Gasperini picks his ideal Roma XI from history

AS Roma are preparing a contract renewal for defender Emanuele Lulli that will extend his deal until 2031, with negotiations expected to begin next week. The 2007-born left-back, promoted from the Primavera to the first team, has impressed head coach Gian Piero Gasperini during the summer and the early stages of the season. His current contract expires in June 2027, prompting the club to move swiftly on fresh terms. Lulli will return from international duty with Italy's Under 21 squad, who play a decisive European qualifying match against Poland on Monday in Pescara, before talks commence. The club hold confidence in reaching an agreement quickly, backed by Gasperini's endorsement. According to TMW, the new contract will see his salary rise significantly to nearly one million euros per year.

Roma are preparing to open contract negotiations with defender Emanuele Lulli, whose current deal expires at the end of the season. The young defender has earned increasing prominence in Gian Piero Gasperini's hierarchy this season, prompting the club to act on his breakthrough form. Talks are expected to begin when Lulli returns to the capital following the conclusion of the Italy Under-21 camp he is currently attending. The club's priority is to secure Lulli on fresh terms and protect one of the standout performers in Roma's opening to the 2026-27 campaign. The new contract is taking shape around a salary of approximately one million euros per year, reflecting Roma's commitment to rewarding the 2007-born player's development and tying down a talent who has established himself as one of the season's most impressive young prospects.

Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini and Roma CEO Galantic assembled their ideal Roma eleven at the Festival dello Sport in Trento on the evening of 2 October, selecting a 4-3-1-2 formation populated by club legends from different eras. The exercise produced deliberation and tough omissions, but resulted in a final team built on symbols of Roma's history. Franco Tancredi was chosen as goalkeeper, with Cafu, Aldair, Walter Samuel and Sebino Nela forming the defence. Midfield featured Paulo Roberto Falcao in the holding role, flanked by Daniele De Rossi and Agostino Di Bartolomei. Gabriel Omar Batistuta and Bruno Conti filled the forward positions, while Francesco Totti occupied the playmaker spot behind them. Gasperini closed the exercise with a remark that drew smiles from the Trento audience: "If you give them to me, I'll get them on the pitch, eh". The full lineup read: Tancredi; Cafu, Aldair, Samuel, Nela; De Rossi, Falcao, Di Bartolomei; Totti; Batistuta, Conti.