Roma’s sporting director insists he allowed Dodô to leave to protect his career

Roma sporting director Walter Sabatini has claimed he sold young Brazil defender Dodô to protect his career. The 22-year-old moved to Internazionale in the summer on a season-long loan deal, a transfer that surprised many pundits. Sabatini has insisted he allowed the youngster to leave Roma so he could flourish in an environment where he […]
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sambafoot_admin
2014-09-12 13:00:00

Roma sporting director Walter Sabatini has claimed he sold young Brazil defender Dodô to protect his career.

The 22-year-old moved to Internazionale in the summer on a season-long loan deal, a transfer that surprised many pundits.

Sabatini has insisted he allowed the youngster to leave Roma so he could flourish in an environment where he is not constantly criticised and undervalued.

The sporting director was quoted by Football Italia, he said: “Dodô has been sold, but I was not mugged.

“I had the conviction that the boy would not be able to grow in this environment in which he has always been lambasted.

“You are not responsible for the sale of Dodo, but I had to take into account this aspect. I made a choice that was very difficult for me, but I think I have been fair to him.”

Sabatini felt the young Brazilian was constantly receiving criticism in Rome, even when Roma would achieve an excellent result.

He added: “Maybe now Dodô would receive a performance rating of ‘7’, but here it never happened, here he took a ‘6’ when the team won 6-0.

“Maybe it was because I foolishly said he would be a champion, he was sold mainly to save his life.”