Castro ready for action: Argentine forward to feature in Cardiff friendly

Roma are monitoring Portuguese winger Carlos Forbs, currently at Club Brugge, as sporting director Tony D'Amico looks to add another wide option to the squad. According to the specialist portal TransferFeed, Roma sent scouts to San Siro to watch Brugge's match against Inter. The club are looking to strengthen Gian Piero Gasperini's squad after a strong start to the season, with the aim of extending the rotations into the final part of the campaign. Forbs, born in 2002, is not the only club interested. Several Premier League sides are also tracking the player, including Tottenham and Manchester United. In August, Brugge reportedly valued Forbs at around €30 million, a figure that is not expected to differ greatly from their current asking price.

Roma are reportedly monitoring Brugge winger Carlos Forbs as sporting director D'Amico works on January reinforcements to strengthen areas of the squad that are currently thin. The aim, according to the report, is to identify players who suit the style of head coach Gasperini, with Roma wanting to keep their challenge alive after a strong start to the league season. Forbs, a 22-year-old attacking winger who plays for both Portugal and Guinea, is under contract at Brugge until 2029. Citing the portal Transferfeed, the report says Roma have already sent scouts to San Siro for the match against Inter, and the player has been watched on several occasions. Competition is strong, however, with Tottenham and Manchester United also interested. Spanish and German clubs tried to sign him over the summer, and the name of Fiorentina has also been linked with him. The asking price is a significant hurdle. In August 2026, Club Brugge were reportedly demanding around 30 million euros for the player.

Jorge Mendes is working to arrange the departure of his client Alejandro Balde from Barcelona, who is not playing as much as he would like, and has offered the left-back to Roma in recent days. The Giallorossi were keen on the player in the summer and did not reject the suggestion, Il Messaggero reports, via AllFootball. Roma are missing a left-footed specialist, but their wing-backs have been solid so far. Emanuele Lulli has been an early revelation and recently extended his contract until 2031. Balde has featured just three times this campaign. Juventus are also close to Mendes and tracked Balde in the past, but Barcelona placed a €40/50M price tag on him and the Bianconeri did not proceed. That price could be significantly lower a few months later, but Balde is under contract until 2029, so the Catalans still hold plenty of leverage. The negotiation could be eased by including Andrea Cambiaso in the deal. He is far from untouchable for Juventus, but they still value him highly, at about €30M. Juventus would rather part ways with Juan Cabal, but would pull the trigger on Cambiaso's sale for a worthy offer. January often presents this kind of opportunity, but Balde's price tag is out of reach for Italian sides unless the parties get creative. Roma can comfortably stay as they are on the flanks. Their move would be to part ways with Devyne Rensch and bring in a left-footer. Juventus have struggled to find destinations Cambiaso might like after Manchester City approached him in the past, and Barcelona would offer an excellent escape route.

Roman radio pundits were largely focused on Roma after the win over Cagliari, with the debate centring on Mancini's performance, Mora's goal and the fitness of Paulo Dybala. David Rossi of Rete Sport said: “Maybe it was the worst match Mancini has played since he’s been here at Roma. Honestly, after that first half I didn’t think he could come back out, and yet he did.” He added: “In a normal world, you had to take Mancini off after 20 minutes. He wasn’t presentable.” Gianluca Piacentini said Mora's goal had silenced his serial critics, and praised Gasperini for stressing that the points Roma have taken this season, the same number as last season, carry greater weight because they came against Como, Inter, Napoli and Atalanta. Mario Corsi of Tele Radio Stereo defended Mancini against the whistles he received, saying: “Mancini plays as a striker on Gasperini’s orders. You can’t go back and forth at two hundred an hour; you lose something along the way.” On the Roma-Cagliari match, Corsi described it as a lacklustre game, adding that the young players had turned it around. Piero Torri of Manà Manà Sport praised Gollini, who made three important saves, and said he was playing with a concentration he had never shown before, having been given a great opportunity by Svilar’s misfortune. Roberto Pruzzo of Radio Radio said: “Mora? If Gasperini had another substitute, he’d have taken him off after a quarter of an hour. That was my impression.” He also said he was pleased that Pisilli and Lulli had partly sorted out the match, and said: “If you have to compare yourself to the Roma market, my friend… I had backed Castro, but if Mina has you in his pocket for 80 minutes, you need changing.” He added that Molina struggles to play in Italian football, and that De Roon was static in midfield. Nando Orsi of Radio Radio said: “I thought Roma never would lose this one.” Mario Mattioli of Radio Radio said Roma had suffered before taking full points. Daniele Lo Monaco of Radio Romanista said Roma are unbeaten with six wins and three draws, and argued that Lazio’s eight wins from nine carry a different weight. He said: “I don’t see the Leicester effect in any way. If Lazio finish in the top three, I’ll become a priest.” Mario Corsi said Lazio do not have a team fit for the top places, and Torri noted that Lazio have taken 25 points from 27, with fixtures against Roma, Napoli, Inter, Como, Atalanta, Fiorentina and Torino still to come. The focus then turned to the coming fixtures. Alessio Nardo said the Dybala situation was thorny: he had seemed set to return against Cagliari, but now risked missing the next three matches. He said: “I expect a very, very difficult match against Udinese, and it will take a great Roma to win it.” Lorenzo Pes said Dybala had returned to training on Sunday but would miss Saturday’s game against Udinese, adding: “I think he doesn’t want to miss Manchester-Roma at Old Trafford.” Checco Oddo Casano said the doubt for Saturday against Udinese would be between Mora and De Roon, and said the club’s hopes in attack now depend on Soulé.

Roma's unbeaten run has reached 16 matches following their win over Cagliari, a streak that began after the 5-0 defeat by Inter. Coach Gasperini has equalled Garcia's mark and now has his sights set on the club's historic records. Ahead of the other stories in the round-up, former striker Marco Borriello, speaking to La Gazzetta dello Sport, offered a measured view of Donyell Malen, who has scored 10 goals this season. He said: "He has quality, Gasperini brings it out of him, but Serie A today has more mediocrity than in my time. If you put him in a big Spanish or English club, he sits on the bench." Borriello was far warmer about Daniele De Rossi, saying: "He is a predestined one. He is proving to be a competent and intelligent coach, the 'Smart One'. If I were the president of Genoa, I would hold on to him tightly." The unbeaten run is now 16 matches, and Gasperini has matched Garcia's figure. Roma's historic benchmarks lie ahead, with runs of 19, 20, 24 and 25 matches all above them. The most significant mark is the 30 consecutive unbeaten league results set by Liedholm, a record that has stood since the 1980-81 season. In the player ratings, Lulli was named the best player on the pitch unanimously by the newspapers, with a 7.50. Mora followed on 7.25, a standout performance after coming off the bench. Gollini (7.08) and Malen (6.92) also earned praise, while Ghilardi and Soulé (both 6.75) received positive reviews. At the bottom, Mancini was rated 5.08, clearly the worst, followed by Rensch (5.58) and Castro (5.75).

Roma's performance against Cagliari drew sharp verdicts from Rome's radio pundits, with several praising goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini and questioning the side's fitness and depth. Francesco Balzani of Teleradiostereo 92.7 said: "It was the worst Roma of the season and still they closed the match with 4 goals scored. The reasons are many, but there were many tired players. Roma have taken the step mentally; now they have to fill the technical one. If we talk about the very highest levels, Roma still lack something, but Gasperini says that too." He added that Roma need the January transfer market, pointing to Ghilardi and Mora as players who will find far more space. On Mancini, Balzani said he should have been taken off earlier because he was struggling physically. On Mora, he said he had been surprised not to see him start and that he had not got off to a good start again on the day. Balzani said of Mora: "This young man must be waited for." Roberto Pruzzo of Radio Radio Mattino 104.5 said: "If Gasp had had another substitution, he would have taken Mora off. But I am happy that two youth-team players solved the problems. I am an admirer of Castro, but Mina put him in his pocket yesterday. He has to make a mental switch, Molina struggles in Italian football. I have big doubts about the giallorossi market." Nando Orsi, also of Radio Radio Mattino 104.5, said: "Roma did not struggle against Cagliari. I had the feeling that Roma could never lose the match. Gollini saved the team, I am happy for him. The giallorossi were far too superior to Cagliari." Piero Torri of Radio Manà Manà Sport 90.9 gave Gollini special praise, saying Cagliari had scored two goals and Gollini made three important saves, and that he was playing with a concentration he had never had before, aware of the great chance created by Svilar's misfortune. Torri said: "He can show that he is a goalkeeper, and I think this can guarantee him a future at Roma, obviously as the twelfth man." Torri also turned to Lazio, who have 25 points from 27, which he called "a lot of stuff." He noted that they still have to play Roma, Napoli, Inter, Como, Atalanta, Fiorentina and Torino, making the run to the end of the first half of the season much harder, though they arrive with unexpected enthusiasm and a table position. Lorenzo Pes of Tele Radio Stereo 92.7 turned to Paulo Dybala. He said Dybala returned to training on Sunday but will miss Saturday's match, a week later, calling it "something that jars." Dybala was due to train at Trigoria that day despite it being a rest day, and Pes said he believed Dybala would not want to miss Manchester-Roma at Old Trafford. Pes added: "With Dybala it is impossible to make tables: everything depends on his feelings."

Former Roma sporting director Walter Sabatini has said Roma deserve to be among the title contenders and will fight for the Scudetto until the final match. Speaking to Tuttomercatoweb, Sabatini praised Gian Piero Gasperini's side, which remains in the race just behind Lazio and Inter, after their comeback against Cagliari. Sabatini said: "E lo è meritatamente, sta giocando un calcio entusiasmante, è una squadra molto determinata, solida, monolite. Difficile giocarci contro e difficile soprattutto batterla. Merita quello che ha e credo che il cammino sarà coerente con quello che sta facendo adesso e combatterà certamente fino all'ultima partita per lo scudetto." He described the team as exciting to watch, determined, solid and difficult to play against, and hard to beat. Asked how much Roma's chances depend on the fitness of Paulo Dybala, Sabatini said the availability of injured players in general would be decisive, not only Dybala. He singled out the absence of Manu Koné as the most serious loss for Roma at the moment, describing him as a midfielder who alone determines the composure and completeness of a unit. Sabatini also noted that injuries are affecting many teams, with a worrying wave of muscular problems, though he stressed that this applies to all clubs. Sabatini's comments highlight the balance Roma must find in the league run-in: a side praised for its quality and cohesion, but one that will need its key players back to keep pace at the top of Serie A.

Roman radio pundits were largely focused on Roma after the win over Cagliari, with the debate centring on Mancini's performance, Mora's goal and the fitness of Paulo Dybala. David Rossi of Rete Sport said: “Maybe it was the worst match Mancini has played since he’s been here at Roma. Honestly, after that first half I didn’t think he could come back out, and yet he did.” He added: “In a normal world, you had to take Mancini off after 20 minutes. He wasn’t presentable.” Gianluca Piacentini said Mora's goal had silenced his serial critics, and praised Gasperini for stressing that the points Roma have taken this season, the same number as last season, carry greater weight because they came against Como, Inter, Napoli and Atalanta. Mario Corsi of Tele Radio Stereo defended Mancini against the whistles he received, saying: “Mancini plays as a striker on Gasperini’s orders. You can’t go back and forth at two hundred an hour; you lose something along the way.” On the Roma-Cagliari match, Corsi described it as a lacklustre game, adding that the young players had turned it around. Piero Torri of Manà Manà Sport praised Gollini, who made three important saves, and said he was playing with a concentration he had never shown before, having been given a great opportunity by Svilar’s misfortune. Roberto Pruzzo of Radio Radio said: “Mora? If Gasperini had another substitute, he’d have taken him off after a quarter of an hour. That was my impression.” He also said he was pleased that Pisilli and Lulli had partly sorted out the match, and said: “If you have to compare yourself to the Roma market, my friend… I had backed Castro, but if Mina has you in his pocket for 80 minutes, you need changing.” He added that Molina struggles to play in Italian football, and that De Roon was static in midfield. Nando Orsi of Radio Radio said: “I thought Roma never would lose this one.” Mario Mattioli of Radio Radio said Roma had suffered before taking full points. Daniele Lo Monaco of Radio Romanista said Roma are unbeaten with six wins and three draws, and argued that Lazio’s eight wins from nine carry a different weight. He said: “I don’t see the Leicester effect in any way. If Lazio finish in the top three, I’ll become a priest.” Mario Corsi said Lazio do not have a team fit for the top places, and Torri noted that Lazio have taken 25 points from 27, with fixtures against Roma, Napoli, Inter, Como, Atalanta, Fiorentina and Torino still to come. The focus then turned to the coming fixtures. Alessio Nardo said the Dybala situation was thorny: he had seemed set to return against Cagliari, but now risked missing the next three matches. He said: “I expect a very, very difficult match against Udinese, and it will take a great Roma to win it.” Lorenzo Pes said Dybala had returned to training on Sunday but would miss Saturday’s game against Udinese, adding: “I think he doesn’t want to miss Manchester-Roma at Old Trafford.” Checco Oddo Casano said the doubt for Saturday against Udinese would be between Mora and De Roon, and said the club’s hopes in attack now depend on Soulé.

Manu Koné is the player Roma cannot do without, according to the article, ahead of even Mile Svilar and Paulo Dybala. The French midfielder is described as Gasperini's man of balance, an element who seems impossible to replace. The numbers back this up: with Koné on the pitch, Roma have conceded 4 goals in 7 matches; without him, they have conceded 9 in just 5. His withdrawal against Real Madrid, with a mask on his face and pain visible in his eyes, had already set off alarm bells. From that moment, Roma's defensive phase appeared to lose its certainties. The article argues that Koné is not a player of spectacular moments but of balance, which allows others to shine. In Gasperini's side, Roma take considerable risks when attacking: the full-backs push forward, the attacking midfielders move close to Malen, and the team pushes up to win the ball back immediately. When the press is beaten or opponents counter, Koné steps in. His contribution, the article says, is measured not only by tackles won but by the dangerous moves that never develop. According to StatsNext, he averages 5.3 balls recovered, 1.75 tackles and around 0.9 interceptions per 90 minutes. Team data is also highlighted: with him on the pitch Roma conceded 0.57 goals per match, against 1.8 without him. The article acknowledges that this figure alone does not prove a direct link between his absence and the defensive difficulties, but says it merits attention. Against Cagliari the difference was evident, the article states. Pisacane's side passed through with ease, transitions flowed, and Roma left gaps. De Roon was struggling and Cristante was not at his best. The midfield needed a Manu, the player Roma have held on to for years and whom Gasperini never wants to lose. The article concludes that the data supports this view, though it was evident even without the numbers. The immediate goal is to have Koné back for the match against Sassuolo. Gasperini is waiting for him, and so is Roma.

Artem Dovbyk's loan at Bologna could be cut short as early as January, with the Ukrainian forward continuing to struggle for playing time and full fitness. After Bologna's win at Cagliari, coach Raffaele Palladino sent a clear message to the striker: "Artem must push harder in training, because by doing so he too will have his chance." The words reflect a difficult moment for Dovbyk, who has scored just one goal and has yet to start a Serie A match. He has also been hampered by trouble regaining his condition after a long lay-off for an injury in January. The latest match seemed to offer an opening: with Piccoli unavailable and Enem dealing with a tendon problem, Palladino chose Odgaard as the centre-forward, leaving Dovbyk on the bench for the full ninety minutes. "Odgaard played because he has gone well in training and he has deserved it. Dovbyk has to give me more," the coach reiterated. Bologna signed Dovbyk on loan from Roma with a buy-back option set at €15 million, but it currently looks difficult for the club to exercise it. According to the Gazzetta dello Sport, Bologna intend to wait until January to assess any developments. An early termination of the loan is not ruled out, with Dovbyk potentially returning temporarily to Rome before seeking a new club. That scenario remains hypothetical and would require agreement between the parties. The situation would be a dramatic turn, given the expectations with which the Ukrainian began his new adventure. Last summer Dovbyk said he wanted to rediscover the joy of playing at Bologna after the difficulties he had experienced in the capital. So far, however, his revival has not arrived, and the competition appears to have once again pushed him to the margins. Palladino is waiting for a response on the pitch, while Roma are following a situation that could reopen a transfer file considered closed.

Bologna coach Palladino has delivered a pointed message to Artem Dovbyk, saying the Ukrainian striker must push harder in training if he wants to play. Asked why Odgaard, a trequartista, was started ahead of Dovbyk, Palladino said: "Deve spingere di più in allenamento e a quel punto avrà anche lui la sua occasione…" ("He has to push harder in training, and at that point he too will get his chance…"). Dovbyk, on loan at Bologna from Roma, has now been on the bench for six consecutive matches, including against Cagliari. The run is a serious setback after his goal against Sassuolo, which seemed to mark a turning point in his fortunes. Bologna's hopes of making the loan permanent look even harder to justify now. They hold the right to buy Dovbyk for around €20 million until the end of the season. For Roma, the situation leaves the striker's future uncertain. The club sent Dovbyk out on loan, and his lack of game time at Bologna means his return to Trigoria becomes more likely to be discussed as the season develops.

Roma's pundits on Rome's radio stations were largely positive about the club's recent results, but they were divided over Mora and the January market. Roberto Pruzzo, speaking on Radio Radio, said: 'Mora is absolutely not ready for this stage, and Roma must sign Lookman. Do a six-month loan.' He also said Castro does not play when Malen is fit and that Mora did not take advantage of his chance, adding that a striker is needed in January. Mario Corsi of Tele Radio Stereo was more worried: 'I said Mora had to play to get used to his teammates, but there is a Mora problem. Do you remember Bojan Krkic? I would not want him to suffer the same fate.' Corsi said Mora was an embarrassment in front of goal, had shot at a photographer and had got everything wrong on Sunday, including his passing. The debate followed a run of matches after the heavy defeat to Real Madrid. Mario Mattioli of Radio Radio said Roma were fortunate to face Genoa and Slovan Bratislava afterwards, as they could restore their mental focus, and that Roma had taken full advantage. He described Slovan as a side who do not belong in the Champions League, suggesting they were better suited to the Europa League or Conference League. Fabio Petruzzi of Rete Sport argued that Roma make their opponents look weak: 'Genoa were weak, Slovan are weak, they are all weak... even Real Madrid were weak until ten minutes from the end. I would start saying Roma are strong.' Alessio Nardo of Tele Radio Stereo said he could hardly recall a smaller side worse than Slovan Bratislava, adding that they could not keep the ball for more than three seconds. David Rossi of Rete Sport praised the defence under Gian Piero Gasperini: 'What impresses me is that the defenders have improved most with Gasperini. Ghilardi started two matches, against Lecce and against Slovan, and I remember him more for what he does in attack than in defence. Ghilardi is a starter now. Hermoso, we did not know who to pin it on, and now he is a leader. Balerdi arrived while Marseille fans were celebrating, and here he is dominant. N'Dicka has improved a lot... Roma have a back line that I believe is the strongest in Italy.' Gianluca Piacentini of Rete Sport noted that Roma had rotated five starters in defence over the last two matches while conceding no goals. He said the comparison between Malen and Castro and Ferguson and Dovbyk was harsh. Pes argued that Gasperini had not overused Pellegrini, who had started two matches, and said Pellegrini was prone to injury, which he had always been. Pellegrini is now 30, Pes said, and the problems are getting worse. Checco Oddo Casano said Roma should consider the futures of Dybala and Pellegrini in June, after seeing how many matches they had played. The radio hosts agreed that a striker is needed, and Pruzzo said he would name the player to be signed in January. Piero Torri of Manà Manà Sport said he was supporting Manchester United against Como that evening, because a defeat for the English side would leave Roma with a final chance. He also said Roma had regrets about Fenerbahce and Real Madrid, where a result was possible, and warned that Roma could arrive at the third-last match ranked behind others in the table.