Castro's early coach Cielinski recalls shift from defence to striker: 'He simply wanted to play'

Konstantinos Koulierakis has joined AS Roma and arrived in Wales on 2 August to link up with the squad after completing his move from Wolfsburg. The 22-year-old Greek defender made his first remarks as a Roma player in an interview with the club's YouTube channel, saying: "When my agent told me Roma was interested in me, I told him: 'Ok, let's go and do our best to become part of this great Club'." He added: "I was welcomed very well and I'm happy to be here. I had no doubt at all: my only thought was to come and sign." Koulierakis was warmly greeted by his new teammates and head coach Gian Piero Gasperini. The defender, born in 2003, acknowledged he has room for improvement but highlighted his strengths: "I'm young, I still need to improve in many aspects, but I will continue to do so. My strengths? My left foot, but also my mental strength: I never stop, I always give my best to try to win." He named Sergio Ramos as a childhood idol and drew comparisons with Aymeric Laporte, noting shared characteristics and their mutual left-footedness. Koulierakis revealed he had been in touch with Kostas Manolas during the summer, another Greek who played for Roma: "We spoke this summer and we also talked about Roma among other things. I had told him it would have been a great step for me to come here, but it was just a chat, now I've signed!" He expressed his excitement about the Olimpico atmosphere and Roma's supporters: "From what I've seen on TV, the atmosphere is incredible. I know how great Roma fans are, so I can't wait to play in front of them." Wolfsburg bade him farewell on social media with a message in Italian to Roma and the fans: "Treat him well. He will give you everything."

Roma have identified Givairo Read as their third summer signing to strengthen the flanks, with the Dutch winger from Volendam accepting a deal over alternative offers from Nottingham Forest. Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini held direct talks with Read to outline his tactical plans following Roma's defeat to Cardiff, which prompted the coach to request an acceleration in the transfer market. Read has agreed to join, with Wesley set to move permanently to the left wing, a position where he has thrived after playing on the opposite flank during his time in Brazil. Roma must now secure Feyenoord's consent. Negotiations between the clubs are ongoing and intensive. Roma's initial proposal of €25 million total was deemed insufficient by Feyenoord, who specified a requirement of approximately €30 million. Sporting director D'Amico has returned with a revised offer of €28 million overall. The club is working to reach an agreement by structuring the deal through a fixed fee, bonuses, and a percentage of future resale proceeds.

Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini is waiting for reinforcements and sent a barb at the club following Roma's 4–1 defeat in Cardiff. After signing Castro, Roma have targeted Norwegian winger Nusa and offered Leipzig €40 million plus bonuses, though the German club is asking for €60 million. The alternative remains Betis winger Ezzalzouli, for whom the 24-year-old Moroccan's club is asking €55 million. A new option is now Endrick, a Brazilian playmaker who could arrive on loan from Real Madrid with the Spanish club retaining a right of redemption, according to reports. Diego Moreira of Strasbourg remains under consideration. In defence, Roma are monitoring Fiorentina's Dodo, Sporting's Fresneda, and Feyenoord's Read. For the last-named, Roma have offered €25 million. Elsewhere, discussions continue over the renewal of Lorenzo Pellegrini's contract.

Gian Piero Gasperini has clarified Roma's attacking strategy, stating that Santiago Castro and Donyell Malen will alternate as the club's central striker throughout the season rather than feature together regularly. Both are pure strikers, and the manager will deploy only one at a time in Roma's established 4-2-3-1 formation, with two playmakers operating behind the lone forward. A rare pairing will be reserved for emergencies or closing stages of matches when chasing a result. This approach was already visible in a friendly against Cardiff City, where Castro started and Malen appeared from the bench. Roma's €35 million investment plus bonuses in Argentine forward Castro stems from the need to manage player workload across a demanding season featuring European competition. Last season, Malen featured heavily in the second half of the campaign and risked arriving fatigued. Castro's quality and prospect as a young talent provide Gasperini with greater depth without compromising standards. The two attackers possess complementary but distinct characteristics: Malen thrives on attacking space and exploiting pace, while Castro prefers dropping deep to link play and create connection with teammates. This stylistic difference makes regular partnership difficult, echoing a similar arrangement Gasperini employed at Atalanta with Zapata and Muriel.

Konstantinos Koulierakis joined Roma's pre-season training camp in Wales on 2 August, a day after his signing was officially announced. The defender arrived at the Vale Resort to meet Gian Piero Gasperini and his teammates, including Bryan Cristante, Gianluca Mancini, Paulo Dybala, and Donyell Malen. The moment was captured on camera as Koulierakis embraced the head coach and squad members. Some Roma supporters at the resort approached the new arrival to request photographs and autographs. Gasperini now has an additional defender available as Roma continues its pre-season preparations. The timing of Koulierakis's arrival reflects the club's push to strengthen the backline during the current transfer window. His integration into the group comes as Roma prepares for the 2026-27 season.

Roma suffered a heavy 4-1 defeat to Cardiff City in their first pre-season friendly of the summer, with Paulo Dybala opening the scoring from a Matías Soulé assist before missing a penalty. Gianluca Castro made his debut, starting up front and battling throughout before receiving a yellow card late on; defender Bah was also forced off with injury. Gasperini analysed the performance in his post-match comments: "Distratti dietro nel primo tempo, abbiamo preso gol su rimpalli. Qualcosa di buono l'abbiamo fatto, ma se sei poco attento diventa tutto più difficile." The coach reiterated that the squad requires completion, stating: "Il mercato è partito tardi, sono andati via diversi giocatori e servono innesti per rendere la squadra davvero competitiva." Gasperini confirmed his targets—a defender, a winger, and two forwards—insisting they are achievable objectives. Castro is viewed as an excellent acquisition who can rotate with Donyell Malen and elevate the squad's level. On the transfer front, Greek defender Konstantinos Koulierakis landed at Ciampino airport and completed his move from Wolfsburg on a permanent basis for approximately €16.5 million plus bonuses and a 20 per cent sell-on clause. Born in 2004, Koulierakis becomes Roma's second summer signing after Castro. The club is also pursuing Franco Mastantuono, a 2007-born Madrid youth prospect, though Real's preference for a loan or loan with option has not convinced Roma; Fiorentina are advancing in those talks. Negotiations for Feyenoord winger Read continue, with Roma offering €23 million plus €2 million in add-ons.