Gasperini recovers midfield duo: El Aynaoui and Pisilli back in contention

Roma began their first full day of pre-season training at Cardiff on 1 August 2026, the day after arriving in Wales. Head coach Gasperini's squad will hold a light training session at the Vale Resort sports centre before travelling to the stadium for a friendly against Cardiff City, scheduled for 15:00 local time (16:00 Italian time). The match will give fans their first chance to see Santiago Castro in Roma colours. Roma's summer preparations continue under Gasperini's management as the team builds fitness and cohesion ahead of the 2026-27 season. The Cardiff camp marks a key phase of their pre-season schedule, combining structured training with competitive action.

Roma started their pre-season campaign in Wales on 1 August, with a morning training session at Hensol followed by a friendly against Cardiff City at the Cardiff City Stadium, kicking off at 15:00 (16:00 Italian time). All eyes were on Castro, who was set for his debut, while Neil El Aynaoui returned from holiday and is fully available for head coach Gian Piero Gasperini. The majority of the squad was available, with Robinio Vaz having recovered from injury and Niccolò Pisilli progressing in his rehabilitation and expected to rejoin the group in the coming days. The club's pre-season schedule continued with another training session scheduled for 2 August at the sports complex, open to supporters and media. A second friendly fixture against Newport follows on 3 August at 19:00.

Roma are intensifying their pursuit of Feyenoord left-back Givairo Read as they seek to strengthen their defensive options for head coach Gasperini. A Roma delegation travelled to Rotterdam yesterday to negotiate a deal for the 20-year-old, offering €25 million (€23m plus €2m in bonuses), according to Gazzetta dello Sport. Roma director D'Amico did not travel with the squad to Wales as he conducted his various rounds across Europe. Nottingham Forest are also in the race for Read, though their offer is lower at €19m plus €2m in bonuses. Nottingham have reportedly already agreed terms with the player on a five-year contract worth €20 million total — €4 million per season. Roma must now either match that financial offer or convince Read with a lower salary, potentially around €3 million annually, while dangling the possibility of Champions League football.

Roma started their pre-season campaign in Wales on 1 August, with a morning training session at Hensol followed by a friendly against Cardiff City at the Cardiff City Stadium, kicking off at 15:00 (16:00 Italian time). All eyes were on Castro, who was set for his debut, while Neil El Aynaoui returned from holiday and is fully available for head coach Gian Piero Gasperini. The majority of the squad was available, with Robinio Vaz having recovered from injury and Niccolò Pisilli progressing in his rehabilitation and expected to rejoin the group in the coming days. The club's pre-season schedule continued with another training session scheduled for 2 August at the sports complex, open to supporters and media. A second friendly fixture against Newport follows on 3 August at 19:00.

Neil El Aynaoui has returned to training ahead of Roma's friendly against Cardiff in Wales after an extended break, and will feature in this afternoon's match. The midfielder has emerged as a target for other European clubs following a prominent World Cup campaign with Morocco and Aston Villa's recent approach, though the Birmingham club has not yet made a formal move. Manchester United continue to monitor Manu Koné, with ongoing contact with his representatives but no official bid submitted as yet; Koné will not travel to Wales and is currently on holiday in Miami. El Aynaoui struggled to earn Gasperini's trust early in his first season at Roma, but made a significant impact during the final month of last season's Champions League push, contributing a goal, an assist, and a notable derby performance deputising for the injured Koné. Niccolò Pisilli is also in Wales but will not play today as he continues recovery from a grade-one soleus muscle injury sustained more than a week ago, which forced him to miss matches against Trastevere and Cannes. The midfielder travelled with the squad yesterday and is expected to rejoin group training around mid-week, with full availability for Gasperini to follow once his condition improves.

Roma arrived in Wales for their pre-season training camp on Tuesday, though roughly an hour behind schedule after switching flights due to an operational issue. The squad will be based at Vale Resort in Hensol and face Cardiff City in their opening friendly at Cardiff City Stadium on Wednesday at 16:00 local time (15:00 UK time). No morning training session is scheduled before the match. Santiago Castro, who has completed initial work at Trigoria, is primed to feature after his recent arrival, with Donyell Malen set to start as the sole new signing present. Matteo Koulierakis has not yet arrived for his medical examination; he is expected in the capital on Wednesday before joining the squad in Wales. Niccolò Pisilli has been recalled to the group as he continues recovery from a left soleus muscle injury but will not play. Robinio Vaz has fully recovered from injury and is available, while Neil El Aynaoui has returned after extended leave following World Cup duties. Approximately 10,000 tickets have been sold for the fixture. Shuttle bus services will operate every 15 minutes on route 95 between Cardiff city centre and the stadium from Wood Street (stop JB), beginning two hours before kickoff and running until the crowd has dispersed. Gates open at 13:30—90 minutes before the 15:00 local start. Around 100 Roma supporters are expected to attend.

Roma started their pre-season campaign in Wales on 1 August, with a morning training session at Hensol followed by a friendly against Cardiff City at the Cardiff City Stadium, kicking off at 15:00 (16:00 Italian time). All eyes were on Castro, who was set for his debut, while Neil El Aynaoui returned from holiday and is fully available for head coach Gian Piero Gasperini. The majority of the squad was available, with Robinio Vaz having recovered from injury and Niccolò Pisilli progressing in his rehabilitation and expected to rejoin the group in the coming days. The club's pre-season schedule continued with another training session scheduled for 2 August at the sports complex, open to supporters and media. A second friendly fixture against Newport follows on 3 August at 19:00.

Roma have not completed any significant departures during the current transfer window, despite extensive speculation over outgoing moves. The club declined offers from Inter for Mancini and N'Dicka, from Juventus for Svilar (€42 million) and from Porto for Pisilli (€22 million). Atlético Madrid also made an offer for Koné, though Manchester United are reportedly interested in the midfielder. The decision to retain key players appears to have been made by the Friedkin Group at the request of head coach Gasperini, who wanted to maintain squad competitiveness. Roma needed to engineer profitable sales to address Financial Fair Play regulations with UEFA, following an extension of the compliance deadline. By allowing the 31 July transfer deadline to pass without moving on any of their leading talents, the club has deferred resolving this situation. As a result, Roma face disciplinary action from UEFA's headquarters in Nyon, with a ruling expected in November. The club anticipates a fine of €10–12 million and a restriction on squad size for European competitions in 2027–28, reducing the permitted roster from 25 to 22 players. More severe penalties — such as a ban on fielding newly signed players or exclusion from competitions — are considered unlikely.

Roma travelled to Wales on Thursday afternoon to begin the second phase of their pre-season preparation, based at the Vale Resort in Hensol until 8 August. The squad departed Rome's Fiumicino airport with a one-hour flight delay but arrived in Cardiff in the evening. Gian Piero Gasperini named seven young players for the camp: defenders Mannini, Nardin, Reale and Lulli, midfielders Panico and Bah, and forward Charubini. Midfielder Niccolò Pisilli, recovering from a soleus injury, also travelled with the group and will continue his rehabilitation. Director D'Amico did not travel, and defender Koulierakis will join after completing medical tests in Rome. Roma will conduct double training sessions and friendlies throughout the camp to assess their preparation. The first test comes at 16:00 Italian time today against Cardiff at Cardiff City Stadium. Gasperini is intent on building continuity from pre-season work at Trigoria and has no time to waste in constructing a strong season. The squad remains awaiting additional reinforcements from the transfer market.