De Rossi pushes for Baldanzi permanence at Genoa; Gollini attracting strong Besiktas interest

Roma's sporting director D'Amico continues to pursue two positions ahead of the January transfer window after failing to complete moves during the summer window. The club's primary need remains an attacking winger, preferably left-footed, to operate on the left flank and provide depth, power and speed. The secondary target is a midfielder with left-sided capability who can add running, physicality and solidity to the squad. Gasperini's requests have been clear since the summer window closed. For the defensive winger role, D'Amico has identified Oosterwolde as the primary candidate. The Dutch player was sent to Istanbul by D'Amico following medical tests and is currently recovering from femoral tendon surgery, with his return to action targeted for the end of October. D'Amico is prepared to wait for Oosterwolde's recovery and will evaluate him in Fenerbahce's matches over the final two months of the year. The Roma director is unbothered by the timeline because Oosterwolde would become both the most defensive of Roma's wingers and the most structurally robust option. A loan deal can be arranged if he returns to full fitness. Looking further ahead to next season, D'Amico is also monitoring Bakola, a French midfielder born in 2007 at Sassuolo, and Kvernadze, a Georgian attacking winger born in 2003 at Frosinone. This mirrors the approach taken with Santiago Castro, who was under observation last winter before being acquired this summer.

Alessandro Romano, who grew up at Roma's Trigoria academy and made his Serie A debut under Gian Piero Gasperini, has become one of the club's most painful missed opportunities after departing on a permanent sale this summer. The midfielder, now 20, has impressed at Cagliari since his move and is already valued at 15–20 million euros by major Italian outlets—around four times the fee Roma will ultimately receive from the transfer. Roma signed Romano from Swiss club Winterthur in 2022 for 70,000 euros and developed him through their youth ranks. Gasperini gave him two brief Serie A appearances against Lecce and Sassuolo, then loaned him to Spezia for the second half of last season. This summer, however, financial pressures pushed the club to accept Cagliari's offer: a loan with an obligation to buy conditional on specific sporting targets, worth 5 million euros plus bonus payments rising to a maximum of 6.5 million. Crucially, Roma retained no future control over the player's registration. The decision was commercially rational but now reads poorly within months of the sale. At Cagliari, Romano has seized his opportunity immediately. He scored on his Serie A debut as a starter against Parma and has since attracted attention from Italy's national team. He is left-footed, technically clean, capable of playing in front of defence, and shows an unusual composure for his age, seeking vertical passes and reading situations quickly. Comparisons have already emerged; analyst Fabio Pisacane linked him to Kevin Strootman, while Davide Frattesi drew parallels to Nemanja Matic. Romano himself points to Rodri as his model. Unlike many young talents, he shows no rush for fame, only to improve—a quality that appears to be impressing observers most. Inter and Juventus are now monitoring him, alongside scouts from the Premier League. The press has suggested his value could rise sharply if his form continues. Romano says he did not experience Roma's decision as a personal slight and is content at Cagliari. For Roma, however, the transfer has opened a small wound that could grow much larger. Purchased for 70,000 euros, developed at Trigoria, sold for a maximum of 6.5 million, and now valued at up to 20 million—the arithmetic shows profit, but the pitch tells a different story.

Roma have identified Frosinone midfielder Giorgi Kvernadze as a target to strengthen Gasperini's attack, according to reports. The Georgian midfielder appeals to the Roma coach, but Frosinone—managed by Alvini—are holding firm in their valuation, demanding at least €25 million. The pursuit of other attacking options remains active: Endrick, the Brazilian currently out of favour at Real Madrid under Mourinho, continues to be monitored by Roma's sporting director D'Amico, with a potential approach planned for January. Roma's summer transfer window saw other targets slip away. Leweling, pursued by Roma until late in the window, was also on the radar of Inter under Chivu, though Stuttgart resisted both clubs' advances. The window's conclusion left gaps that Gasperini is now tasked with addressing through future recruitment cycles.

Roma continued their conditioning work at Trigoria on 22 September, refusing to ease off during the international break. The squad's next match is scheduled for 11 October against Como, but Gasperini kept the players sharp with athletic sessions despite the pause in fixtures. Among those training were Paulo Dybala and Mile Svilar, alongside several players using the stoppage to rebuild match fitness after recent struggles or late arrivals to the squad. Nahuel Molina, Marten de Roon and Lorenzo Pellegrini were the focus of Gasperini's attention during these weeks without competition. Molina, an Argentine midfielder, suffered fatigue from a long World Cup campaign but had recently rediscovered sufficient form; Gasperini aims to have him at peak condition for a demanding run of fixtures in October. De Roon, who joined late in the transfer window after being sidelined in Maurizio Sarri's plans at Atalanta, follows a similar recovery path. Pellegrini, the captain and number 7, earned his first squad call-up this season in the match against Torino and must complete his athletic rehabilitation after missing the summer preparation alongside his teammates. He will use these weeks without matches to conduct a mini pre-season programme. Also training were Pierluigi Gollini, Devyne Rensch, Vasquez and Giorgio De Marzi under Gasperini's close observation. Three players were absent: Bryan Cristante due to lower back pain, Donyell Malen with a knee complaint, and Wesley sidelined by a muscular strain.

Roma close the opening phase of the 2026-27 season unbeaten after their 2-2 draw with Inter, maintaining four wins and two draws across the opening block of fixtures. Manu Koné scored twice in that Inter match and heads the player ratings across Italian media with an average of 7.9, rewarded for his dominant display. Bryan Cristante and Paulo Dybala both averaged 6.7, Nahuel Molina 6.6 and Leonardo Balerdi 6.5, while Gianluca Mancini registered the lowest average at 5.3 after an error that led to Lautaro Martinez's opening goal; among substitutes, Daniele Ghilardi struggled with 5.5. The international break presents a significant challenge to Gasperini's plans. Roma will have only seven players available during the roughly 20-day break: Mile Svilar, Pierluigi Gollini, Mario Hermoso, Molina, Devyne Rensch, Marten de Roon and Dybala. Even Dybala will leave for several days to attend Lionel Messi's farewell international match. With numbers so thin at the training ground, Roma will have to draw on Primavera players and schedule a couple of friendly matches. Training resumes on Monday afternoon after most of the squad departs to join their respective national teams over the weekend. Roma were 2-0 ahead at half-time against Inter before conceding twice in the second half to settle for the draw.

Roma will operate with a skeleton crew at Trigoria during the twenty-day international break following the draw against Inter, with head coach Gian Piero Gasperini having only seven first-team players available for training and preparation. The available squad members are goalkeepers Mile Svilar and Pierluigi Gollini, defenders Mario Hermoso, Nahuel Molina and Devyne Rensch, midfielder Marten de Roon, and forward Paulo Dybala. Dybala will take a leave of absence during the break to travel to Argentina and participate in Leo Messi's farewell international match. All other players will be away on international duty with their respective national teams. To maintain training intensity and match fitness, Gasperini will draw heavily on Roma's Primavera squad, though the youth sector has also lost several players to Italian national selections at Under 17 to Under 19 level, including Arena, Bonifazi, Giammattei and Guaglianone. The club has arranged a pair of friendly matches to keep the team sharp during the pause.