Gasperini Orders Sweeping Attack Overhaul at Roma with €80–100m Budget

Roma have begun planning reinforcements for the January transfer window and have set their sights on Daniel Banjaqui, a 2008-born right-back at Benfica considered one of Europe's most promising young talents in his position. The interest comes as the club looks ahead to both immediate needs and longer-term recruitment options. Banjaqui has already attracted attention from several clubs, including Juventus, according to German transfer outlet Transfersfeed. The move would form part of Roma's broader strategy to strengthen the squad in the coming window, with ambitious signings under consideration beyond their existing targets.

Roma have identified Daniel Banjaqui, a 18-year-old right-back at Benfica, as a potential transfer target, according to German outlet Transfersfeed. Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini stated ahead of Roma's match against Real Madrid: "Now the January market does not interest me", with reference to forward Endrick, who is expected to remain at the Spanish club. Roma's move for Banjaqui comes as the club considers alternative objectives across different positions. Juventus are also monitoring the teenager among several European sides tracking him. Banjaqui remains contracted to Benfica until 2031 with a release clause set at €45 million, though a transfer could potentially be negotiated for around €35 million. Roma have undertaken only preliminary information-gathering through intermediaries at this stage, with no concrete negotiations underway. The club are also watching developments in Portugal across two fronts: alongside Banjaqui at Benfica, Roma are tracking Porto right-winger William Gomes, a 20-year-old left-footed player. Gomes carries a substantial release clause of €80 million in his current Porto contract, which expires in 2031. The clause is expected to rise to €100 million following an imminent contract renewal with the Portuguese club. Neither pursuit represents an active negotiation at present.

José Mourinho has issued a clear warning to clubs pursuing Endrick ahead of Real Madrid's Champions League fixture against Roma on Tuesday. The Real Madrid manager said: "Whoever wants to take him in January will have to go over me and fight me." Mourinho doubled down on his determination to keep the Brazilian forward, stating: "Endrick is not going anywhere, I adore him. He is very strong and will help us. Loans are not needed, Endrick will explode here at Madrid." The comments represent a significant setback for Roma, who have continued to monitor the 2006-born forward ahead of the January transfer window. The Giallorossi had come close to signing Endrick on loan during the summer before Mourinho intervened to retain him at the Bernabéu. Interest has resurfaced because of the limited playing time Endrick has received at the start of this season, prompting Roma and other European clubs to renew their pursuit. Mourinho's latest stance suggests he plans to block any departure attempt again, convinced he can revive Endrick's form directly at Madrid. When asked in a press conference today whether he might use his encounter with Mourinho to discuss Endrick, Roma head coach Gian Piero Gasperini smiled but deflected the question. Gasperini said: "Right now the January market is something that doesn't interest me." For Roma to realistically pursue Endrick in January, they will first need to persuade Real Madrid and overcome Mourinho's clear resistance to letting the player leave.

Roma travel to a Champions League test against Real Madrid at the Olimpico, with former manager José Mourinho returning to face his old club for the first time since leaving. The fixture comes after Roma's goalless draw with Como in Serie A. Gasperini will be without Svilar, sidelined for approximately one month, and will rely on Gollini in goal—a choice that has yielded positive performances in the league. Roma enter the match seeking a significant result after drawing 1–1 with Fenerbahce in the opening fixture of the Champions League League Phase. Dybala and Malen are expected to lead the attack. The match will be broadcast on television, with specific broadcast details and team selections confirmed closer to kickoff.

Roma host Real Madrid at the Olimpico in the second matchday of the Champions League League Phase, with head coach Gian Piero Gasperini having settled on his starting XI. Pierluigi Gollini will start in goal, with Gianluca Mancini, Evan N'Dicka and Mario Hermoso forming the defence. Nahuel Molina and Wesley are set to operate on the flanks, while Marten De Roon will partner Manu Koné in midfield as Bryan Cristante remains unavailable. Matías Soulé will play behind Paulo Dybala and Donyell Malen in attack. The midfield pairing of De Roon and Koné faces the task of withstanding Real Madrid's central dominance and providing intensity and cover during transitions. Gasperini is placing his faith in the attacking unit that offers the greatest technical guarantees and threat. The only meaningful defensive debate involves Leonardo Balerdi pressing Mario Hermoso for a place, while Devyne Rensch represents an alternative on the right flank—though Molina appears favoured to start from the opening whistle. Donyell Malen will make his first start despite the red card he received on Sunday against Como. Roma's probable formation (3-4-1-2): Gollini; Mancini, N'Dicka, Hermoso; Molina, De Roon, Koné, Wesley; Soulé; Dybala, Malen. The club will field itself without particular calculation, ready to challenge Real Madrid with its own identity and with the Olimpico expected to drive the team through one of the most prestigious evenings in recent years.

Roma travel to face Real Madrid tonight with Gasperini's side unbeaten across league and Champions League action so far this season. Paulo Dybala will lead the Giallorossi's ambitions in a stellar encounter, though the Argentine has yet to break his run without a goal. Despite his technical quality and the threat Dybala poses, he has misfired when it matters—a pattern that came into sharper focus recently at Como, where he wasted a clear opportunity. Donyell Malen has been scoring regularly, which has masked Dybala's drought, but when both forwards go quiet the problem becomes apparent. The fixture represents the kind of high-stage moment where elite players typically elevate their game. Roma are ready to produce a positive result, and Dybala is primed to end his goal drought at the Olimpico in the type of magical display his supporters crave. The Argentine wants to turn his barren spell into a decisive contribution—a performance worthy of the occasion against one of European football's heavyweight sides.

Roma travel to a Champions League test against Real Madrid at the Olimpico, with former manager José Mourinho returning to face his old club for the first time since leaving. The fixture comes after Roma's goalless draw with Como in Serie A. Gasperini will be without Svilar, sidelined for approximately one month, and will rely on Gollini in goal—a choice that has yielded positive performances in the league. Roma enter the match seeking a significant result after drawing 1–1 with Fenerbahce in the opening fixture of the Champions League League Phase. Dybala and Malen are expected to lead the attack. The match will be broadcast on television, with specific broadcast details and team selections confirmed closer to kickoff.

Roma host Real Madrid at the Olimpico in the second matchday of the Champions League League Phase, with head coach Gian Piero Gasperini having settled on his starting XI. Pierluigi Gollini will start in goal, with Gianluca Mancini, Evan N'Dicka and Mario Hermoso forming the defence. Nahuel Molina and Wesley are set to operate on the flanks, while Marten De Roon will partner Manu Koné in midfield as Bryan Cristante remains unavailable. Matías Soulé will play behind Paulo Dybala and Donyell Malen in attack. The midfield pairing of De Roon and Koné faces the task of withstanding Real Madrid's central dominance and providing intensity and cover during transitions. Gasperini is placing his faith in the attacking unit that offers the greatest technical guarantees and threat. The only meaningful defensive debate involves Leonardo Balerdi pressing Mario Hermoso for a place, while Devyne Rensch represents an alternative on the right flank—though Molina appears favoured to start from the opening whistle. Donyell Malen will make his first start despite the red card he received on Sunday against Como. Roma's probable formation (3-4-1-2): Gollini; Mancini, N'Dicka, Hermoso; Molina, De Roon, Koné, Wesley; Soulé; Dybala, Malen. The club will field itself without particular calculation, ready to challenge Real Madrid with its own identity and with the Olimpico expected to drive the team through one of the most prestigious evenings in recent years.

Roma travel to face Real Madrid tonight with Gasperini's side unbeaten across league and Champions League action so far this season. Paulo Dybala will lead the Giallorossi's ambitions in a stellar encounter, though the Argentine has yet to break his run without a goal. Despite his technical quality and the threat Dybala poses, he has misfired when it matters—a pattern that came into sharper focus recently at Como, where he wasted a clear opportunity. Donyell Malen has been scoring regularly, which has masked Dybala's drought, but when both forwards go quiet the problem becomes apparent. The fixture represents the kind of high-stage moment where elite players typically elevate their game. Roma are ready to produce a positive result, and Dybala is primed to end his goal drought at the Olimpico in the type of magical display his supporters crave. The Argentine wants to turn his barren spell into a decisive contribution—a performance worthy of the occasion against one of European football's heavyweight sides.

Roma have a troubling record after international breaks. Across the last two seasons—2024–25 and 2025–26—the Giallorossi returned to action eight times following domestic breaks and won only twice, a pattern that will concern Gian Piero Gasperini ahead of Sunday's trip to Como, which marks the team's restart. The streak began in September 2024 under Daniele De Rossi. After opening defeats, Roma drew 1–1 away at Genoa, with Koni De Winter equalising in the 96th minute. De Rossi was sacked two days later and replaced by Ivan Juric. The next break brought no relief: on 20 October, Roma lost 1–0 at home to Inter. That defeat preceded Juric's own departure and the arrival of Claudio Ranieri. On 24 November, Ranieri's first game back after a break ended in a 1–0 loss at Napoli. Only in spring 2025 did Roma secure their first post-break win of the 2024–25 season, beating Lecce 1–0 away—their sole victory in four such restarts that year. The trend persisted into 2025–26. Gasperini's first post-break match came on 15 September when Torino won 1–0 at the Olimpico. In October, Roma faced Inter again and again lost 1–0 at home despite a positive display. Victory finally arrived in November: away at Cremonese, Roma won 3–1, with goals from Matías Soulé, Evan Ferguson and Wesley. That remains their second and most recent post-break success across the eight matches studied. April brought another heavy defeat, losing 5–2 at Inter; however, Roma responded by winning six of their final seven league matches to secure third place and Champions League qualification.

Gian Piero Gasperini spoke at the Trento Sports Festival on 2 October, discussing the foundations he has laid at Roma since his appointment and his vision for the season ahead. The Roma head coach outlined his tactical philosophy and explained how he has worked with the squad over the early weeks of the 2026–27 campaign. "My objective was to create something new, to lay new foundations straight away," Gasperini said. "We never spoke about my past; we had to create something new, based on new concepts of play that were different from what several players were used to. There are two ways in football: waiting for your opponent to lose the ball, or the other way—going to take it. This was the first concept, not to wait for the opponent, and everything else came from that." Gasperini praised his defensive options, singling out Mario Hermoso and Gianluca Mancini as key figures. He described the defence as his "gladiators," adding that Mile Svilar and Evan N'Dicka have been among Europe's best in recent months. On Mancini specifically, Gasperini revealed he had worked to improve the centre-back's attitude: "I knew Mancini, but when I was his opponent I'd think to myself, 'Why is he so unpleasant?' and I tried to tell him straight away, 'Look, this is hurting you—for many years you haven't gone to the national team because of these attitudes.' It was the first thing I worked on. He had a fantastic season, people started talking about Mancini as a player again, and he's returned to the national team." Gasperini offered extensive insight into Paulo Dybala's resurgence, attributing the Argentine forward's improved fitness to his training methods. "He's started as hasn't happened to him for years. I knew him at Palermo when he was very young; many years have passed but he, like all great players, still has enthusiasm and strength," Gasperini explained. "He had years of physical fragility. I thought it was a training issue. Many told me he had silk muscles, that I had to preserve him, and he kept getting injured. He has remarkable fibre; some injuries were random. This season's start is extraordinary physically. He doesn't miss a minute of training or matches. This shows what I've always believed: through training you can improve durability and performances." Regarding Dybala's reluctance to shoot from distance, Gasperini noted: "That's a legacy we'll get over soon. He got injured shooting with Milan and Torino last year and it stayed with him. Now he's overcoming it; he stopped sprinting and to see him jumping past opponents again... we'll return to shooting like before." When asked if he has coached better poets than Dybala, Gasperini responded: "I have a long career and have trained many strong players. Dybala is among the top, if not the absolute top. Ilicic and the Papu too—they're poets because they touch different strings from everyone else." Gasperini discussed young academy prospects Emanuele Lulli and Niccolò Pisilli, explaining his approach to youth development: "I grew up in the youth sector, coaching 11-year-olds through to the Primavera. I've maintained that approach and it's taught me to see the boy not as something to evaluate but as something to imagine how he might become. Pisilli already had value and experience; Lulli wasn't even always a starter in the Primavera. I have the habit of bringing a few boys from Primavera into training. I saw important characteristics in him and this year I brought him to the retreat. He played against Borussia Dortmund, a demanding match. These are the boys who tell you by how they play if they're ready. The answers come from watching them on the pitch." On Bryan Cristante, Gasperini confirmed a knee injury: "He had a knee problem but when you play many matches, if you're out two weeks you risk missing five matches. He'll miss the first games but will recover quickly." Donyell Malen's arrival was described as unexpected: "Sometimes the planets align and things happen you don't think about. He was a known player; we'd had a friendly where I saw his characteristics. These things happen during the market where you sometimes don't plan anything. We were looking for a striker because Dovbyk and Ferguson were injured. There were several names and suddenly I learned of this opportunity. He was leaving Aston Villa for tactical reasons; he wanted to be a centre-forward and I've always seen those characteristics in him. He has three fundamental touches—the closer he is to the box, the more deadly he is."

Gian Piero Gasperini spoke at the ninth edition of Il Festival dello Sport in Trento alongside new Roma CEO Galantic, discussing the club's strong start to the season and his first months in charge. The coach explained his vision from day one: "My objective was to create something new, to lay new foundations immediately. We never spoke of my past—we had to build something fresh, founded on new concepts of play that were different from what several players were used to. There are two ways in football: waiting for the opponent to lose the ball or going to take it. This was the first concept, not waiting for the opponent, and everything else stemmed from that." Gasperini praised his defence, singling out Gianluca Mancini and Mario Hermoso as standouts. On Mancini specifically: "I knew him, but when I was his opponent I'd think 'why is he so disagreeable?' and I told him straight away 'this penalises you—for years you haven't gone to the national team because of these attitudes.' It was the first thing I worked on. He had a fantastic season, people started talking about Mancini as a player again, and he returned to the Nazionale." Hermoso, he said, brought defensive grit combined with Spanish quality and important experience from his time at Atlético Madrid. Gasperini also highlighted Mile Svilar and Evan N'Dicka, noting they had been Europe's best defence for months. On Paulo Dybala's remarkable form, Gasperini revealed his belief that the Argentine's previous injury problems stemmed from training rather than fragility. "Lots of people told me he has silk muscles, that I had to preserve him, and he kept getting injured. He has remarkable fibre—some injuries were just bad luck. This season's start is extraordinary physically. He doesn't miss a minute of training or a match. It's proof of what I always believed: through training you can improve resilience and performance." When asked if Dybala's recent shot from distance showed progress, Gasperini explained: "That's a legacy we're overcoming soon. Last year he hurt himself shooting against Milan and Torino and it stayed with him. Now he's getting past it—he wasn't sprinting anymore and to see him jumping over opponents again is great. Soon we'll be back to shooting like before." He also offered high praise for Dybala's overall quality: "My career is long and I've coached many strong players. Dybala is among the top, if not the absolute top. Ilicic and the Papu too—they're poets because they touch chords different from everyone else." Gasperini discussed some younger squad members who have impressed him. On Emanuele Lulli, who was not always a starter in the Primavera: "I have the habit of bringing some young players from the Primavera into training. I saw important characteristics in him and this year brought him to the retreat. He played against Borussia Dortmund, a challenging match. The young players tell you through how they play if they're ready. The answers come from watching them on the pitch." He also defended recent criticism of another academy product: "It's another young man who grew through our youth system. He's very interesting. I was sorry about what happened last week—it seemed we'd found the player to fix the Nazionale and then he was excessively criticised. Perhaps it's the adults who need to stay calm in their judgment." On Santiago Castro's arrival, Gasperini said: "Sometimes the planets align and things happen you don't plan. He was a known player—we had a friendly where I saw his characteristics. The market is a place where sometimes you don't plan anything. We were looking for a striker because Dovbyk and Ferguson were injured. There were several names and suddenly I learned of this opportunity. He was leaving Aston Villa for tactical reasons; he wanted to be a centre-forward and I've always seen those qualities in him. He has three fundamental touches, and the closer he is to the box the more lethal he is." When pressed on whether Castro could surpass Gonzalo Higuaín's records, Gasperini said: "I said that to motivate him—I'm joking a bit. Let's say if he reaches 30 I'm happy." Gasperini reflected on his decision to leave Atalanta for Roma, calling it a major turning point in his career—comparable only to his shift from playing to management and his move to Crotone in Serie C. "I arrived with the conviction it was something owed rather than wanted, and that it was time to cross the Rubicon. You do it with lots of doubts, but you know when you make that choice you don't go back, and it's gone well." On the season's challenges ahead, he rejected the idea of being solely focused on rivals: "I always look at our path. Depending on the moment, Hannibal could be someone else. Before it was Juventus, now perhaps Inter, who is the best team in Italy. If you always chase the strongest you can lose yourself. The objective is to look at ourselves and improve."