Done deal: Tottenham defender signs with Roma on year-long loan

It’s done! Serie A club AS Roma has announced that they have signed 29-year old Tottenham Hotspur defender Federico Fazio, initially on a year-long loan with an option to purchase in summer 2017.

This is Fazio’s second loan away from Spurs in two seasons, putting a rather fine point on the fact that he’s no longer in the plans of manager Mauricio Pochettino. The last loan, to Fazio’s old club Sevilla last January, didn’t go so well with the Argentine defender only making four appearances, and the three-time Europa League champions opted not to re-sign him on a permanent deal.

Now he’s off to Italy, where the club seems quite happy to take him on. They even announced his shirt number!

The announcement on Roma’s website says that the club has an option to purchase Fazio outright next summer for a fee of €3.2m, “depending on the completion of certain sporting targets.” Many Spurs fans are hoping beyond hope that those targets are met.

Arrivederci, Fozzy Bear. We’re sorry it didn’t work out. It wasn’t us, it was you.