder. Maybe I was for Liverpool, but I understand that things can be different for another team. I think everyone has an opinion about what the perfect midfielder is, but if a manager like Klopp says it, of course, I am happy.”
Meanwhile, having played under the likes of Klopp, Rafa Benitez, Mauricio Pochettino, Dick Advocaat, Louis van Gaal and Guus Hiddink during his career, Wijnaldum is now looking forward to linking up with Jose Mourinho. And opening up about his talks with his new manager, the midfielder revealed the Portuguese didn’t have to say anything to convince him to make the move to Roma.
“We didn’t really have a conversation where he said, ‘You have to come here’ because there was already negotiations between the clubs and I had already spoken with some players about it,” Wijnaldum admitted. “When we spoke he thanked me because I wanted to come to Rome, we spoke about that and about football.
“Mourinho as a manager speaks for himself, the trophies he’s won and the club he’s coached. It’s unbelievable. Every player wants to work with him and so do I. From the moment I spoke to him, I knew I wanted to come, but I had already decided before.”
READ NEXT
-
Frenkie de Jong Barcelona stance asks Liverpool transfer question Jurgen Klopp can no longer avoid
-
Liverpool fans have a theory after spotting Dortmund's four-word tweet
-
Liverpool transfer solution is already underway but Thiago problem remains
-
Jamie Carragher sends Conor Coady one-word message as ex-Liverpool defender makes Everton transfer
