Cristante hopes Roma sign a defender in January

Bryan Cristante is ready to play as a centre-back in January but hopes Roma sign a new defender in the winter transfer window.

The Italy international is expected to play a few games in central defence next month as Even N’Dicka will be involved in the AFCON with his national team Ivory Coast, while Chris Smalling and Marash Kumbulla have still not recovered from injuries.

DAZN asked Cristante if he was ready to play in central defence starting next month.

“Yeah, I am ready, but I hope somebody else arrives because otherwise, we will be short of options one way or the other,” the Italy international replied.

Cristante hit the post in the first half of Roma’s 1-0 loss against Juventus on Saturday but feels the Giallorossi’s performance was positive anyway.

“The performance was excellent, but the most important thing is always to return home with the three points. Juventus defended really well, so it was difficult after they scored. We go home with disappointment,” he said.

Roma sit seventh in the Serie A table, five points below fourth-placed Fiorentina. What do they need to improve their results in the second part of the campaign?

“We must do more as we can stay up there,” said Cristante.

“Luckily, the opponents are still quite close. A few consecutive wins are enough to stay there. We are still in the race; January is an important month, so we must remain close.”

Roma’s next game is against Cremonese in Coppa Italia on Wednesday, January 3, 2024. The next Serie A match is against another direct opponent, Atalanta, on Sunday, January 7.

Cristante, 28, has scored two goals in 24 appearances across all competitions this season.