Sabatini held a Press conference on Friday to announce the reasons behind the mutual termination of his Roma contract, and he appeared to accuse the Giallorossi of lacking ambition by allowing Juventus to activate Pjanic’s release clause and letting Lamela depart three years ago.
“Sometimes I was defined as cocky. I recently lost a player who’s now doing very well, he’s one of the reasons that I’ve left,” he said.
“I feel bad for this player, do some research and you’ll know who I mean. This incident was decisive and made me realise that I could no longer be the sporting director of Roma.
“It wasn’t easy to sell some players, especially Lamela. That deal killed me.
“I wanted to buy him to send a strong signal to all the other clubs, he wasn’t easy to buy, but we signed a magnificent player.
“Selling him was a huge pain, but this also applies to others. Suggestions for the mercato always came in, but I never listen. Perhaps only once in 20 years.
“Nainggolan requested a new contract and the club are considering it. They’re negotiating, but nothing has been confirmed yet.
“The players have to realise that we missed out on the Champions League, it’s at the detriment of everyone so different assessments must be made.
“The contracts will eventually be reviewed by Baldissoni, but they’re not our priority. Now we need focus on the pitch, we want to do important things.
“Back to me, I left Roma because they changed some footballing rules. I want to play my football, but I found it hard to adapt myself to the new criteria.
“The President, with his associates, rightly point out other statistical points, while I live by instinct and imagination.
“The numbers can help, but sometimes they betray you. I believe in what I see when I notice a footballer.
“I don’t want to fight for different ideas. I’ve always had my idea of football and I don’t intend to change. At the moment, the club are working on something else.
“Sometimes I wake up during the night and think that some of the players you can sign, sometimes you sign them accidentally. And I think about poor Piris, who honestly wasn’t Roma quality.
“I don’t understand why the fans can’t become attached to Perotti, Salah or Dzeko, despite their criticism.
“Many players are strong, so perhaps [the fans] will grow exceedingly fond of Bruno Peres. I care about my players, I don’t see why the fans can’t.”