​ROMFORD, ENGLAND – JANUARY 28: Crysensio Summerville of West Ham United wearing the new spring training collection at Rush Green on January 28, 2026 in Romford, England. (Photo by West Ham United FC/West Ham United FC via Getty Images) For about 24 hours, it looked as though Roma had done it. After weeks of negotiations, multiple reports indicated that the Giallorossi had finally reached an agreement in principle with West Ham for Crysencio Summerville, while the Dutch international had already agreed to personal terms on a move to the capital. It appeared Tony D’Amico had identified Gian Piero Gasperini’s dream winger (ignore Mason Greenwood) and, after steadily increasing Roma’s offer, had finally found common ground with the Hammers.Then came the siren song of Saudi Arabia. Within hours, Al Hilal reportedly put together an €80 million package for West Ham while simultaneously offering Summerville wages that Roma simply couldn’t dream of matching (nearly quadruple the Giallorossi’s offer). Suddenly, a transfer that looked all but complete was thrown into chaos, and the Dutchman is now widely expected to choose Saudi Arabia instead.If you feel like you’re experiencing déjà vu, you’re not wrong. We’ve all lived through this movie before. The most infamous example remains Malcom in the summer of 2018. For those of you who have tried to forget, Monchi had essentially completed the deal with Bordeaux, Roma fans were already celebrating, and even club officials believed the Brazilian winger was on his way to Trigoria. Then Barcelona swooped in at the eleventh hour. Bordeaux accepted the improved offer, Malcom boarded a different plane, and Roma were left scrambling for alternatives.But Malcom wasn’t an isolated incident. Only a year earlier, Roma spent virtually the entire summer pursuing Riyad Mahrez, submitting several bids to Leicester City before ultimately being priced out of the move as the Foxes refused to budge. Mahrez eventually landed at Manchester City a year later, while Roma settled for Patrik Schick after one of the longest transfer sagas of the Monchi era.Of all the almost-transfers, the Marcos Leonardo saga may have been the most frustrating. Roma spent virtually the entire summer of 2023 pursuing the Santos striker, with Tiago Pinto identifying him as José Mourinho’s priority attacking reinforcement. Leonardo wanted the move so badly that he reportedly skipped training and attempted to force Santos’ hand, but the Brazilian club refused to sell while fighting relegation. Roma waited, expecting to revive the deal in January, only for Benfica to swoop in with cash and complete the transfer instead. Eight months later, Benfica flipped Leonardo to Al Hilal for roughly €40 million. Even when Roma identifies elite talent and convinces the player quickly, financial realities often intervene before the deal reaches the finish line.To quote a former president: “Fool me once, shame on me. Fool me — you can’t g