Angeliño departs Roma and returns to Deportivo La Coruña

Sending young players out on loan is often meant to build experience, but the tactic frequently backfires. Three recent cases illustrate the gamble: Bologna's Antonio Raimondo, Roma's Alessandro Romano, and Atalanta's Dominic Vavassori have all thrived in loan moves, raising questions about whether their parent clubs made the right call letting them go. Raimondo has scored two double goals in Bologna's opening four matches this season after manager Tedesco chose to start the season with Artem Dovbyk, fresh from a difficult spell at Roma, and Roberto Piccoli. Roma took a bolder step by loaning Alessandro Romano to Cagliari with an obligation to buy during the summer transfer window. Romano scored on his debut, has been among Cagliari's best performers consistently, and earned a senior international cap—a remarkable return for a prospect Roma developed in their youth academy. Roma's midfield includes Cristante, Koné, Pisilli and De Roon, all established operators with strong pedigree. Their presence justified sending Romano out, yet one observer, Pisacane, remarked that Romano was "very similar to Strootman," suggesting his value may have been underestimated. Vavassori, with Atalanta, has an equally striking early record. Though Sarri declined to change his forward pairing of Scamacca and Krstovic—the combination that earned Atalanta European qualification last year—Vavassori has netted twice in the opening stretch of this season with Palermo, a club positioned to mount a promotion bid. Baldini recognised Vavassori's potential after calling him to a national team stage following the World Cup campaign, and Atalanta acknowledged his promise by granting him significant minutes in their U23 side. Not every loan fails: Milan showed sound judgment loaning Cissè and Liberali to Catanzaro last season under Aquilani, and both have since been integrated into the first team. The article concludes that success depends on the squad, the player, and the context—there is no universal formula, though evaluation errors remain common.

Alessandro Romano, a Roma academy product sold to Cagliari this summer, is attracting significant attention after an impressive start to the season. Cagliari manager Fabio Pisacane has drawn a striking parallel with Kevin Strootman following the club's victory over Udinese, saying of the 20-year-old midfielder: "I think he doesn't even know how strong he is. He's a complete player — if I'm to make a comparison, he's a player like Strootman, with even greater physical impact." Pisacane added: "Perhaps Strootman had a more educated left foot, but Romano has game understanding, sacrifice, dedication, knows how to play football. He's a complete player. He needs to play a lot, even if he makes mistakes." The comparison resonates sharply in Rome because Strootman, before a serious knee injury derailed his trajectory, was one of the most accomplished and well-rounded midfielders to play for Roma in recent years. Romano has found at Cagliari what he would have struggled to obtain immediately at Roma under Gasperini: regular playing time, confidence, and the freedom to learn through mistakes. The academy prospect has progressed rapidly enough to earn his first senior national team call-up. The tension is that Romano did not leave on a simple loan: Cagliari acquired him with an obligation to buy for approximately €6 million upon the completion of unspecified sporting conditions. If those conditions are met, he will be contracted to Cagliari until 2032. Roma's problem is both tactical and structural. Romano was regarded as one of the most promising prospects from the Giallorossi youth academy and had already sampled Serie A football under Gasperini. At only twenty, he is now demonstrating the ability to handle a significant role in the top flight, combining technical quality with a tactical maturity that impressed Pisacane: "He seems like a player much older than his age." The club does need revenue from its academy, and not every young player can find immediate space in a side chasing Champions League qualification and the Serie A summit. Yet when a Trigoria-developed player begins to establish himself elsewhere within months of departure, questions become unavoidable — especially when his daily coach invokes the name of Strootman.

Alessandro Romano, a Roma academy graduate who departed for Cagliari a few weeks ago, has impressed his new club sufficiently to earn a call-up to the Italy national team at the behest of coach Mancini. Cagliari manager Pisacane highlighted Romano's development after his side's victory over Udinese, drawing a comparison to a former Roma midfielder. Pisacane told Sky: "Romano? I don't think he even knows how strong he is himself. He's a complete player—if I have to give an example, he's a player like Strootman but with more physical impact. Perhaps Strootman had a more educated left foot, but he's a player who understands the game, has sacrifice, has dedication, knows how to play football. He's a complete player. He needs to play a lot, even if he makes mistakes: he surprised me—compared to Palestra, who made two or three mistakes at Udinese, he seems a player much more mature than his age would suggest."

Angeliño, loaned to Deportivo La Coruña this summer with a buy option, made his first start in a year in the sixth matchday of Liga between Deportivo and Seville on 17 September 2026. The move brought no luck. After sitting on the bench for the opening four rounds, Angeliño was fielded in the starting XI but lasted only until the 60th minute, when he was sent off for a hard challenge on Miguel Sierra. The referee initially showed yellow but upgraded it to red after consulting the VAR. The dismissal came at the worst moment for Deportivo, who were already trailing 0–1 following Sierra's goal in the 52nd minute. Seville held on to win 0–1, leaving Angeliño's long-awaited return to competitive action marked by a straight red card.

Roma players out on loan delivered mixed results across a busy weekend of football, with Alessandro Romano continuing to impress in Serie A while others made their debuts for their temporary clubs. Romano played all 90 minutes as Cagliari defeated Atalanta 2–1 at Bergamo, and created a chance for Mendy early in the second half that was ruled out for marginal offside. The 20-year-old also fired from distance in the 15th minute, forcing a corner from Carnesecchi. Under coach Pisacane, Romano has become an established starter and is at Cagliari on a loan with an obligation to buy should certain sporting conditions be met. Neil El Aynaoui experienced a contrasting week at RB Leipzig. The Moroccan midfielder played the full match in the Bundesliga club's 4–1 Champions League defeat away at Como on Thursday, then returned to the starting XI in Bundesliga action on Sunday, playing 74 minutes in a 5–0 victory over Hamburg without scoring or assisting. He remains on loan with a right of redemption. Robinio Vaz made his Premier League debut for Hull City, entering at the 82nd minute in place of McBurnie during an away fixture at Stamford Bridge against Chelsea. Hull secured a 2–2 draw, and Vaz, born in 2007, now has his first minutes in English football under his belt. He too is on loan with a right of redemption. Other Roma loanees had quieter weekends. Mattia Mannini made his Benevento debut off the bench, replacing Siatounis in the 74th minute of a 3–1 win against Hellas Verona—his first appearance after being unused at Ascoli. Filippo Reale played 90 minutes at left centre-back in Carrarese's 1–0 home defeat to Catanzaro, the goal coming from Iemmello in the 83rd minute. Radoslaw Zelezny started in goal for Perugia away at Ravenna but saw his side lose 3–0 after being reduced to ten men when Kabashi was sent off late in the first half. He had kept a clean sheet in a win against Pineto the previous week. Luigi Cherubini sat unused on Benevento's bench in their 3–1 success, a reversal of his playing status from Ascoli. Angeliño made a second consecutive unused substitute appearance for Deportivo La Coruña in a 1–1 draw at Getafe. Marash Kumbulla returned to the squad list for Rayo Vallecano but did not play in a 4–1 defeat at Real Madrid's Bernabeu. Jan Ziolkowski remained unavailable with a foot problem that had already kept him out the week prior; Monza lost 3–2 to Lecce without him. Artem Dovbyk was held out of Bologna's trip to Napoli after sustaining a minor groin issue in the 91st minute of a prior victory; Bologna lost 1–0 at the Maradona, with manager Tedesco calling the precaution sensible rather than a serious injury. Anass Salah-Eddine is nearing a loan move to Panathinaikos; Roma has agreed terms and the winger has arrived in Athens for medicals, though an official announcement had not yet been published at the time of writing.

Roma's loanees across Italy and Europe made an impact on the weekend. Artem Dovbyk was the standout performer, coming off the bench in the 66th minute for Bologna against Sassuolo and scoring the equaliser in the 91st minute to secure a 2–2 draw and the Rossoblu's first point of the season. The Ukrainian striker's decisive finish came in an Emilia derby on loan with a right of redemption clause. Elsewhere, young goalkeeper Radoslaw Zelezny put in a strong performance for Perugia in their 2–1 victory over Pineto, playing all 90 minutes as the side's first-choice keeper. The 2006-born Zelezny was blameless for the goal conceded and made several crucial saves, including a high-quality intervention in the first half and a decisive stop in the second. He is on loan at the Umbrian club with an option and counter-option attached. Midfield prospect Alessandro Romano again started for Cagliari in Serie A, remaining on the pitch for the full 90 minutes as the Sardinians won 1–0 away at Lecce thanks to a Daniel Maldini goal in the 29th minute. Romano's loan includes an obligation to buy if certain sporting conditions are met. Neil El Aynaoui made an immediate first-team debut for RB Leipzig, starting in the away fixture against Werder Brema and playing until the 75th minute. However, Leipzig suffered a 3–1 defeat. The Moroccan midfielder's move is on loan with a right of redemption. Filippo Reale, a 2006-born defender, played the full 90 minutes for Carrarese on the flank in their 1–0 home loss to Empoli, conceding in the 74th minute; he is on loan with an option and counter-option in Roma's favour. Luigi Cherubini started in attack for Benevento in the first half at Ascoli before being substituted at the interval; Benevento were reduced to ten men in the 41st minute by Prisco's red card and lost 1–0 to a Brunori penalty in the closing stages. Cherubini's loan includes a right of option and obligation to buy. Mattia Mannini received his first call-up after joining Benevento on loan but remained unused from the bench in the same Ascoli defeat. Angeliño was an unused substitute as Deportivo La Coruña won 3–2 away at Villarreal in La Liga. Robinio Vaz was included in a Premier League squad for the first time after a late-market transfer to Hull City but did not feature in a 0–0 draw with Aston Villa. Jan Ziółkowski was unavailable for Monza's away trip to Parma—which ended 1–1—due to a plantar fascia problem requiring monitoring. Marash Kumbulla likewise missed Rayo Vallecano's 3–2 victory over Racing Santander as he continues to deal with a knee issue.