Cristante calls for repeat of last season and further improvement

Roma made a €25 million bid for Flamengo winger Samuel Lino this summer, but the Brazilian club turned it down. The move represented another attempt by head coach Gian Piero Gasperini to land the left-sided winger he has sought since his arrival at the club. Lino, a right-footed left winger born in 1999, registered 9 goals and 7 assists in 27 appearances in the Brazilian league. The 27-year-old had already attracted Roma's attention last season while at Atlético Madrid. At that time, despite a four-year contract worth €2.5 million per year and a €22 million fee to Atlético on the table, Gasperini vetoed the move. He wanted to preserve the non-EU player slot for either Rios or Wesley. Lino subsequently joined Flamengo, where he remains, though Roma's interest in him continues.

Bryan Cristante has addressed his knee injury and Roma's outlook for the season ahead, speaking at the launch of Adidas's EQT 2026-27 collection. The midfielder confirmed he is managing discomfort in the knee and hopes to recover as soon as possible, though he acknowledged the timeline remains uncertain. "I have this problem with my knee. We are clearly trying to recover as soon as possible. We hope we can manage it, but we see it as a bit difficult. We are trying to do it as soon as possible," he said. Cristante credited the decision by the squad to remain at Roma for the continuity that has been built. "Yes, absolutely. I think continuity is fundamental. Last season we had a great season, so we all wanted to repeat it. We knew we would start from a more solid and consolidated base, so clearly there was a desire from everyone to stay and repeat ourselves and try to do better," he explained. Roma finished third in Serie A last season, and Cristante said the group is aware of the standards required to compete at that level again. "We know we can reach those positions. Our objective is to maintain these standards, those of last season, and to reach as high as possible. Then seasons are long, Italian football is difficult, but we want to repeat ourselves," he added. The midfielder highlighted Como and Real Madrid as significant fixtures coming up. "It is still early. Clearly everything will still be open, but certainly they are two big matches. There is Como, which is a direct rival of ours, and then there is Real Madrid. They are two important and beautiful matches, but it is early: the championship is still long," Cristante said. He also expressed warmth about the prospect of facing José Mourinho, who formerly managed Roma. "It is always nice to see the coach again. We lived beautiful moments together and it will certainly be a great pleasure," he said. On the new Italy squad under Roberto Mancini, Cristante offered encouragement. "It seems good to me. Clearly it is normal that there were some initial difficulties, but I am happy with the young players. I think they did very well, that there is a great future and that there are many players who can do well from here on and who will only grow," he said. When asked if he would be available for Italy in November, he remained non-committal: "Let's see how the rest of the season goes."

Bryan Cristante spoke at a Roma fan meet-and-greet event at an Adidas store in central Rome, where he discussed an ongoing knee issue sustained during the international break and his ambitions for the 2026–27 campaign. Gasperini has been cagey about Cristante's recovery timeline, initially ruling him out for the Como and Real Madrid matches. When asked for clarity, Cristante said: "No, this is a knee problem… We clearly need to recover as soon as possible. We hope, but honestly, I see it as a bit difficult. We'll try to get back as soon as we can anyway." Cristante emphasised the importance of continuity and Roma's desire to build on last season's success. "The year before, we had a great season, so we all wanted to repeat it. We knew we'd start from a more solid, consolidated base, so clearly there was the desire on everyone's part to stay, to repeat the performance and try to do better," he said. Cristante acknowledged that the coming fixtures against Como and Real Madrid are crucial moments in the season, though he cautioned that it remains early. He also expressed his eagerness to face José Mourinho again: "Well, of course. It's always a pleasure to see the manager again. We lived through beautiful moments and it will certainly be a great pleasure." On Italy's recent performances under Mancini, Cristante praised the young players, saying there is a strong future ahead. When asked whether he might feature for Italy in November, he replied: "We'll see how the rest of the season goes." Cristante stressed that Roma's confidence has grown despite occupying a similar league position to last season. "Confidence is certainly greater. We know we finished third in the table last season, so clearly we know we can reach those positions. As I said before, our objective is to maintain the standards of last season and so finish as high as possible. Seasons are long and Italian football is a difficult championship. We want to repeat ourselves," he said.

Bryan Cristante has addressed his knee injury and Roma's outlook for the season ahead, speaking at the launch of Adidas's EQT 2026-27 collection. The midfielder confirmed he is managing discomfort in the knee and hopes to recover as soon as possible, though he acknowledged the timeline remains uncertain. "I have this problem with my knee. We are clearly trying to recover as soon as possible. We hope we can manage it, but we see it as a bit difficult. We are trying to do it as soon as possible," he said. Cristante credited the decision by the squad to remain at Roma for the continuity that has been built. "Yes, absolutely. I think continuity is fundamental. Last season we had a great season, so we all wanted to repeat it. We knew we would start from a more solid and consolidated base, so clearly there was a desire from everyone to stay and repeat ourselves and try to do better," he explained. Roma finished third in Serie A last season, and Cristante said the group is aware of the standards required to compete at that level again. "We know we can reach those positions. Our objective is to maintain these standards, those of last season, and to reach as high as possible. Then seasons are long, Italian football is difficult, but we want to repeat ourselves," he added. The midfielder highlighted Como and Real Madrid as significant fixtures coming up. "It is still early. Clearly everything will still be open, but certainly they are two big matches. There is Como, which is a direct rival of ours, and then there is Real Madrid. They are two important and beautiful matches, but it is early: the championship is still long," Cristante said. He also expressed warmth about the prospect of facing José Mourinho, who formerly managed Roma. "It is always nice to see the coach again. We lived beautiful moments together and it will certainly be a great pleasure," he said. On the new Italy squad under Roberto Mancini, Cristante offered encouragement. "It seems good to me. Clearly it is normal that there were some initial difficulties, but I am happy with the young players. I think they did very well, that there is a great future and that there are many players who can do well from here on and who will only grow," he said. When asked if he would be available for Italy in November, he remained non-committal: "Let's see how the rest of the season goes."

Bryan Cristante spoke at a Roma fan meet-and-greet event at an Adidas store in central Rome, where he discussed an ongoing knee issue sustained during the international break and his ambitions for the 2026–27 campaign. Gasperini has been cagey about Cristante's recovery timeline, initially ruling him out for the Como and Real Madrid matches. When asked for clarity, Cristante said: "No, this is a knee problem… We clearly need to recover as soon as possible. We hope, but honestly, I see it as a bit difficult. We'll try to get back as soon as we can anyway." Cristante emphasised the importance of continuity and Roma's desire to build on last season's success. "The year before, we had a great season, so we all wanted to repeat it. We knew we'd start from a more solid, consolidated base, so clearly there was the desire on everyone's part to stay, to repeat the performance and try to do better," he said. Cristante acknowledged that the coming fixtures against Como and Real Madrid are crucial moments in the season, though he cautioned that it remains early. He also expressed his eagerness to face José Mourinho again: "Well, of course. It's always a pleasure to see the manager again. We lived through beautiful moments and it will certainly be a great pleasure." On Italy's recent performances under Mancini, Cristante praised the young players, saying there is a strong future ahead. When asked whether he might feature for Italy in November, he replied: "We'll see how the rest of the season goes." Cristante stressed that Roma's confidence has grown despite occupying a similar league position to last season. "Confidence is certainly greater. We know we finished third in the table last season, so clearly we know we can reach those positions. As I said before, our objective is to maintain the standards of last season and so finish as high as possible. Seasons are long and Italian football is a difficult championship. We want to repeat ourselves," he said.

Roma returned to training this afternoon at Trigoria following a three-day break granted by Gasperini, preparing for Sunday's big match away at Como. Bryan Cristante was absent due to a right-knee problem, while Donyell Malen and Wesley have rejoined the group partially and will be available for the trip to the Sinigaglia. The first international players have also returned to the training ground after more than two weeks away: Mancini, Ghilardi, Lulli, Pisilli, N'Dicka, Koulierakis and De Marzi all back in attendance. The session took place in rainy conditions. Upon arriving on the pitch, Gasperini joked about the weather: "The temperature's changed, eh?". Marten de Roon shared the sentiment, smiling as he said: "I thought it never rained in Rome".