Fabrizio Romano, a Man Utd-linked wonderkid and an emerging transfer mystery

Martin Macdonald

29 Feb 2024 05:46 CST
4 min read

Transfer supremo Fabrizio Romano has been mentioned as a key player in an emerging transfer mystery in Denmark.

FC Copenhagen youngster Roony Bardghji has been hailed as one of the hottest teenage talents in Europe and made a significant breakthrough when he scored against Manchester United in the Champions League group stages earlier this season.

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The 18-year-old Swede, however, has not been spotted in the Copenhagen first team since the turn of the year.

It is known that Bardghji’s current Copenhagen contract is expiring in 2025 and there has been no confirmation about a new deal to this point.

Clubs like Manchester United and Barcelona have previously been mentioned as possible destinations for the Kuwait City-born talent but those links have until now come to nothing.

Fans were singing the player’s name during Monday night’s game against Nordsjalland, but the team’s top scorer in the first half of the season again failed to get off the bench.

“Roony is a fantastic player, but regardless of who I play with, I do it based on the team that I think is the best on the day,” coach Jacob Neestrup said afterwards.

“And it doesn't matter what your name is. But I can understand that when you look at our top scorer in the Super League, and he has had zero minutes in the first three games [in 2024], I can understand the question.”

Shocking Fabrizio Romano exposé in Denmark

Earlier this week Romano revealed to his extensive following that Copenhagen were keeping their star out of the first-team picture in the midst of a contract standoff. The Italian journalist’s report was categorically refuted by Copenhagen.

This was followed up in Danish media with a shocking exposé around Romano and his transfer team.

Tipsbladet editor Troels Bager Thogersen levied the accusation against Romano and his team that they have attempted to cut deals with football clubs, in which clubs pay for a mention on Romano’s socials.

And, more significantly, he said the Bardghji story bore all the hallmarks of having been placed there by the player’s agents.

“I know that Fabrizio Romano is hailed like a god on social media. I just have to say that very often he gets his information from player agents and turns out to be the mouthpiece of their agenda,” the journalist said.

“For this specific case it very much looks like the entourage of the player wants to send out a message to put pressure on FC Copenhagen.”

🇸🇪 Roony Bardghji, strange case for one of best talents in Europe. From being top scorer with 10 goals for Copenhagen to… zero minutes in first games of 2024.

Reason is that Bardghji has no intention to sign new long term deal — from the summer, he will only have 18 months… pic.twitter.com/Ywed0GVJch
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) February 28, 2024

Romano, 31, has become the best-known football journalist in the world, amassing 27 million followers on Instagram, 20 million on X, formerly Twitter, and two million on YouTube.

His “Here We Go!” catchphrase has become ubiquitous among football fans, which Romano posts on X whenever a transfer that has previously been reported nears completion.

“This can’t be seen as journalism,” Troels Bager Thogersen continued. “It is a business where clubs and agents will need to pay for the publicity, and that can never be labelled as journalism.

“And I think that should be the lesson here. What might look like journalism are instead driven by pure commercial interests.”

The Danish publication approached Romano for an interview, which has so far been declined.