Louis: The Last Leg

Marco Van Basten, assembling of legends is incoming I think!

http://en.espn.co.uk/PICTURES/CMS/73100/73141.3.jpg

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Ever-present midfielder Kevin Strootman has alleviated fears he may join Barcelona in the summer by signing a new three year deal with the club worth around £17 million. The deal sees him pocket a £5,000 a week pay rise and gives incoming manager Louis van Gaal a measure of security.

Strootman was believed to be the subject of interest from Arsenal and Barcelona but will remain at the club for the time being after deciding to sign the new deal. At 27, the Dutch midfielder is at the prime of his career and takes a small payrise to remain at the club.

Strootman has made 26 appearances for the club this season after a slow start which saw him tear his hamstring in September. When on the pitch, he forms a solid relationship with Radja Nainggolan and Roma fans will be pleased to see him commit to a contract extension.

Good seeing that Strootman is extending his contract. Louis needs him to challenge Juventus.

Damn f*cking right he pens a new deal! Although it appears there's now another player Wenger can say he 'nearly' signed.

Great news that you've managed to tie Strootman down to a new deal. If he stays injury free, as we know he can be very injury prone, he could be a huge part to Van Gaal's success at the club!

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Roma's efficiency in front of goal saw them run out 4-1 winners over Chievo in front of 9,221 fans at Marcantonio Bentegodi. Mohamed Salah was the star, scoring the opening goal and assisting two more whilst 74th minute substitute Leonardo Bonucci became the youngest player in Serie A history.

Salah gave Roma the lead with a deftly executed finish from close range in the 14th minute, with Edin Dzeko doubling the lead with a tidy finish into the bottom right corner on 36 minutes. Antonio Rudiger gave away a penalty just before half time, which Chievo captain Sergio Pellissier converted to bring it back to 2-1.

Mario Rui scored a lovely placed shot in the 49th minute to confirm Roma's ascendancy, with Diego Perotti adding a late cherry on top with a close range finish into the bottom corner in the 90th minute. Roma picked up six yellow cards across the match, playing a very physical style.

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Louis Van Gaal:

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We came out today and did the best with what we were given. We can't say we dominated the game but we definitely did well when it came to finishing off the chances. I thought Mohamed Salah played amazingly today, and in defence, Federico Fazio did well too. We'll stick to the 5-3-2 for the time being and see how it goes. I was impressed with the way team played first time out.

Good start to his career in Roma!

Solid result, great boost for the club!

Great win against Chievo and hopefully the start of a great spell for Van Gaal as manager.

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In the 74th minute of Roma's 4-1 win over Chievo, Edin Dzeko came off the pitch to be substituted with young striker Leonardo Bonucci. The towering 15 year old, standing at 191 cm, became the youngest Serie A player in history once he stepped out onto the pitch. At 15 years and 221 days he smashed the record set by club icon Amedeo Amadei 80 years ago.

Bonucci did not have much impact on the game, making just 4 passes and running a total of 2 kilometres, but Roma fans will hope the promising striker can build on that performance in the years to come. Bonucci is considered one of the best young prospects in Italy, towering over most players his age and possessing strong technical ability. If he can live up to the legacy of Amadei, he may become another Roma legend.

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Good luck to Bonucci, that's an incredible bit of history he's wrote himself into so hopefully he can live up to the hype and become a legend at the club in the future.

Bonucci looks a lot different these days