Cionci returns to Roma amid ongoing legal dispute over Coric deal

Roma have resumed training at Trigoria following a three-day break granted by head coach Gian Piero Gasperini, with preparations underway for Sunday's big match against Como. Gasperini has welcomed back most of the squad's international players. Italian internationals Gianluca Mancini, Daniele Ghilardi, Niccolò Pisilli and Emanuele Lulli, along with Evan N'Dicka, Konstantinos Koulierakis and young goalkeeper Giorgio De Marzi, completed recovery work. Manu Koné was expected to rejoin training today, with Rodrigo Mora to follow. Leonardo Balerdi, Matías Soulé and Santiago Castro attended Lionel Messi's farewell celebration with the Argentine national team during the night. The three Argentina internationals are due back in Rome tomorrow, though Gasperini is likely to see them on the pitch on Friday.

Giuseppe Cionci, the agent and intermediary who disappeared from Roma's orbit in 2018 after brokering the ill-fated signing of Ante Coric, has returned to work with the club under head coach Gian Piero Gasperini. Cionci's comeback is notable because Roma is still entangled in an active legal dispute with Corner Sport Management, the agency that represented Coric's transfer, even as that same intermediary plays a role in the club's current operations. The parallel proceedings underscore an unusual situation: the agent remains involved in fresh Roma dealings while contractual and financial disputes from his previous work remain unresolved in court. Coric, a Croatian prospect signed from Dinamo Zagreb in 2018 for over six million euros, failed to develop as expected and became the subject of competing legal claims. In January 2024, Rome's tribunal revoked an initial injunction for €216,550 obtained by Corner, declared the representation contract void, and ordered the agency to return €800,000 already paid by Roma. Corner appealed; the appeals court suspended the decision's enforceability. A second separate lawsuit over a €200,000 injunction sought by Corner in connection with the Coric deal also remains open, with the tribunal having suspended its provisional enforceability. Roma had previously severed ties with the agent over that contention. Cionci's reintegration began with the club's recent transfers. He was involved in the deal that brought Konstantinos Koulierakis to Roma from Wolfsburg on 31 July for €16.5 million, and had participated in the January signing of Donyell Malen. Pietro Leonardi, a long-standing business partner of Cionci's dating to their shared involvement in Monterotondo football in the early 1990s and later at Lodigiani, is credited with facilitating his return. A 2020 Guardia di Finanza report identified Cionci as representative of Corner Sport Management, the entity of which Leonardi is also part. The final hearing on the Koulierakis-era appeal is scheduled for 13 November.

Paulo Dybala met artist Lorenzo Verrecchia, known as Drugi, at Trigoria yesterday following the international break, after the Argentine forward saw and appreciated a mural by the artist that appeared at Garbatella. The work depicts a child holding a small Roma superhero wearing the number 21 shirt. Dybala had expressed a desire to meet and thank Verrecchia personally after viewing the piece, and the break in fixtures allowed the meeting to take place at the training ground before the squad resumed preparation. The mural shows a seated child with a small Roma superhero in its hands: a yellow-and-red cape, the number 21 on the shoulders, and a fist pointed toward the sky. The image was clearly inspired by Dybala and the bond the Argentine has built with Roma supporters over time. The meeting occurred inside the Giallorossi training facility, where the two discussed the artwork and the passion that drove its creation. Dybala had been particularly struck by the mural and requested the opportunity to meet its creator. For the occasion, Drugi prepared a special gift: a reproduction of the work printed on canvas and set in a handcrafted frame made of leccio wood. According to reports, the gift moved Dybala. The forward has already decided where to place it: in the gymnasium of his Roman home. The gesture reflects the relationship Dybala has built over the years with Roma and the city—a bond forged on the pitch and one that has become a source of inspiration for both artists and supporters.

Roma have resumed training at Trigoria following a three-day break granted by head coach Gian Piero Gasperini, with preparations underway for Sunday's big match against Como. Gasperini has welcomed back most of the squad's international players. Italian internationals Gianluca Mancini, Daniele Ghilardi, Niccolò Pisilli and Emanuele Lulli, along with Evan N'Dicka, Konstantinos Koulierakis and young goalkeeper Giorgio De Marzi, completed recovery work. Manu Koné was expected to rejoin training today, with Rodrigo Mora to follow. Leonardo Balerdi, Matías Soulé and Santiago Castro attended Lionel Messi's farewell celebration with the Argentine national team during the night. The three Argentina internationals are due back in Rome tomorrow, though Gasperini is likely to see them on the pitch on Friday.

Giuseppe Cionci, the agent and intermediary who disappeared from Roma's orbit in 2018 after brokering the ill-fated signing of Ante Coric, has returned to work with the club under head coach Gian Piero Gasperini. Cionci's comeback is notable because Roma is still entangled in an active legal dispute with Corner Sport Management, the agency that represented Coric's transfer, even as that same intermediary plays a role in the club's current operations. The parallel proceedings underscore an unusual situation: the agent remains involved in fresh Roma dealings while contractual and financial disputes from his previous work remain unresolved in court. Coric, a Croatian prospect signed from Dinamo Zagreb in 2018 for over six million euros, failed to develop as expected and became the subject of competing legal claims. In January 2024, Rome's tribunal revoked an initial injunction for €216,550 obtained by Corner, declared the representation contract void, and ordered the agency to return €800,000 already paid by Roma. Corner appealed; the appeals court suspended the decision's enforceability. A second separate lawsuit over a €200,000 injunction sought by Corner in connection with the Coric deal also remains open, with the tribunal having suspended its provisional enforceability. Roma had previously severed ties with the agent over that contention. Cionci's reintegration began with the club's recent transfers. He was involved in the deal that brought Konstantinos Koulierakis to Roma from Wolfsburg on 31 July for €16.5 million, and had participated in the January signing of Donyell Malen. Pietro Leonardi, a long-standing business partner of Cionci's dating to their shared involvement in Monterotondo football in the early 1990s and later at Lodigiani, is credited with facilitating his return. A 2020 Guardia di Finanza report identified Cionci as representative of Corner Sport Management, the entity of which Leonardi is also part. The final hearing on the Koulierakis-era appeal is scheduled for 13 November.

Konstantinos Koulierakis has had limited playing time at Roma so far but is determined to develop under Gian Piero Gasperini. During the international break, after spells on the bench against Serbia and Netherlands and absence from the first match against Germany, Koulierakis returned to the starting lineup for Greece's encounter with Klopp's Germany on Sunday. He was among the best performers in Greece's 0–0 draw. Speaking to NovaSports after the match, the Roma defender said: "Now I can say I'm Italian. But I played for two years in Germany, I've faced most of the players. Players of the highest level. But it seemed we weren't inferior anywhere, we're simply very combative on the pitch, alongside the quality we have. We suffered on the pitch because they are a team of the highest level. In the end, we managed to get a precious point, which makes us look very good."

As Roma prepare for Sunday's trip to Como, former manager Rafa Benitez has outlined the match as a crucial test in the title race. Benitez described Roma as "the expression of Gasp: football at full pace, high pressing, immediate vertical passes", singling out the squad for praise ahead of a fixture he believes will offer significant pointers in the race to stay alongside the defending champions. Como striker Moise Kean returned early from international duty with a muscular strain, missing Turkey's match, but optimism is growing at the club that he will be available by Sunday; he will be managed carefully in the coming days. Nico Paz is also expected back at Mozzate on Thursday from Argentina. Legend Giuseppe Giannini analysed Como's tactical approach, identifying how Roma might exploit it. "The team of Fabregas has a purely Spanish style of play, based on ball possession and a dense network of passes," Giannini said. "And it is precisely in the nature of the Giallorossi to break up the opposition's play and launch the counter-attack." He highlighted Manu Koné's growing importance to the side's balance and tactical system, noting that his recent brace against Inter has added a new dimension to his threat in the penalty area. Benitez reserved specific praise for four Roma players: "Malen is devastating, Dybala has returned to his levels, Koné demolishes and pushes, Rodrigo Mora comes in and breaks the game. When they are well, you struggle to contain them."

Como versus Roma is the standout fixture of Serie A's sixth round, marking the league's return after the international break. Both clubs rank among the three finest teams in Italian football, a narrative that extends beyond the fan base into wider football circles. Rafa Benítez told Gazzetta dello Sport he expects the match to be spectacular and tactically rich, with potential to establish which team can credibly challenge the defending champions alongside Inter. Benítez framed Como's manager Fabregas and Roma's Gasperini as operators separated by age but united in their pursuit of beautiful football. He singled out Como's young talent—Nico Paz, Baturina (described as "delicious"), the 21-year-old Ramon for his natural defending, and the 25-year-old Da Cunha—as genuine prospects. On Roma, he highlighted the club's high-pressing football and immediate verticality under Gasperini, crediting Malen's explosive output within the tactical framework and Dybala's return to form. Benítez stated: "The match will be spectacular, contested, full of tactical solutions and inventions. Not merely about Fabregas and Gasp, but also performers who captivate the crowd. It won't be a knockout tie, but the anti-Inter candidate could emerge from it. They are the two best-positioned to stand alongside the Italian champions. Strong sides, different yet equal in their pursuit of spectacle, guided by coaches distant in age but close in aesthetic vision." He added that Koné destroys and drives in midfield while Rodrigo Mora provides impact as an impact substitute: "When they play well, you struggle to contain them."

Donyell Malen and Wesley have recovered from injury and will be available for Roma's trip to Como on Sunday, bringing a significant boost to Gian Piero Gasperini's squad as the campaign resumes after the international break. Both players showed positive signs in training on 6 October, taking part in sessions alongside their teammates, and are now considered fit for selection. Malen's return is particularly important for Gasperini, who will be able to rely on his attacking reference point after the physical problem that sidelined him before the break. The forward is heading towards a central attacking role in the Sinigaglia fixture. Wesley, the Brazilian defender, has used the pause to recover and is also back in full availability for the coach as the league campaign restarts.