Gasperini Pushes for Summerville Decision in Coming Days

Atalanta sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli confirmed that Marten de Roon requested a move to Roma during the transfer window that has just closed. Speaking at a press conference to present Frank Kessié, Giuntoli said: "When a player asks to leave, you have to listen to him. He asked us to go to Roma and we threw ourselves at Kessié." De Roon joined Roma's squad this summer after spending the previous season with Atalanta. Giuntoli explained Atalanta's approach to the midfielder's departure: "We're sorry, but we have to turn the page and move forward. Kessié is a player with personality who can help us in this new Atalanta." The signing of Kessié was presented as the club's solution to replacing the departing midfielder.

Zeki Çelik's departure this summer has proven beneficial for Roma, with the Turkish defender struggling at his new club while the Giallorossi have found capable alternatives. Çelik, who had agreed a renewal with Roma before changing his mind to join another side, has posted uninspiring numbers in his opening matches. Against Milan yesterday he recorded zero successful crosses, matching the same figure across his previous two outings against Parma and Frosinone. Social media criticism has already mounted, with fans questioning the absence of a 'Çelik cam'—a reference to a video DAZN produced weeks earlier following his first friendly appearance. His exit has cleared the path for Emanuele Lulli, who has become integral to Gasperini's setup. Initially withdrawn from the transfer market, Lulli started in all three of Roma's opening matches and has impressed the coaching staff considerably. Equally significant is the emergence of Nahuel Molina, the Argentine fullback who is continuing to build his fitness following Argentina's run to the World Cup final. Against Atalanta, Molina made a decisive 36-minute appearance, creating multiple dangerous situations and setting up a header from Santiago Castro that struck the crossbar. He recorded 100 per cent of tackles won and 90 per cent pass accuracy. Roma's first Champions League fixture arrives Thursday against Feyenoord, with Molina and Lulli in direct competition for the fullback berth. Molina's experience in high-pressure stadiums should serve him well as Roma prepare for what the article describes as an extremely hostile environment.

Roma are prioritising the January transfer window over free-agent signings to strengthen their squad, with left-back Jayden Oosterwolde and forward Endrick among their targets. According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Roma had agreed a €17 million deal with Oosterwolde but pulled out after medicals revealed his injury was more severe than initially expected. However, if he recovers in the coming months, both parties are expected to resume negotiations. Roma are also pursuing attacking reinforcements alongside Oosterwolde, with Endrick and Luiz Henrique identified as priorities. Per Corriere dello Sport, the Real Madrid forward has reportedly told Wesley and Brazilian teammates that a move to Rome could materialise in January. Roma and AC Milan both attempted to persuade Real Madrid to loan out Endrick, but José Mourinho refused to release him. The situation could change if Endrick fails to secure regular playing time or underperforms, potentially opening the door in coming months. Milan subsequently signed Omari Hutchison after missing out on their own targets. Roma's continued focus on Oosterwolde despite their withdrawal suggests eventual acquisition remains likely. The club has free-agent left-back options available but shows no interest in pursuing them, indicating they are not desperate for defensive reinforcements. With Matías Soulé and Paulo Dybala performing well in attacking roles, Roma appear reluctant to add another left-footed forward at this stage.

Roma's radio stations have given their verdicts on Saturday's victory over Atalanta, with commentators split between praising the performance and assessing the squad's depth ahead of the Champions League debut on Thursday. Piero Torri of Radio Manà Manà said: "For now Roma are on full points alongside Inter, and these are certainly positive responses. From now until December it will all be a question of injuries: if Roma are not hit by injuries, their squad is sufficient. In any case, Pisilli and Rensch remained on the bench on Saturday, then Pellegrini will return. Without excessive problems, then, the squad is sufficient; in January you can possibly fine-tune something at a quantitative level. In any case, you have 21 players, and good ones too: if you put them on the pitch you don't have a collapse in quality." Torri added that when a team functions well, a player rated 6 can look like an 8. Francesco Balzani highlighted Balerdi's impact as a substitute, calling it "decisive" and praising the victory as "a win in the Mourinho style with Gasperini's football." Antonio Felici stressed that the win over Atalanta showed Roma can succeed even when facing difficulty in the 90 minutes, representing "the victory of self-awareness." Simone Valdarchi echoed the praise for Gasperini's tactical substitutions, saying Balerdi in particular "changed the inertia of the match" and allowed Roma to escape the difficulties created by Krstović and return to dominating play. Nando Orsi noted Roma have scored 10 goals so far and represent "a complete team where everyone can score," calling them underperformers on 9 points in the league table. Lorenzo Pes said Gasperini's next step is convincing Dybala he can score again, noting the striker will want to feature in Thursday's Champions League debut.

Roma's remarkable late comeback against Atalanta has impressed pundit Lele Adani, who analysed the performance on La Domenica Sportiva. Mario Hermoso equalised in the 89th minute before Roma scored again within three minutes, with Adani highlighting the intensity of the attack: Matías Soulé, Paulo Dybala and Santiago Castro all shot during that spell, firing once every 40 seconds in September heat at the Stadio Olimpico with the thermometer at 35 degrees. Adani drew parallels to Gasperini's Atalanta sides, describing Roma's display as an act of faith rather than conventional football. He was struck by Roma's persistence in creating chances even when the match appeared lost and the crowd's overwhelming support. The club completed 39 shots across the entire fixture, which Adani called epic football shaped by the team's determination to attack in the final minutes.

Roma claimed a dramatic late victory against Atalanta on Saturday, with goals from Mario Hermoso and Matías Soulé securing the win in the final moments despite playing in 35-degree heat at the third matchday of the season. Lele Adani praised head coach Gian Piero Gasperini's influence on the performance during La domenica sportiva, drawing comparisons to the Atalanta teams Gasperini previously managed. Adani highlighted Roma's attacking intensity in the decisive phase. "The Roma drew level in the 89th minute with Hermoso, then scored three minutes later," Adani said. "In those minutes they shot four times, so once every 40 seconds. They shot from Soulé, Dybala, Castro, and then Matías scored. Atalanta's Gasperini used to do this because his matches are acts of faith—it wasn't a football match but a piece of history, and then the Olimpico drowns you out. Roma had 39 shots; it was an epic match."

Santiago Castro entered Roma's match against Atalanta at the 62nd minute as an unlikely substitute, replacing the league's in-form forward Donyell Malen, yet the move proved to be the turning point in a game the hosts trailed. In his brief appearance, Castro struck the post and crossbar while providing two key passes, underscoring the quality of Roma's bench and prompting head coach Gian Piero Gasperini to praise his aggression. The Argentine's introduction illustrated the gulf between Roma's attacking depth now and the crisis that plagued them throughout the previous season. Last season Gasperini struggled with inadequate backup at centre-forward. Artem Dovbyk managed only 386 minutes in the league, while Evan Ferguson accumulated 776; injuries to both forced the coach into makeshift solutions, sometimes fielding a lone striker. Malen's January arrival from Dortmund transformed the dynamic, yet even then Gasperini was stretched thin managing the Dutchman's workload in a frenetic system that demands fresh energy. Castro's arrival this summer completes the picture. The forward combines goal-scoring instinct, the ability to run channels, ball retention and defensive work rate—qualities already evident in his early outings in red and gold. Gasperini's post-match verdict captured the shift: "The changes were good and that's what we were looking for—to complete this squad with substitutes who could give important help across matches. In finishing and in the forward area we were good, but we lacked intensity. We were sometimes too neat, aside from Castro's post and crossbar." Against Atalanta, Castro fired four shots—two on target and two off the woodwork—laying down a marker as a genuine alternative to Malen. Soulé scored, Molina offered fresh options on the flank and Balerdi commanded the defence like a squad veteran. Gasperini acknowledged the possibility of using both attackers together: "Castro and Malen together? It's an idea for the future. They can coexist, definitely. They can play together. We'll see; we're doing evaluations now. We'll have many matches so there will be chances for everyone and also to vary these systems." The contrast with previous seasons is stark. Roma's manager can now turn to a bench and find genuine competition for the starting eleven rather than, as José Mourinho once lamented, mere children. The scale of available rotation across the squad—particularly in attack and defence—represents a luxury rarely seen at Trigoria in recent years.

Artem Dovbyk scored for the first time in eight months, netting Bologna's equaliser against Sassuolo in the 91st minute. The Ukrainian striker, on loan from Roma with a purchase option, grabbed the ball and sprinted towards the corner flag in celebration, removing his shirt and earning a yellow card for the act. Dovbyk's goal came after a spell marked by injury and poor form since arriving at Bologna on loan this summer. The 2–2 draw represents a turning point for the forward, who was unable to find the net during a difficult period at Roma before departing.

Roma continue to monitor Oosterwolde with a view to January, despite the Dutch player undergoing surgical intervention on a muscle tear that has sidelined him for three months. Oosterwolde arrived in the capital towards the end of August but failed to pass his medical examination due to the injury, which required surgery performed in Finland by the same surgeon who has treated Paulo Dybala, Lorenzo Pellegrini and Artem Dovbyk in recent seasons. The setback disappointed Oosterwolde, who had not initially anticipated being absent for the next three months. Roma's interest remains active as they assess his recovery trajectory, with a potential window for integration into the squad opening in the new year.

Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini exploded with emotion when Matías Soulé scored, sprinting toward the Curva Sud in a moment that recalled José Mourinho's famous touchline celebration in September 2021, when Stephan El Shaarawy netted in the 91st minute against Sassuolo. The comparison was striking: both managers had been unable to contain their joy at critical moments, running to embrace the supporters. Yesterday's display suggested Gasperini is restoring the emotional intensity that Mourinho once brought to the Olimpico. The exuberance was infectious, yet it came to an abrupt halt. A staff member physically stopped Gasperini before he could reach the touchline—not to dampen the celebration, but to protect him from a second yellow card. The coach was already on a caution, and a further offense would have meant a ban for Roma's next fixture, a sensitive away trip to Turin. The intervention, though it cut short the moment, was tactically essential. Gasperini's desire to celebrate was unmistakable, but the immediate need to preserve his availability for the coming matches took precedence. The incident encapsulated what has shifted at Roma: the club has rediscovered emotion and connection with its supporters under Gasperini's leadership. The Curva Sud will wait for their manager's unreserved embrace—though likely not for much longer.

AS Roma faces UEFA review of its settlement agreement compliance after a summer transfer window costing approximately 125 million euros in purchases and 30 million in sales, with capital gains reaching only 25 million. The club will defend its position to UEFA at Nyon by highlighting a dramatic reduction in the wage bill—the primary evidence it claims of its sustainability strategy. Last season the payroll exceeded 133 million euros gross; it has now fallen to around 113 million, moving closer to the 100-million target. The wage cuts stem largely from player departures including Zaragoza, Çelik, Angeliño, Tsimikas, El Shaarawy and Dovbyk. The signing of Santiago Castro, a younger player with a lower salary spread across multiple years, exemplifies Roma's shift in strategy. Significant savings also came from the exits of El Aynaoui, Vaz, Ziółkowski and Kumbulla. Contract renewals for Dybala, Mancini, Cristante and Pellegrini followed the same model, reducing the fixed portion of salaries in favour of performance and appearance bonuses; these four extensions alone saved approximately 15 million euros. New arrivals Castro, Mora, Koulierakis, Molina, Balerdi and De Roon will cost around 25 million euros gross combined. Roma's overall wage reduction stands close to 45 million euros, reflecting the club's revised commercial approach as it attempts to satisfy UEFA's conditions set out in the 2022 settlement agreement.

Radio pundits across Rome's main sports stations have weighed in on the club's summer transfer window, with assessments ranging from 5.5 to 7.5 out of 10. The dominant theme is that Roma has strengthened their squad depth significantly but failed to address the most pressing gap: a left-sided winger to compete with Paulo Dybala and Donyell Malen in attack. Fabio Petruzzi gave the window 7.5, saying: "I'm optimistic: Roma is now clearly much stronger, as a squad, in mentality, as players. Between those who left and those who arrived there is a big difference. Between Balerdi and Ziolkowski there is a big difference, between Mora and El Shaarawy there is a big difference, but also between Castro and Dovbyk. For me you are now the second team behind Inter. Roma and Como in my view are up there; Roma has a bit more than the Lombards. There is a touch of disappointment—with something extra now you would be attached to Inter. But my rating is 7.5." Francesca Ferrazza graded it six, saying it would have been seven with Leweling and eight with Greenwood, and called the absence of a left winger "madness." She noted: "Gasperini closes his third transfer window without a left-sided forward. It's madness. The squad is wider, but a starter is missing up front." Other voices offered lower marks. Paolo Cosenza gave 5.5, arguing the bench is too thin and that Gasperini had asked for both a high and low left-sided winger but Roma supplied neither. Lorenzo Pes pointed out there is no left-footed fullback and that deals for Leweling and initially an alternative fell through, with reports of regime indecision before a revised offer to the German was made but rejected. Roberto Pruzzo awarded six, saying: "You've widened the options, you have two very strong centre-forwards. Castro in my view could play in any team in the championship, I won't even mention Malen. Mora will be able to help from the bench. You needed to sign a winger and it didn't happen, and so that's my assessment. There is no new starter compared to last year." Piero Torri suggested Roma may explore free agents including Sancho or Sterling to address the problem, saying: "I believe Roma will think about it. If Dybala stays fit over the coming months, the problem doesn't exist, because Dybala and Malen play there, and then you pick the third. If luck smiles on Roma and from now until 31 December, the absence of the left winger can become less damaging. But in any case I would go out and get a seventh player up front." The window closed with the squad expanded but incomplete.