Gasperini calls for reinforcements as Roma await Friedkin response

Roma coach Gian Piero Gasperini is waiting for a signal from the club's owners on how much they are willing to invest in the January transfer window, with no answer yet received. A market meeting could take place in the coming days at Trigoria involving Gasperini, sporting director Tony D'Amico and a representative of the American ownership. It is still unclear who will attend: Ryan Friedkin or his younger brother Corbin, who is increasingly involved in club matters. A possible presence of Dan Friedkin is not currently reported. The meeting is intended to clarify January strategy, because the problem goes beyond the names of possible signings. According to Corriere della Sera, Gasperini and D'Amico do not yet know the economic margins available or the budget the ownership intends to allocate to reinforcements, which makes it difficult to turn the soundings already made into real negotiations. Roma have shown they can compete at the top of Serie A, and Gasperini believes the squad can be competitive but is numerically too thin to sustain every commitment of the season. The paradox highlighted by Corriere della Sera is that Gasperini, who wanted to bring the Friedkins closer to daily life at Roma, now finds the ownership more distant than last season. Since the arrival of new chief executive John Galantic, who has become the main link with the United States, direct contacts between the coach and the American family have reportedly gradually thinned out. After the win over Sassuolo, Gasperini was asked about the chances of improving the squad in January and replied: "Non lo so, io ora penso al campionato. Sono preoccupato di recuperare i nostri giocatori, dato che è evidente che non siamo molto coperti in attacco. A gennaio si farà quel che sarà possibile, per ora non ne abbiamo parlato." In English: "I don't know, I'm focused on the league for now. I'm worried about getting our players back, because it's clear we're not very well covered in attack. In January we'll do what is possible, we haven't discussed it yet." The coach has made his requests known: at least two reinforcements, a quick attacking winger capable of taking on opponents, and a midfield winger to widen rotation on the flanks. D'Amico, meanwhile, has followed several profiles, opened exploratory contacts and identified possible opportunities, particularly in attack, but without the Friedkins' green light the next step is difficult. Financially, Roma must continue to respect the settlement agreement with UEFA, and loans with obligation to buy remain the preferred solutions to contain immediate outlays. Before choosing the formula for any deal, D'Amico needs to know which resources he can actually count on, and this is one of the clarifications expected from the next meeting. Gasperini senses the chance of a special season, with the team having found solidity, identity and consistency of results. He believes a couple of targeted additions could make the difference in the title race, and he wants to avoid regretting, a few months from now, what was not done in the winter market. The ball now rests with the ownership: the possible Trigoria summit must turn ambition into a concrete plan, setting budget, priorities and timing of intervention.

Gian Piero Gasperini wants Roma to add two offensive players before the second half of the season, but sporting director Tony D'Amico must work within a strict economic plan: young, high-quality profiles on wages no higher than four million euros. According to Il Messaggero, this is the line that will guide the next Roma transfer market. The club wants to keep building a competitive squad without letting the wage bill grow excessively. The aim is to identify players still in the prime of their development, capable of delivering immediate performance while also representing an investment for the future. That philosophy is tied to the club's financial constraints and the need to keep squad costs under control. The first name remains Endrick of Real Madrid, the Brazilian talent who is seeking more playing time and whom Gasperini regards as a signing of great quality. However, the 20-year-old, although he can be used in several attacking positions, does not perfectly fit the request for a quick, physical left-sided winger capable of taking on his man. For this reason D'Amico is also evaluating other profiles, closer to the characteristics of the orthodox winger the coach has been waiting for since the summer. One of the names indicated by Il Messaggero is Ruben van Bommel, a 22-year-old Dutch player from PSV Eindhoven. The son of former Milan midfielder Mark van Bommel, he is a left winger who is right-footed and stands 1.92 metres tall, combining a strong physical frame with speed and acceleration. He likes to start wide, take on defenders one-on-one and cut inside to shoot, but he can also attack the space behind the defence and make runs into the box. He grew up as a footballer at MVV Maastricht and AZ Alkmaar, returned to PSV in the summer of 2025 and is under contract until 2030. For physical and technical characteristics, he is one of the profiles closest to the blueprint drawn up by Gasperini. The other candidate is an old acquaintance of the Roma market: Jamie Leweling, 25, a German winger at Stuttgart. Standing 1.85 metres, he is a right-footed attacker who can be deployed on either flank. His main qualities are power in his running, sudden bursts in progression and the ability to attack the space behind defenders. Compared with Van Bommel he is a more experienced player, already accustomed to the rhythms of the Bundesliga and endowed with considerable intensity in both phases of play. Leweling came very close to joining Roma in the final hours of the summer market. D'Amico had reached an agreement in principle with Stuttgart for a deal worth around 35 million euros, but the transfer did not materialise amid difficulties over the agreement with the player and the little time remaining. Now the German could return to the market on more favourable terms. According to the latest rumours from Germany, Stuttgart would be willing to consider a sale around 30 million after a less brilliant start to the season than expected. The problem, however, does not concern only the cost of the transfer fees. Roma want to maintain a precise salary ceiling, avoiding commitments to overly burdensome contracts. The four million euro threshold thus becomes one of the fundamental criteria in choosing targets. For a player like Van Bommel, still young and with significant room for growth, the operation would make sense as a long-term investment. Leweling, by contrast, would offer a more mature profile already known to the Roma management. It also remains to be settled which formulas the respective clubs will accept. D'Amico would prefer loan deals with an option to buy, possibly convertible into an obligation under certain conditions, to spread the financial impact of the investments. That solution could prove more complicated especially in the case of Stuttgart, which is oriented towards monetising a possible departure of its winger. Gasperini's list of requests is therefore increasingly defined: one quality attacker and one winger capable of adding pace, depth and physical strength to the build-up. Endrick remains the most fascinating name, while Van Bommel and Leweling represent two of the alternatives closest to the winger blueprint Roma are seeking. D'Amico must find the right balance between the coach's ambitions, the opportunities offered by the market and the economic limits set by the club. January must bring quality, but without compromising the sustainability of the project.

Roma sporting director Tony D'Amico is already working on January moves, with the winter window opening early on 28 December and the aim of adding two attacking players. The club's priority is to strengthen the attack while keeping to the owners' sustainable line, with wage demands not exceeding 4 million euros a season, and while monitoring a UEFA ruling expected between late November and early December. The top name on the list remains Endrick, who has been pursued for months and returned to the spotlight after comments at the Brazil national team camp, where the forward stressed his need for more playing time. He has played only 141 minutes so far across La Liga and the Champions League with Real Madrid, including a goal and an assist against Roma. Talks between officials ahead of the European fixture reportedly included Roberto Carlos for the Madrid side, and the player is keen to leave, although José Mourinho prefers to keep him. Milan, who are in the Premier League in the article's wording, and Sporting CP, coached by former Roma boss Paulo Fonseca, are also reportedly moving for the 2006-born striker. Beyond the Brazilian, Trigoria's list includes several wide attacking options and left-sided players. Jamie Gittens of Chelsea is among them; he was a summer target who slipped away in the final hours of the window and is currently out of Xabi Alonso's plans. Other names include van Bommel of PSV Eindhoven and Leweling, whose move to Roma was reportedly close before repeated second thoughts. For the left flank, Balde of Barcelona has been offered, although that lead is currently frozen. In Germany, Stuttgart would reportedly demand no less than 30 million for Kvernadze, a player being tracked but not seen as a January priority. Gasperini expects two signings up front and is willing to give up a backup for Wesley in the summer by blocking the sale of Rensch, who remains as the fourth winger in the squad. Training resumes at Trigoria this afternoon, with Paulo Dybala among those most eagerly awaited as he shakes off a knock and aims for the trip to Parma. Mile Svilar has a medical check to have the protective boot removed from his right foot after a fifth-finger injury that forced him to miss the last match and a national team call-up. His availability for Parma remains in doubt, with a definitive verdict due in the coming days. Ticket sales for the Tardini trip are temporarily suspended pending decisions from the authorities.

Porto's finance director has confirmed a clause in the Rodrigo Mora deal that could cost Roma well over the initial €25 million. José Pedro Pereira da Costa said the Portuguese club holds an option to collect another €25 million. Porto keep 50% of Mora's future resale, but can also ask Roma to buy that stake. The revelation puts the midfielder's future back in the spotlight. Away from the transfer detail, Repubblica reports that Gasperini would like to rebuild a more direct relationship with Dan and Ryan Friedkin. That contact has become less frequent since the arrival of chief executive John Galantic. The coach stresses there is no rift with the club, but wants to share strategy more closely ahead of the January window. Gasperini regards the owners' backing as essential to the team's progress. Elsewhere, Ekrem Konur reports that Roma made a €25 million offer for Brazilian winger Samuel Lino, which Flamengo rejected. The 1999-born player is valued for his pace and ability to beat opponents, but the Brazilian club will not discount him. Juventus, Napoli and several English clubs are also tracking him. Bild reports that Stuttgart would sell Leweling for €30 million, down from the €35 million combined offer Roma made in August. Leweling has two goals and one assist in 14 appearances. The clubs have had no new contact for now. Roma's January plans are also taking shape. An offensive winger remains the priority, though Gasperini may also seek a midfielder. Gittens, Wiafe, Bakola and Højbjerg are among the targets. Financial constraints point towards loan deals with an obligation to buy, on the model of Malen. No deal has been agreed yet. Former Roma player Antonio Cassano praised Mora on Viva El Futbol: "È un giocatore meraviglioso, stratosferico". He predicted Mora would go on to play for even bigger clubs. Cassano also criticised the frequent substitutions made by Gasperini, while acknowledging the growth of the 19-year-old. Mora has scored in each of the last three league matches and has also been called up to the senior Portugal squad. His output is making him one of the key figures in Gasperini's Roma, although his minutes are still being managed carefully. Endrick, the Real Madrid forward, has said: "Voglio solo giocare, essere felice e aiutare i miei compagni", adding that he does not know what will happen in January. D'Amico is ready to consider a loan, but Mourinho continues to oppose the departure of the 20-year-old.

Former Roma player Stefano Desideri, speaking exclusively to Retesport, has backed Gian Piero Gasperini's side and said the gap to Inter is closing. He said he was proud to have worn the Roma shirt and described the current team as strong, with players focused and committed on the pitch. "Roma of Gasperini? A strong side, a joy to watch on the pitch. All the players are focused and on it, it's really a beautiful Roma." He added that he is enjoying watching the team after years of matches that were less enjoyable. Desideri drew comparisons with his own Roma side, which surprised opponents with a zonal press using one fewer forward and one extra midfielder, removing the markers of their opponents. He said the players then were willing to step forward, much as Gasperini's players are doing now. On the gap with Inter, he said something is always missing and that a few more players would help, but the club must find players capable of absorbing Gasperini's work, which he said is producing exceptional things. "We must keep trusting the coach," he said. He added: "I'm not afraid of anyone, I'm confident in this Roma. Lazio are the biggest surprise, Inter are a battleship but have levelled off a little, while the giallorossi have improved, so the gap is closing." On Lorenzo Pellegrini's fellow midfielder Niccolò Pisilli, Desideri said: "Good player, a complete midfielder who is good in the tackle and gets forward. He just needs to play as much as possible. A serious lad from Rome, I am proud of him." On European competition, he said the team lacks experience, with many players having little of it. He said that against Real Madrid the side played excellently with personality for 84 minutes, but then experience was lacking. "Managing the result is not part of this team's DNA." On Donyell Malen, Desideri compared him to Voller, describing him as a driving force for the team with different characteristics. "He has an execution speed that leaves defenders stranded, a fundamental quality. We have discovered a strong player." On Rodrigo Mora, he said: "A talent, he struggled at first. In recent outings we have seen him chasing opponents, he is entering the coach's mentality and it is perfect for him."

Fidelis Castro's goal and assist, earned in two starts at home to Genoa and Cagliari, have revived debate over the striker's place in the Roma squad and the money spent on him. The Argentine, fresh from a call-up to the national team, has once again drawn criticism from those who question whether Roma needed him at all, and whether he is worth the reported €35 million outlay. Some critics said last summer that Roma should have targeted Robinio Vaz instead, and that the money spent on Castro was wasted. The article notes that Vaz, who is described as a well-paid bit-part player at Hull City, would have been a better investment, and suggests that Dovbyk, who after just three months had worn out much of Bologna's patience, could have been kept. Against this, the writer argues that Castro has the hardest job among Roma's forwards. He plays almost exclusively in place of Malen, and when he comes on, the team is often more tired and less composed than when Malen is leading the line, leaving Castro to chase the ball alone and run down opponents mounting comebacks. Castro made his first start against Genoa, where he scored the first goal, decisive for the win, with a moment of magic. In his second start, against Cagliari, he struggled, as did the whole side, which came from behind to win and only really hit form in the closing stages. The writer contends that this was enough to revive the criticism seen over the summer, when the transfer market was labelled a disaster partly because the backup striker had cost so much. The article argues that it is too complicated for critics to consider that Malen is a cannibal who leaves his backup only a few minutes, and only when he has no energy left. The writer draws a comparison with the 1985-86 season, when Eriksson's Roma came close to the Scudetto. Pruzzo was the prolific starter, with Bruno Conti and Boniek alongside him, while Graziani and the young Tovalieri provided cover. Tovalieri was a key figure in the Coppa Italia that season and scored three goals in 22 appearances in the league, the writer notes, because Pruzzo left few scraps. The point is that Roma have an outstanding striker and a very good deputy, and that critics should be grateful rather than anxious. The article adds that last season, Ferguson and Dovbyk were the forwards, and that in January, before Malen arrived, Roma had brought in Vaz and tried to sign Füllkrug.