Radja Nainggolan has blamed former Roma sporting director Monchi for the club’s struggles.
The Spaniard, who is currently playing for his former club Sevilla, arrived at Stadio Olimpico in 2017, when Juventus and the team were frequently competitors for the Serie A championship.
Although they placed third in his first season, they finished sixth in 2018–19 due to the departure of several important players, including Nainggolan and the now-Liverpool duo of Mohamed Salah and Alisson.
Even after Monchi’s own departure in 2019, the club has struggled to regain its top-four standing, and Nainggolan has claimed that it was the Spaniard’s calls that destroyed their once-promising credentials.
“He ruined the team,” he told Tradizione Romanista. “He sold all the players. I can’t even name him. If I’d known he was leaving soon after I went, I would have stayed.
“We had very strong players, and then we sold them. If you want to win, you have to keep strong players. If you always change, you will never have a solid base to work off.”
Nainggolan, 34, says a return to Roma will not be in the cards if he decides to leave Antwerp despite the fact that he shows no signs of slowing down.
“If I went back to Roma now, I would run the risk of ruining all of the wonderful memories I have there,” he added.
“Roma was the place, in terms of football, where I felt loved and respected. I’m too old to go back now. I live for football in my own way.”