Official: Pau Lopez Joins Marseille on Loan

As the guy who replaced the guy who couldn't replace Alisson Becker, not many Roma fans were sure what to expect when the club tabbed Pau Lopez as their latest keeper of the future in 2019. Signed from Real Betis for €23.5 million on July 10, 2019, Lopez faced enormous expectations, despite being a relatively unknown commodity. Given the price tag, his youth, and his athletic profile, Lopez was simultaneously expected to make us all forget about Olsen's failures while coming as close as humanly possible to recreating Alisson's heroics.

While Lopez's Roma career got off to a flying start—you'll remember his six-save effort against Lazio in the fall 2019 derby—it didn't take long for the sheen to wear off. Plagued by poor performances and a few crucial mistakes, Lopez struggled to match those initial performances as the ‘19-’20 season wore on.