Gasperini to hold press conference as Roma enters second week of pre-season

Roma defeated Lecce 4-0 on 31 August, with Manu Koné starting and playing a key role, hours after Chelsea were reported as potential suitors for the midfielder. Koné has been linked with several English clubs and was seen as a possible replacement for Enzo Fernandez, who could move to Manchester City. At his post-match press conference, head coach Gian Piero Gasperini firmly shut down the speculation. He stated: "Absolutely not, it's a media thing. No one has ever spoken to me about departures, not Koné or anyone else. Especially now, with just 24 hours to go before the transfer window closes." Gasperini also addressed the club's position, saying: "I also know that the owners aren't in favor of any sales. I don't know who has come forward because we've never received any official offers there either, so this too must be denied." Gasperini used the occasion to highlight Roma's current squad depth issues. He explained: "You can't always have Dybala and Malen. Today we only had two players on the bench in attack. We'll have Pellegrini and Rensch back. But you have to remember that there's always someone out. Today we lost Ndicka suddenly." He added: "Anyone who plays in the Champions League, in particular, must have a strong squad with players who don't feel the impact so severely when you lose someone, as happened last year at a certain point in the season. The owners are certainly putting in the effort, within what they can do, in cutting the number of signings they can achieve." With 24 hours remaining in the transfer window, Gasperini's comments reflected both the club's unwillingness to sell and Roma's continued need for reinforcements in attacking areas.

Gian Piero Gasperini has categorically dismissed reports linking midfielder Manu Koné with a move to Chelsea, calling the speculation purely a media creation. Rumours of the French midfielder's potential exit circulated on 31 August 2026, less than 24 hours before the transfer window closure. Gasperini stated: "Koné can leave? Absolutely not. It's a media thing. No one has ever spoken to me about exits—not just for Koné, but for anyone else at this moment, with less than 24 hours to the market closing. And I also know that the ownership does not agree with sales. I don't know who presented themselves, because we have never received any official offers either. So this is something to categorically deny." The head coach emphasised that neither the club nor its ownership have received any formal bids, and that no player departures are being considered in the final hours of the window.

Midfielder Rodrigo Mora spoke ahead of Roma's Serie A match against Lecce on matchday two, reflecting on his early adaptation to the club and head coach Gian Piero Gasperini's tactical instructions. Mora said the training sessions were demanding at first but that results are already showing. When asked what Gasperini has emphasized in recent weeks, Mora explained: "He asks me to open up, to play vertically, to play frontally and vertically as a first option." Mora acknowledged he has not yet had time to explore Rome properly, saying he is still completing his move. He expressed hope to meet Francesco Totti soon, noting that the club legend "was an idol for an entire generation." On his own performances, Mora said he was very pleased with both matches, describing the midfield position as one in which he finds himself "perfectly comfortable and settling in well." He added that his second appearance saw him play only the second half, following an impressive debut a week earlier.

Roma defeated Lecce 4-0 on 31 August, with Manu Koné starting and playing a key role, hours after Chelsea were reported as potential suitors for the midfielder. Koné has been linked with several English clubs and was seen as a possible replacement for Enzo Fernandez, who could move to Manchester City. At his post-match press conference, head coach Gian Piero Gasperini firmly shut down the speculation. He stated: "Absolutely not, it's a media thing. No one has ever spoken to me about departures, not Koné or anyone else. Especially now, with just 24 hours to go before the transfer window closes." Gasperini also addressed the club's position, saying: "I also know that the owners aren't in favor of any sales. I don't know who has come forward because we've never received any official offers there either, so this too must be denied." Gasperini used the occasion to highlight Roma's current squad depth issues. He explained: "You can't always have Dybala and Malen. Today we only had two players on the bench in attack. We'll have Pellegrini and Rensch back. But you have to remember that there's always someone out. Today we lost Ndicka suddenly." He added: "Anyone who plays in the Champions League, in particular, must have a strong squad with players who don't feel the impact so severely when you lose someone, as happened last year at a certain point in the season. The owners are certainly putting in the effort, within what they can do, in cutting the number of signings they can achieve." With 24 hours remaining in the transfer window, Gasperini's comments reflected both the club's unwillingness to sell and Roma's continued need for reinforcements in attacking areas.

Eusebio Di Francesco, Lecce's manager, acknowledged his side's poor performance in their 2–0 defeat to Roma at the Via del Mare in the second round of Serie A on 31 August. Donyell Malen opened the scoring, and Lecce offered little resistance. Di Francesco said: "We didn't even get into the match, we fell short in every aspect, especially mentality. Today we gave the impression of an empty squad with no desire to react. I take responsibility for this poor first half. Beyond the choices I made, it's the players who need to show the ability to win duels and suffer. I didn't see the aggression of a team fighting for survival. We conceded too much — Roma could have done even more damage in the first half. The squad wasn't mentally in the match." Roma's attacking prowess exposed Lecce's defensive frailty throughout. Di Francesco had prepared his team in a 5–3–2 formation from the start of the week to arrive faster on Roma's attacking midfielders, but the system backfired. He explained: "We stayed too deep with a line of five. We should have pressed harder on Dybala and Soulé. This game plan didn't work, but the responsibility is the manager's. I didn't want to give them space, but the idea didn't bear fruit." The Lecce boss added: "Consider the quality of the opponent, but I didn't expect this performance. We could have gone down to Roma, but we were passive. I work intensely on this. Defensively, they attacked spaces we knew about well, but we always arrived late. This lack of unity bothered me."

Rodrigo Mora scored his first Roma goal in the second half of the 2–1 victory at Lecce on matchday two, and spoke to journalists after the final whistle about the significance of the moment and his early impression of the club. "I want to continue like this. Starting this way was my dream. I'm very happy," Mora said of his debut strike. He expressed particular emotion at sharing the pitch with Paulo Dybala and Donyell Malen. "It's a dream for me to play with Dybala—I followed him since I was a child. I tried to give him an assist. For me it's marvellous to play with a champion like him and Malen." Mora credited head coach Gian Piero Gasperini with engineering his arrival: "For me the manager was decisive. He wanted a player with my characteristics. I want to continue with him." The midfielder acknowledged the physical demands of Gasperini's methods. "At first the training sessions were very hard, it cost me a bit to adapt, but the results are already showing," he said, adding that Gasperini frequently corrects his decision-making on the ball: "He corrects me often when I receive the ball—to open up, to take on the opponent, to play face-on, vertically." Mora is still in the process of settling into Rome. "I've had little time so far to visit such a special city. I had special treatment from the Porto fans and I'm getting the same from Roma fans," he said. He expressed hope of meeting Francesco Totti soon: "I haven't yet had the chance to get to know the city—I'm still finishing my move. I hope to meet Totti soon. He was an idol for an entire generation."

Roma head coach Gian Piero Gasperini has identified a striker and a left-back as the remaining pieces needed to complete the squad ahead of tomorrow's away fixture at Lecce. Gasperini said: "To complete the team we need a piece that closes that section. A left-back and a forward have remained. Lulli has filled in somewhat, I have always believed in him, he is giving important responses but we cannot load such large responsibilities on him. Last season we had Angeliño, Tsimikas, Çelik, Wesley and also Rensch." Gasperini has most of his squad available for the trip to Via del Mare, with Lorenzo Pellegrini and Devyne Rensch expected to return to group training next week. Leonardo Balerdi was officially confirmed as a new arrival this morning, joining fellow recent additions Konstantinos Koulierakis, Rodrigo Mora, Santiago Castro and Nahuel Molina among the squad.

Former Roma and Lecce player Gigi Garzya has warned that Roma must be ready for an opponent who gives nothing away when the sides meet on Monday. Speaking ahead of the match, Garzya praised Lecce's performance in their opening away win at Venezia, saying the team of Di Francesco "remained in the game with the right mentality and lucidity that weighed heavily in the final half-hour". He highlighted Olaf Gorter as a player who impressed with both quality and personality, and noted the arrival of Ilić as evidence of Lecce's focus on adding strength in the transfer market. On Roma's prospects under Gian Piero Gasperini in his second season, Garzya acknowledged the squad has been reinforced, though he described Zeki Çelik's departure as a "heavy" loss—while backing Nahuel Molina to compensate with his quality and competitive drive. He was effusive about midfielder Rodrigo Mora, saying: "Technically he has numbers that make him an important prospect; one characteristic struck me more than others: he is the type of player you do not see frequently in the various leagues, because his thinking arrives first, and consequently he then makes the ball travel in an unpredictable way for opponents. When people say he is a bit light physically, they forget that the most important characteristic is playing the ball always with some instant of anticipation for whoever controls it." On the defence, Garzya explained that Konstantinos Koulierakis represents a deliberate and necessary choice rather than mere cover: "This year, with the Champions League, you need at least six established defenders in the department, calculating also that the game starts from the back, there are so many matches and Gasperini's football is very demanding in every role. The choice was targeted; the Roma coach never approves a signing just to make up numbers." Regarding Roma's ambitions, Garzya urged caution: "It is too early to say and ultimately the transfer market may not be finished yet; let's also see what the others do by the close; certainly you must do everything to maintain Champions League qualification, because Roma must play this competition regularly. Then we'll see if appetite comes with eating."

The relationship between head coach Gian Piero Gasperini and sporting director Ricky Massara deteriorated throughout the 2025–26 season, marked by clashing views on transfer strategy, public criticism and mounting friction that became irreparable. Massara, who felt treated as an amateur despite his substantial track record, endured difficult months in silence, though tension grew steadily. The conflict began last summer during negotiations for Sancho and Fabio Silva, then escalated in late August when Massara said "Sancho at the moment remains a suggestion because I don't think there are the conditions or the motivations," while Gasperini later replied: "Sancho never refused Roma." The situation exploded in early September during a heated discussion at Fulvio Bernardini, where Gasperini accused Massara of being too slow in negotiations, dismissing the restrictions imposed by Financial Fair Play and inherited difficulties. Disputes over specific targets fuelled the rift further: Gasperini's veto on Raspadori, his preference for Malen over Zirkzee, and disagreements over Robinio Vaz. The breakdown continued from a distance after Massara moved to Juventus, with the director's pursuit of Zeki Çelik irritating Roma while Gasperini attempted to insert himself into the Juventus deal for Kessié. The definitive rupture came in spring, when Gasperini rejected Kerim Alajbegovic and made his position clear: having secured the departure of Ranieri, he wanted Massara gone as well to remain at Roma.