Cristofori praises El Shaarawy's professionalism as Roma prepare for derby

Paolo Marcacci has delivered his weekly ratings across the World Cup Final and recent football events. Spain's collective display earned a 9 out of 10 for its mesmerising, invisible-cage football—with Dani Olmo singled out for his 360-degree awareness and ability to orchestrate the team's attacking movements. Leo Messi received a 10 for his career legacy despite a quiet final shaped by Spain's dominance and Lionel Scaloni's tactical choices, which Marcacci rated 5, criticising the Argentina manager for assembling a formation that appeared designed to starve Messi of possession and changing too much in the decisive match. Leo Paredes, brought in to stabilise Argentina's midfield, instead lost discipline individually and earned a 4. Gianluca Mancini's contract renewal with Roma received a 7, described as reinforced concrete strengthening the club's defensive walls. Gasperini's press conference earned a 6 for its directness delivered through a calm, apparently reconciliatory tone—rejecting claims of passivity simply because he lacked visible agitation. Robbie Williams' halftime performance and the broader entertainment spectacle drew lower marks, with Infantino's excessively white shoes rated 3 and the Madonna–Ronaldo–Ronaldinho segment rated 0. Trump's photo-bombing with the trophy received a 1, with Marcacci quipping that Rodri reportedly ejected him with the line: "I'm not Melania."

Andrea Radrizzani, former Leeds United president, has endorsed Crysencio Summerville as a perfect fit for Gian Piero Gasperini's Roma, valuing the West Ham winger at €50 million. Radrizzani knows Summerville well from his time at Leeds, where the Dutch forward arrived from Feyenoord as a teenager for approximately €1.5 million. After struggling initially in English football and asking to leave in his first year, Summerville was persuaded to stay, made his debut against Liverpool under Marcelo Bielsa, and developed rapidly under the Argentine's management. Radrizzani highlighted Summerville's technical quality and physical attributes as particularly suited to Serie A's less physically demanding style. "Summerville has technical and physical qualities that are out of the ordinary," Radrizzani told Retesport. "In a championship that is a bit less physical like Serie A, he can explode even more. He strengthened his physique playing in England." After a difficult first season at West Ham, Summerville recovered from injury and was among the few bright spots in the club's struggling campaign. The former Leeds chief connected Summerville directly to Gasperini's tactics, stating: "In Gasperini's transitions he can have an important impact. I believe he is perfect for the football that the Giallorossi coach preaches, which I admire greatly because he has managed to combine strong working methodology with very important results at Atalanta and Roma." Radrizzani acknowledged Premier League valuations are inflated compared to continental markets, noting Summerville could command €70–80 million had he enjoyed a stronger season.

Roma radio stations have weighed in on the club's pursuit of winger Luis Summerville from West Ham, with prominent voices divided on the move's merit. Summerville remains a target for Roma, with the latest offer reportedly reaching 49 million euros including bonuses, though West Ham has yet to give final approval. Legendary Roma striker Roberto Pruzzo was sceptical of the investment. Speaking on Radio Radio Mattino (104.5), Pruzzo stated: "I'm not doing cartwheels for Summerville—he is a second-tier player. 50 million is a lot of money, and I wouldn't want him to carry that weight of the fee. With that money we could aspire to something better." Fellow analyst Nando Orsi, also on Radio Radio Mattino, drew a comparison to current Roma winger Stephan El Shaarawy, suggesting Summerville is only marginally stronger and questioned whether 50 million euros justified the cost for a second-division calibre player arriving from the Premier League. Simone Valdarchi of Radio Manà Manà (90.9) took a different line, suggesting Roma had done everything possible to bring Summerville to Trigoria and that the deal now hinged solely on West Ham's acceptance of the final bid.

AS Roma holds the record for the most World Cup-winning editions involving at least one player from its squad, with nine tournaments claimed. Spain's elimination of Argentina denied Lautaro Martínez the chance to win a second World Cup and Inter the opportunity to match Roma's tally. Inter remains second with eight World Cup wins from its players, followed by Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, and Juventus on seven each. Roma's World Cup history spans nearly a century. The first Roma players to win the tournament were three Italians at the 1934 home World Cup: Attilio Ferraris IV, Enrique Guaita, and Guido Masetti. Masetti returned to lift the trophy again in 1938 without appearing on the pitch in either tournament, alongside Eraldo Monzeglio, Aldo Donati, and Pietro Serantoni. After a lengthy drought, Bruno Conti's triumph in 1982 reignited the run. Rudi Voeller and Thomas Berthold won in 1990. The longest unbroken streak followed: five consecutive World Cup victories featuring Roma players. Aldair won in 1994, Vincent Candela in 1998, Cafú in 2002, and Francesco Totti, Daniele De Rossi, and Simone Perrotta in 2006. Most recently, Paulo Dybala won the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, converting a penalty in Argentina's victory over France. No other club matches Roma's count.

Roma is on the verge of signing Crysencio Summerville from West Ham, with negotiations entering their closing phase. The club has submitted a fresh offer of 47 million euros plus bonuses and demanded a definitive response from West Ham by end of day, following weeks of talks. Summerville has already agreed personal terms on a contract worth 4.2 million euros plus bonuses, and sources report the remaining gap between Roma's bid and West Ham's asking price is not considered prohibitive. Aston Villa and Al Hilal have been cited as potential rival bidders, prompting Roma to accelerate its push. Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini views Summerville as the ideal fit to complete his attacking trident alongside Donyell Malen and Paulo Dybala. The Dutch winger, who plays on the left with his right foot, offers creativity and double-digit goal output suited to Gasperini's system. Summerville would become Roma's most expensive signing in history, surpassing the transfer fees paid for Patrik Schick, Tammy Abraham, and Artem Dovbyk. A private agreement between Summerville and West Ham stipulates that in the event of the Hammers' relegation from the Premier League, the player could depart for 45 million pounds. The deal is reported to be worth 47 million euros fixed plus 4–5 million in bonuses, bringing the total close to the 45 million pounds outlined in the gentlemen's agreement. Gasperini has been seeking this profile for fourteen months and aims to secure two wingers overall, with potential loan solutions explored later in the transfer window.

Paulo Dybala marked Argentina's 1–0 loss to Spain in a World Cup final by honouring Lionel Messi with a heartfelt social media post. The Roma forward shared a photograph of Messi after one of his two goals against England, accompanied by a white heart emoji in celebration of the 10's greatness. Dybala and Messi won the World Cup together in 2022. Despite this latest final ending in defeat for the Argentina squad, the Roma attacker moved quickly to acknowledge his former teammate's stature in the sport. The simple gesture underscored their shared history and Messi's standing as one of football's all-time greats.

Roma have submitted a third offer for West Ham winger Summerville worth €47 million plus bonuses after two previous proposals were rejected. The club is awaiting the English side's response. There is no release clause in Summerville's contract, but an agreement exists between West Ham and the player allowing his departure for €53 million. Meanwhile, Roma are close to securing Lorenzo Pellegrini's contract renewal. The club expects to complete the deal within the week after Pellegrini rejected approaches from Juventus and Besiktas. Pellegrini will sign a new contract running until June 2028 on wages of €2.5 million per year. Roma have also identified Paris Saint-Germain winger Ibrahim Mbaye as an offensive reinforcement. The 2008-born Senegal international, who scored three goals and provided two assists in 31 PSG appearances last season, could arrive on loan to gain playing time. Mbaye can operate across the attacking line—on either flank or centrally on the playmaking line. Roma will mark their 99th anniversary on Wednesday 22 July. The Curva Sud announced celebrations beginning at Piazza San Silvestro on the night of 21 July at 22:30, calling on supporters to "demonstrate once again that Roma is ours".

Lorenzo Pellegrini is set to sign a new contract with AS Roma within the coming days, with head coach Gian Piero Gasperini awaiting the midfielder's signature. The outline terms have been agreed and only final administrative details remain before completion. The new deal will run until June 2028 and carry an annual salary of €2.5 million. It will also include an automatic renewal option to extend the agreement through to 2029, following the same stability framework Roma previously applied in Gianluca Mancini's renewal. The extension moves will definitively end speculation over Pellegrini's future and remove any possibility of his departure from the club.

AS Roma is close to finalizing a new contract with Lorenzo Pellegrini after the midfielder rejected approaches from Juventus and Besiktas. The club's hierarchy expressed strong confidence in sealing the extension within the coming week, ending speculation over his future at the club. The broad terms of the agreement have been settled, with only final administrative details remaining before signatures. Pellegrini will receive a new deal running until June 2028 on wages of €2.5 million per year. The contract will include an automatic renewal option to extend the agreement through to 2029, mirroring the approach Roma adopted for Gianluca Mancini's recent renewal.

Paulo Dybala spearheaded Roma's pre-season momentum with a brace and two assists in a 6–0 victory over the Primavera at Trigoria under coach Gian Piero Gasperini. The Argentine playmaker set up goals for Matías Soulé and Artem Dovbyk, who netted twice to open and close the friendly. Bryan Cristante also scored. Wesley, the Brazilian defender, emerged as one of the brightest performers, shaking off an injury sustained before the World Cup, while the squad operated with limited depth after El Aynaoui and Koné are not due back for several weeks. Gasperini was forced to borrow young midfielder Bah on loan from Mattia Scala due to midfield shortages. The match unfolded in four twenty-minute periods and only truly came alive after Dybala and Wesley entered the pitch. Mario Hermoso took a hard knock below the right knee but departed with ice—nothing serious, and the Spanish defender already appears match-ready. Angeliño, however, continues to lack sharpness; the left-back showed the same form as last season with limited drive and fitness still to regain. Gasperini has monitored his progress since the start of the training camp, though his full condition appears distant, signalling that reinforcements may be required in that area of the pitch. Outgoing players including Kumbulla and Pagano remained absent from the friendly.

AS Roma earned over 1 million dollars from FIFA's Club Benefits Programme during the 2026 World Cup, ranking sixth among Serie A sides in total club payments. The FIFA scheme, run jointly with the European Football Clubs association, distributed 355 million dollars (300 million euros) to compensate clubs for releasing players to international duty. Each club received a minimum of approximately 5,000 dollars per day (4,300 euros) for every player loaned to their national federation. Roma fielded five players across the tournament held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico: Evan N'Dicka, Zeki Çelik, Neil El Aynaoui, Manu Koné, and Donyell Malen. These five accumulated 211 days of competition, generating 1.055 million dollars for the club. Milan topped Serie A's earnings with over 2.3 million dollars from ten players, followed by Atalanta (1.6 million from eight players) and Inter (1.55 million from seven). Juventus collected 1.2 million and Bologna 1 million. Among individual Roma players, Koné was the most valuable, earning 280,000 dollars for the club—second only to Lautaro Martinez of Inter and Nico Paz of Como, who each generated 285,000 dollars.

Roma started serious preparation for the 2026–27 season on Monday with head coach Gian Piero Gasperini naming a 17-man squad for initial training at Trigoria. Paulo Dybala featured in the group and marked his contract renewal with a short interview on Roma's official channels. Wesley returned to training immediately following the injury that forced him to miss the World Cup, training alongside teammates in the new kit that showcases the restored classic crest. Gasperini was accompanied by sporting director Tony D'Amico. The initial squad includes four goalkeepers—Svilar, Gollini, De Marzi, and Vasquez—and seven defenders: Angeliño, Ghilardi, Hermoso, Mancini, Rensch, Wesley, and Ziolkowski. Çelik will join on 18 August after completing his holiday following his contract renewal, while N'Dicka is due to arrive on 22 August. Only Pisilli and Cristante are currently available in midfield, with El Aynaoui expected on 30 August and Koné's arrival date to be confirmed pending the end of the World Cup. The attacking line features Dybala, Dovbyk, Soulé, and Vaz, with Dybala the only forward certain to remain at the club long-term. The squad is staying overnight at Fulvio Bernardini training centre and will undergo a double session today—training at 08:00 and 18:00. Roma have also opened ticket sales for their first official pre-season match at Cannes on 26 July at Pierre de Coubertin stadium, with visiting supporters' tickets priced at €15 each through AS Cannes' official website.