After suspension at Royal Antwerp: SPAL confirms Nainggolan transfer

Reunion with De Rossi

Radja Nainggolan, who was suspended at Royal Antwerp, is moving to the Italian second division club SPAL. The club initially did not give any details about the contract period, according to reports, the Belgian initially signed a contract until the end of the season, but the working paper contains the clause of an automatic extension if the club still succeeds in promotion to Serie A.

The journalist had the latter Gianluca Di Marzio reported last week. The 34-year-old midfielder confirmed his willingness to change last week in an interview with the radio station “Kiss Kiss”: “If De Rossi needs me, I can help him. SPAL is not the only team that wants me, but I’m looking for an interesting project. Daniele is in his first year as a coach and I’m ready to help him,” said Nainggolan, referring to a joint collaboration with his former team-mate at AS Roma, Daniele De Rossi, who has been on the sidelines at SPAL since the summer.

According to Italian media reports, Cagliari, Salernitana and Hellas Verona were also among the clubs interested in signing the midfielder. However, SPAL has increased its salary offer again from 200,000 to 300,000 euros – plus bonuses linked to certain sporting parameters. Nainggolan’s Antwerp club, where the contract for the once €45 million legal footer runs until the summer of 2023, had already released the player in November.

This was preceded by several incidents in which the veteran made headlines off the pitch. According to consistent media reports, the native of Antwerp was briefly taken into custody by the police after they caught him driving without a license. He is said to have previously lost the latter due to driving under the influence of alcohol. From the club’s point of view, the last straw was the fact that Nainggolan smoked an e-cigarette on the bench in the autumn before the 3-0 defeat at Standard Liège.

#ForzaSPAL #ALLASPAL pic.twitter.com/UjJszigTao

— SPAL (@spalferrara) January 30, 2023

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