Pedro leaves AS Roma to join arch-rivals SS Lazio
Aug 19, 2021
Rome [Italy], August 19 : Spanish winger Pedro Rodriguez completed his transfer from AS Roma to their arch-rivals SS Lazio on Thursday. At Lazio, the 34-year-old will reunite with his former Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri.
Pedro was not part of Roma's new boss Jose Mourinho's plans and wasn't even invited to pre-season training and was on the market. The former Barcelona and Chelsea star will be remaining at Stadio Olimpico for the 2021-22 campaign but is swapping the Giallorossi for the Biancocelesti.
At AS Roma, Pedro made 40 appearances across all competitions last season and scored six goals while dishing out seven assists. Pedro had his medical on Thursday morning and was unveiled as a new Lazio player, wearing the Number 9 jersey.
Under Sarri at Chelsea, he had played 52 games and scored 13 goals along with five assists. The move to Lazio is not dissimilar to the deal done with Inter for Edin Dzeko.
Earlier on Wednesday, Manuel Locatelli joined Juventus FC from Sassuolo, the Serie A club confirmed. Since making his Serie A debut with Milan (April 2016), Locatelli is the youngest outfield player to have made at least 100 appearances in the Italian top-flight (144 appearances, with eight goals and 11 assists).
Whilst on duty with Sassuolo last season (the team he joined in 2019 from Milan), Locatelli was recorded as having made the most passes in Serie A (2,749), while also successfully completing the greatest number of passes (1,358). That's not all, his stats also showed that he won the most tackles in the top-flight, with 81 to his name.
