Aston Villa Eyes Roma Winger Soulé After Securing Malen

Roma have reached an agreement in principle with Malick Fofana's representatives at the Roc Nation agency, according to a report from Hugo Guillemet of L'Équipe. The deal covers the player and his entourage, but Roma and Olympique Lyon have yet to settle on a fee. Lyon face pressure to raise funds through at least one more significant sale before the transfer window closes, and Fofana remains among the squad members who could depart if a substantial offer arrives. L'Équipe values Fofana at around €40 million, a figure Roma are currently unwilling to pay. The standoff is expected to intensify in the final days of the market. The timing may also be influenced by Roma's Champions League qualifying replay against Fenerbahçe, scheduled for Wednesday evening, which could affect the club's resources and priorities as the window nears its end.

Roma continue their transfer business following the arrival of Oosterwolde, with head coach Gasperini awaiting a new attacking winger before the market closes. The club will make another attempt to sign Chelsea's Gittens on a loan deal with a right of redemption, though the Blues have not yet accepted the proposal. With the final week of the transfer window approaching, Roma remain hopeful of a breakthrough. Parallel to the Gittens pursuit, Roma have held a long-standing agreement with Lyon's Fofana, but progress depends on circumstances beyond their control. Roma's sporting director D'Amico must wait for Lyon's Champions League preliminary round tie scheduled for tomorrow evening. Should Lyon be eliminated, the French side may lower their demands and allow the player to depart. Roma's next obstacle comes in that Champions fixture: a match against Fenerbahçe, managed by Greenwood. The first leg ended 1–1, with Greenwood scoring the English side's goal.

Paulo Fonseca, manager of Olympique Lyonnais, has publicly backed Malick Fofana to stay at the club despite Roma's interest in signing the Belgian winger to strengthen their attack. Speaking at a press conference ahead of Lyon's Champions League playoff return against Fenerbahçe, Fonseca addressed Fofana's fitness after recent injury problems and his prospects at the club. "Now he is well, physically and mentally," Fonseca said of the 2005-born winger. "I think he is a player who will continue with us. He is very motivated to continue with us." The Lyon boss made clear the club has already fielded offers for Fofana and rejected them. "We are not worried about selling Malick. We have offers. If other clubs want him, they will have to pay well. The club refused offers because it believes in this player," Fonseca stated, raising the financial bar around the winger precisely as Roma continues to evaluate his profile to complete their attacking options for the 2026–27 season.

Donyell Malen scored a hat-trick on his first competitive outing of the season as Roma demolished Fiorentina 4–0 in their Serie A opener today. Paulo Dybala provided three assists for the Dutch forward in the emphatic display. The feat marked the first hat-trick on Serie A's opening day in a decade. The previous player to achieve the same milestone was Carlos Bacca, who scored three goals for Milan in a 3–2 win over Torino on 21 August 2016.

Gian Piero Gasperini deployed three different formations during Roma's match against Fiorentina, avoiding the 3-4-2-1 system that defined last season but never abandoning the aggressive one-on-one pressing and intensity that characterise his approach. The tactical adjustments were made to nullify Fiorentina's threats rather than to compensate for transfer market gaps or absences. Gasperini's willingness to shift shape underscores a deeper principle: Roma's behaviour remains unchanged regardless of formation. The side consistently attacks, with N'Dicka operating as a target on the attacking third and Mancini and Hermoso—later replaced by Koulierakis—covering the flanks. Fiorentina manager Grosso began in a 4-3-2-1 before moving to 4-2-4 when Roma went two goals clear. With Kean deployed alongside Pellegrino, Gasperini matched the adjustment with an identical system. The lineup featured Svilar in goal, Lulli, Mancini, N'Dicka and Hermoso across the back, Cristante and Koné in midfield, and Soulé, Dybala, Malen and Wesley in attack. Soulé had replaced Mora at 2-0. When Grosso shifted to 4-3-3 late on, Gasperini responded by introducing El Aynaoui and Pisilli for Koné and Dybala, switching to a 3-5-1-1. This brought Mancini, N'Dicka and Koulierakis across the back, a five-man midfield of Lulli, Pisilli, Cristante, El Aynaoui and Wesley, with Soulé supporting Castro in attack. Roma scored a fourth goal. Gasperini's track record with such adjustments is long and proven, but the club now needs a right-footed winger capable of providing thrust on the break and winning one-on-one duels. The manager will learn soon whether Chelsea is willing to negotiate for Gittens, and after Lyon play Fenerbahce tomorrow evening, whether an agreement with Fofana can be finalised.

Roma's opening Serie A victory drew a full Stadio Olimpico and inspired the week's match ratings. Donyell Malen emerged as the standout performer, his finishing so prolific that the rater suggested he deserved to take the entire goal frame home with the ball. Rodrigo Mora's competitive debut under Gasperini from the start caught observers off guard; rather than showing nerves, he impressed with his footwork, particularly his right foot. Bryan Cristante delivered a measured, geometric display in midfield, structuring Roma's passing lanes with steady control. Mario Hermoso held his defensive line and regularly blocked Fiorentina's Mastantuono on the wing, occasionally venturing forward in search of space. Fiorentina, managed by Grosso, fielded what the rater described as a laboratory of new signings still seeking cohesion. The visiting side capitulated to Roma from the opening phases without establishing any meaningful attacking principle, despite assembling a squad with considerable investment. Naples, overseen by Allegri, struggled at Genoa; the rater noted that beyond the result itself, the team faced real difficulty and courted dangerous moments that could have proved costly had Roma's attack been more clinical, suggesting the visiting midfield lacked fluidity. Two moments drew specific criticism. De Bruyne's incident at Genoa—described as an elbow strike between the shoulder blades of Vásquez—was framed by the rater as technically a shoulder charge, raising questions about the officiating standard. Separately, pundit Fabio Capello faced scrutiny for suggesting that Gasperini owes everything to Malen for finishing third in the previous campaign, with observers questioning whether Capello applied the same logic to his own trophy wins with Batistuta and Montella. Alexandro Vescini, a DAZN journalist, drew harsh online criticism after stumbling over his words while not realizing he remained on air. The rater noted that many of those attacking him struggled with basic grammar themselves, highlighting a broader problem with online discourse.