Albania centre-back earned a move to the capital after a spell at Verona, who Roma face as Serie A resumes this weekend
Many fear defending is a dying art, a vocation few want to accept any more. Even in
Italy, the home of catenaccio, only a small number of players have emerged in recent years willing to spend 90 minutes suffocating opposition attacks.
Marash Kumbulla, however, spent his first season in Serie A with Verona showing the art form isn’t dead. The 20-year-old became one of the most sought-after defenders in Europe this summer, with Internazionale, Lazio and
Tottenham keen on acquiring him before Roma who won the race to sign a player who could be at the heart of their defence for more than a decade.