Gasperini seeks clarity on Roma's stalled market and contract renewals

Giuseppe Cionci, an agent and intermediary who participated in Ante Coric's transfer to Roma in 2018, has returned to working on club operations in recent months, including involvement in the signings of Konstantinos Koulierakis and Donyell Malen. The reappearance is striking because a protracted legal battle between Corner Sport Management—the company to which Cionci is attached—and Roma remains unresolved over the Coric transaction. Cionici was among the intermediaries involved in last summer's transfer of Koulierakis from Wolfsburg to Roma for €16.5 million. He also took part in negotiations for Malen's arrival in January. His return marks a sharp reversal after years in which his name had essentially disappeared from Roma's radar at Trigoria following the Coric deal, which brought the Croatian midfielder to the capital with high expectations but quickly unravelled into a sporting failure. The legal dispute centres on two separate claims by Corner Sport Management. The first involves an injunction for €216,550 in intermediation fees related to the Coric deal. In January 2024 the Rome Court annulled the representation contract and ordered Roma to recover approximately €800,000 already paid. Corner appealed, and the Court of Appeal suspended the ruling's enforcement. The decisive hearing is scheduled for 13 November. A second legal action, stemming from a further €200,000 injunction from Corner over the same Coric operation, remains open. The rapprochement between Cionci and Roma has been facilitated by his longstanding relationship with Pietro Leonardi, a figure in Roman football since the 1990s. A 2020 Financial Police report identified Cionci as Corner Sport Management's representative and linked Leonardi to the same company. The paradox is complete: even as the judicial matter born from Coric's purchase awaits resolution, Cionci has become operational in Roma's market dealings again. Eight years after the Coric case, a door that appeared permanently closed has reopened.

Roma have resumed training at Trigoria following a three-day break granted by head coach Gian Piero Gasperini, with preparations underway for Sunday's big match against Como. Gasperini has welcomed back most of the squad's international players. Italian internationals Gianluca Mancini, Daniele Ghilardi, Niccolò Pisilli and Emanuele Lulli, along with Evan N'Dicka, Konstantinos Koulierakis and young goalkeeper Giorgio De Marzi, completed recovery work. Manu Koné was expected to rejoin training today, with Rodrigo Mora to follow. Leonardo Balerdi, Matías Soulé and Santiago Castro attended Lionel Messi's farewell celebration with the Argentine national team during the night. The three Argentina internationals are due back in Rome tomorrow, though Gasperini is likely to see them on the pitch on Friday.

Giuseppe Cionci, the agent and intermediary who disappeared from Roma's orbit in 2018 after brokering the ill-fated signing of Ante Coric, has returned to work with the club under head coach Gian Piero Gasperini. Cionci's comeback is notable because Roma is still entangled in an active legal dispute with Corner Sport Management, the agency that represented Coric's transfer, even as that same intermediary plays a role in the club's current operations. The parallel proceedings underscore an unusual situation: the agent remains involved in fresh Roma dealings while contractual and financial disputes from his previous work remain unresolved in court. Coric, a Croatian prospect signed from Dinamo Zagreb in 2018 for over six million euros, failed to develop as expected and became the subject of competing legal claims. In January 2024, Rome's tribunal revoked an initial injunction for €216,550 obtained by Corner, declared the representation contract void, and ordered the agency to return €800,000 already paid by Roma. Corner appealed; the appeals court suspended the decision's enforceability. A second separate lawsuit over a €200,000 injunction sought by Corner in connection with the Coric deal also remains open, with the tribunal having suspended its provisional enforceability. Roma had previously severed ties with the agent over that contention. Cionci's reintegration began with the club's recent transfers. He was involved in the deal that brought Konstantinos Koulierakis to Roma from Wolfsburg on 31 July for €16.5 million, and had participated in the January signing of Donyell Malen. Pietro Leonardi, a long-standing business partner of Cionci's dating to their shared involvement in Monterotondo football in the early 1990s and later at Lodigiani, is credited with facilitating his return. A 2020 Guardia di Finanza report identified Cionci as representative of Corner Sport Management, the entity of which Leonardi is also part. The final hearing on the Koulierakis-era appeal is scheduled for 13 November.

Roma's full-backs have become a cornerstone of Gian Piero Gasperini's push to the top of Serie A, a marked shift from last season when they proved problematic. Wesley and Nahuel Molina are now among the club's key strengths, and both will start when Roma resume the league campaign against Como, where they will face manager Fabregas. The turnaround reflects Gasperini's tactical evolution since arriving at the club: in his first season, Wesley was the only defender fully convincing on the flanks, while Zeki Çelik had to make do elsewhere. Now the picture is entirely different. Gasperini has uncovered Emanuele Lulli in the course of the season, and Molina has gradually built his fitness, delivering quality and assists to Roma's attacking phase. For the Como fixture, Gasperini plans to deploy Molina on the right and Wesley on the left. The selection reflects not just Roma's attacking ambitions but also Gasperini's defensive strategy: by using two attacking full-backs, he aims to stretch Como's wide players—Baturina on one flank and Diao on the other—and occupy them throughout the match. Wesley, the more naturally offensive of the pair, will be tasked with driving forward and supporting the build-up play. Molina is likely to carry greater defensive responsibility, balancing his own contributions with the need to contain Como's threats on the wing.

Gian Piero Gasperini will deploy Nahuel Molina and Wesley as twin wingers in Roma's visit to Como, harnessing simultaneous attacking thrust down both flanks to counter Cesc Fabregas's side. With Molina fully recovered and Wesley in continued form, Roma will field two genuine wide operators capable of delivering width, high pressing and chances for the attacking midfielders. The tactical choice targets Como's possession-based play built around Baturina and Diao's unpredictability; Molina and Wesley are instructed to close down Como's wide references and attacking midfielders immediately, forcing them away from build-up play into long balls. In possession, the overlapping runs of Molina and Wesley will create lateral chains with Paulo Dybala and Matías Soulé, opening space for crosses and inside passes. Last season Roma's right wing relied solely on Wesley alongside the converted Zeki Çelik, but the club now possesses one of Serie A's strongest selections of wide midfielders. Gasperini's side has already created thirteen goalscoring actions from wide midfielders this season—second in the league behind Inter's fourteen. Wesley leads with seven goal contributions, followed by Molina on four and eighteen-year-old Emanuele Lulli, an academy product promoted to the first team, who has added two decisive contributions and demonstrates the depth of alternatives available on the flanks. A key feature of Gasperini's system is the tactical flexibility of both players. Wesley and Molina can interchange wings during matches without loss of effectiveness, alternating deep play and crosses with cuts inside on their stronger foot to link with the attacking midfielders. This constant switching prevents opposing defences from finding fixed reference points and allows Roma to vary attacking approaches throughout the game.

Zeki Çelik produced a costly error in Turkey's match against Italy in Bursa, clearing a corner kick directly to Alessandro Bastoni, who opened the scoring for the Azzurri. Italy dominated the fixture in a redemptive performance after losing to Belgium on Friday. Çelik's mistake was immediately seized upon by social media users, with Roma supporters among those criticising the defender's display. One Roma fan wrote: "La spazza Celik" (Çelik the sweeper), while others joked about whether a 'Çelik-cam' video would emerge—a reference to footage released by DAZN following Çelik's first friendly for Juventus. The Turkish international has endured a difficult start to his spell in Serie A, facing criticism not only from Roma fans but also from his country's supporters.

As Roma prepare for Sunday's trip to Como, former manager Rafa Benitez has outlined the match as a crucial test in the title race. Benitez described Roma as "the expression of Gasp: football at full pace, high pressing, immediate vertical passes", singling out the squad for praise ahead of a fixture he believes will offer significant pointers in the race to stay alongside the defending champions. Como striker Moise Kean returned early from international duty with a muscular strain, missing Turkey's match, but optimism is growing at the club that he will be available by Sunday; he will be managed carefully in the coming days. Nico Paz is also expected back at Mozzate on Thursday from Argentina. Legend Giuseppe Giannini analysed Como's tactical approach, identifying how Roma might exploit it. "The team of Fabregas has a purely Spanish style of play, based on ball possession and a dense network of passes," Giannini said. "And it is precisely in the nature of the Giallorossi to break up the opposition's play and launch the counter-attack." He highlighted Manu Koné's growing importance to the side's balance and tactical system, noting that his recent brace against Inter has added a new dimension to his threat in the penalty area. Benitez reserved specific praise for four Roma players: "Malen is devastating, Dybala has returned to his levels, Koné demolishes and pushes, Rodrigo Mora comes in and breaks the game. When they are well, you struggle to contain them."

Como versus Roma is the standout fixture of Serie A's sixth round, marking the league's return after the international break. Both clubs rank among the three finest teams in Italian football, a narrative that extends beyond the fan base into wider football circles. Rafa Benítez told Gazzetta dello Sport he expects the match to be spectacular and tactically rich, with potential to establish which team can credibly challenge the defending champions alongside Inter. Benítez framed Como's manager Fabregas and Roma's Gasperini as operators separated by age but united in their pursuit of beautiful football. He singled out Como's young talent—Nico Paz, Baturina (described as "delicious"), the 21-year-old Ramon for his natural defending, and the 25-year-old Da Cunha—as genuine prospects. On Roma, he highlighted the club's high-pressing football and immediate verticality under Gasperini, crediting Malen's explosive output within the tactical framework and Dybala's return to form. Benítez stated: "The match will be spectacular, contested, full of tactical solutions and inventions. Not merely about Fabregas and Gasp, but also performers who captivate the crowd. It won't be a knockout tie, but the anti-Inter candidate could emerge from it. They are the two best-positioned to stand alongside the Italian champions. Strong sides, different yet equal in their pursuit of spectacle, guided by coaches distant in age but close in aesthetic vision." He added that Koné destroys and drives in midfield while Rodrigo Mora provides impact as an impact substitute: "When they play well, you struggle to contain them."

Gian Piero Gasperini is preparing Roma for Sunday's trip to Como, kickoff 12:30 at the Sinigaglia, with three key selection dilemmas to resolve. The primary question concerns who will partner Paulo Dybala and Donyell Malen in attack, with Lorenzo Pellegrini reportedly in front-runner status against Matías Soulé and Rodrigo Mora. Pellegrini has completed his recovery and trained encouragingly on Saturday; crucially, he is the only one of the three who worked at Trigoria throughout the international break without travelling for his national team. Soulé will return from Argentina only in the coming days after participating in the Albiceleste's fixtures and Messi farewell celebrations, meaning Gasperini will not have him available until Friday—just 48 hours before kickoff. Rodrigo Mora, engaged with Portugal Under-21, will also return during the week. Pellegrini's case is strengthened not only by continuity of preparation but by defensive contribution: without the injured Bryan Cristante, Gasperini may need the attacking midfielder to provide additional midfield cover and pressing against Como's possession-based approach under Fabregas, helping to compress spaces between the lines. In midfield, Marten de Roon is the leading candidate to replace Cristante, whose knee problem makes his availability in Como highly unlikely. Gasperini will not take risks and can draw on his knowledge of the Dutch midfielder from their Atalanta days. Manu Koné, expected at Trigoria today after France duty, will partner him, tasked with ball recovery, pressing support and rapid transition from defence to attack. At the back, Evan N'Dicka and Leonardo Balerdi are competing for a place, with N'Dicka potentially returning to the starting eleven after international football. N'Dicka has already returned to Trigoria; Balerdi faces the long journey from Argentina and is not expected to train with the group until Friday. Energy management may therefore influence Gasperini's choices. More positive news arrives from Donyell Malen and Wesley, both of whom took part in Saturday's session and are expected to be available for Sunday barring late problems. Malen's return would allow Gasperini to maintain his primary attacking reference, while Wesley provides important resources for pressing Como's wide areas. The Sinigaglia trip opens a particularly intense phase of the season. After Como, Roma will host Real Madrid in the Champions League, followed by a fixture against Genoa. Three close-fixture demands will force Gasperini to think beyond Sunday's starting eleven and into energy distribution across all three matches. For that reason, Soulé, Mora and Pellegrini may all find minutes in the coming fixtures regardless of who starts against Como.

Gian Piero Gasperini is preparing Roma for Sunday's trip to Como, kickoff 12:30 at the Sinigaglia, with three key selection dilemmas to resolve. The primary question concerns who will partner Paulo Dybala and Donyell Malen in attack, with Lorenzo Pellegrini reportedly in front-runner status against Matías Soulé and Rodrigo Mora. Pellegrini has completed his recovery and trained encouragingly on Saturday; crucially, he is the only one of the three who worked at Trigoria throughout the international break without travelling for his national team. Soulé will return from Argentina only in the coming days after participating in the Albiceleste's fixtures and Messi farewell celebrations, meaning Gasperini will not have him available until Friday—just 48 hours before kickoff. Rodrigo Mora, engaged with Portugal Under-21, will also return during the week. Pellegrini's case is strengthened not only by continuity of preparation but by defensive contribution: without the injured Bryan Cristante, Gasperini may need the attacking midfielder to provide additional midfield cover and pressing against Como's possession-based approach under Fabregas, helping to compress spaces between the lines. In midfield, Marten de Roon is the leading candidate to replace Cristante, whose knee problem makes his availability in Como highly unlikely. Gasperini will not take risks and can draw on his knowledge of the Dutch midfielder from their Atalanta days. Manu Koné, expected at Trigoria today after France duty, will partner him, tasked with ball recovery, pressing support and rapid transition from defence to attack. At the back, Evan N'Dicka and Leonardo Balerdi are competing for a place, with N'Dicka potentially returning to the starting eleven after international football. N'Dicka has already returned to Trigoria; Balerdi faces the long journey from Argentina and is not expected to train with the group until Friday. Energy management may therefore influence Gasperini's choices. More positive news arrives from Donyell Malen and Wesley, both of whom took part in Saturday's session and are expected to be available for Sunday barring late problems. Malen's return would allow Gasperini to maintain his primary attacking reference, while Wesley provides important resources for pressing Como's wide areas. The Sinigaglia trip opens a particularly intense phase of the season. After Como, Roma will host Real Madrid in the Champions League, followed by a fixture against Genoa. Three close-fixture demands will force Gasperini to think beyond Sunday's starting eleven and into energy distribution across all three matches. For that reason, Soulé, Mora and Pellegrini may all find minutes in the coming fixtures regardless of who starts against Como.

Lorenzo Pellegrini is in line to feature in Roma's attacking midfield against Como after returning to full availability under Gian Piero Gasperini. The number 7 is ahead of Matías Soulé and Rodrigo Mora in the battle to complete the attacking setup in the away fixture. Gasperini's selection may be influenced by workload management. Pellegrini remained at Trigoria throughout the international break and has been able to work continuously under the coach's direction, while his direct rivals have been on international duty. Soulé is only expected back in the capital as the match approaches following his commitments with Argentina, while Mora returns this afternoon after time with Portugal Under 21. With the match just days away, this situation could affect Gasperini's starting decisions.

Lorenzo Pellegrini is available again and in contention to start in the attack alongside Donyell Malen and Paulo Dybala for Roma's match against Como, a fixture that could reinforce the club's title ambitions. Gasperini now has the midfielder fully recovered after positive signs during training on 6 October. Pellegrini holds an advantage over Matías Soulé and Rodrigo Mora because he is the only one of the three who has had no international commitments; Soulé will return just 48 hours before the Como match following Argentina's post-Messi celebration fixture, while Mora returns to Rome on 7 October afternoon after Under-21 duty. Pellegrini's availability also offers tactical flexibility to support a midfield left without Bryan Cristante. The rotation between the three attacking midfielders will be necessary given Roma's fixture schedule—Real Madrid (managed by Mourinho) and Genoa (managed by De Rossi) will arrive at the Olimpico within four days. Pellegrini's return, awaited since April following injury and a protracted contract dispute, represents a significant moment. For two months he was a free agent but chose to honour his commitment to Gasperini, halve his salary and reject offers from Juventus and Besiktas to remain in the capital. In defence, Evan N'Dicka and Leonardo Balerdi compete for a place, while Marten de Roon will substitute for Cristante in midfield.