Say “Liverpool” to a die-hard romanista, and you will likely unearth painful memories of the 1984 European Cup finals. Roma’s last best chance for European glory ended in heartbreak when the game went to penalty kicks (of course), and Roma lost on their home turf.

Fast-forward 25 years and it seems that a new generation of Roma fans will get a new painful memory with Liverpool. The Sensi debt and President Rosella’s inability (unwillingness?) to sell her ownership has officially struck at the heart of the club. Alberto Aquilani has been sold for a reported 20 million pounds to the British outfit.

The fallout from this sale is difficult to comprehend because one must account for Aquilani’s age/potential, his skill-set/talent and the symbolic intangible side of what he means to Roma. In previous years Aquilani would have been untouchable. The creative midfielder possesses the kind of attacking flair that keeps fans eagerly anticipating his touches, and, as a Roman, he is precisely the kind of homegrown player around which the club builds a passionate relationship with the fan base.

There are some who will not shed tears over this sale. They will point out Aquilani’s history of injuries, and that Daniele DeRossi will eventually take over as the symbol of the team. After all, 20 million pounds is a nice sum for a player who has seen the trainer’s room as much as the pitch.

But there are more reasons to be sad. Though Aquilani has struggled with injury, at 25 years-old he has plenty of time to get healthy. Those who have labeled Aquilani a “bust” this early in his career are simply wrong. When healthy and given the chances, Aquilani has consistently played up to his potential. His talent – not just potential – is undeniable. Second, the fee of 20 million pounds will not be invested in the squad. Make no mistake; this sale was not made to bolster the team. Perhaps a small percentage of the funds will go to purchase a past-his-prime striker or a younger unproven project from a 2nd tier team, but you can bet that the bulk of the proceeds will go directly to Rosella’s creditors.

Finally one has to wonder what the post-Totti plan is going to be for this team. Daniele DeRossi will carry the banner as team captain and symbol, but DeRossi cannot take over for Totti in terms of contribution on the field. Totti is a once-in-a-generation talent; a creative midfielder and prolific striker rolled into one. DeRossi is a box-to-box midfielder who makes his mark on the game with tough tackling and ball winning, not goal-scoring and back-heel passes. Was Aquilani going to be all the player Totti is? Probably not, but he was certainly the kind of creative force that could be groomed to eventually take Totti’s place on the field. Over the past several years Roma has seen several potential Totti-protégés such as Gaetno D’Agostino, Davide Petrucci and, now, Alberto Aquilani blossom in the Roma system, only to be plucked and placed in another team’s vase. It’s difficult to watch.

All in all, we wish Aquilani the best and know that powers beyond his control forced this sale. In years to come, if Liverpool and Roma ever face one another, I expect to see Aquilani pull up “limp” in training a day before the game – once a romanista, always a romanista! For Liverpool and Aquilani the future is hopeful, but for Roma…it is a sad day.

There is a disappointing silence surrounding the giallorosso transfer market, but it has nothing to do with acquiring a much needed bonafide center-forward. It has everything to do with the transfer of ownership.

Over the past year the club has regressed: no Champions League, no funds to seriously bolster the squad, and little reason to believe that Roma will gain significant ground on the scudetto challengers ahead of them, even if the team stays relatively healthy.

Perhaps Roma is now reaping the whirlwind of its success under Franco Sensi. He was a true romanista, and one could say he presided over the team with his heart more than with his head. After splashing out money to bring Fabio Capello, Gabriel Batistuta and Antonio Cassano to the team, the Sensi family finances have suffered. Rosella is not the romanista that her father was. Buying Julio Baptista off of Real Madrid’s bench is not the same thing as buying Gabriel Batistuta in his prime. But who can blame her? She needs to straighten out her family’s fortune.

But she does deserve the blame for allowing 2 deals to collapse on her watch. Especially as details have emerged about last-minute maneuvers to gouge more cash out of George Soros when a deal was in place, there are good reasons for the rank-and-file romanista to view Rosella as the key reason why the team is suffering. She wants to sell; she needs to sell; but she’s prepared to hold out and conduct cut-throat negotiations while the team languishes on the side.

Sadly, the financial woes of the ownership threaten to strike at the very heart of the club. Roma is one of the few teams left in football where many of the team’s best players are prepared to put loyalty and love over lavish paychecks. Who can forget Totti’s declaration that one scudetto with Roma is worth five anywhere else? And players like Mexes and Vucinic have spurned interest from richer clubs simply because they love playing in Rome. But now serious rumors emerge of selling some of the team’s prized jewels, including one of the team’s own youth-system prodigies Alberto Aquilani. It would be a shame if finances lead to a necessary fire-sale of players that represent the heart and soul of the club.

And so as Roma surveys the transfer market there are all the usual needs that scream out for attention – a penalty-box striker, depth at center-back, the need to groom an eventual heir to Totti in the attack. But finding solutions for these positions need to take a back seat to Roma’s biggest current need in the transfer market: finding a new owner.