Genoa opens talks with Brighton over Ferguson as De Rossi seeks attacking reinforcement

Roma are monitoring Ecuadorian forward Keny Arroyo, a 2006-born attacker currently playing for Cruzeiro, as they look to strengthen their attack. According to Agência RTI Esporte, both Roma and Benfica have already begun initial contacts with the Brazilian club's entourage to gather information on the player's contract situation. Arroyo has made 50 appearances for Cruzeiro, scoring eight goals and providing eight assists. He joined the Brazilian club from Besiktas in September 2025. Cruzeiro paid €8 million for 50% of his registration rights, while the remaining half of his economic rights is still owned by Independiente del Valle. His contract with the Belo Horizonte club runs until 31 December 2029 and includes a release clause of as much as €100 million. Cruzeiro have reportedly set their conditions for any negotiations: a bid of at least €45 million would be required. Club president Pedro Lourenço regards Arroyo as an asset of the club, but does not intend to sell him during the European winter transfer window. The player's entourage also considers a future move possible, though they do not want to rush the process. Their objective is to find a destination in a leading league that can aid his development and consolidate his path with the Ecuador national team.

Endrick's future could lie away from Real Madrid, with Roma and AC Milan at the front of the queue to secure the Brazilian forward, and the young Blancos player reportedly preferring Roma. Italian reports had moved him away from Milan on Tuesday, claiming the reason was the Rossoneri's symbol, the devil, and that the deeply Christian Endrick had ruled out a move to Milan for that reason. The player's entourage has denied that version, calling it a "fantasy" in comments to Globo from Brazil. According to UOL Esporte, which carries the same denial, Endrick wants a club that competes in the top domestic and international competitions. That means a top league and the Champions League. Roma offer both, while Milan play in the Europa League, the article notes. Real Madrid closed the door on a loan in the summer, but could consider a sale in January, starting from a permanent deal for a fee of at least the amount paid to Palmeiras. That means at least 60 million. For Roma, the report puts them in contention for a player who prioritises Champions League football, a factor that matters in their pursuit of a forward this winter. The January window is the point at which Real Madrid could reopen talks, and any permanent transfer would need to reach the figure linked to his Palmeiras move. The entourage's rejection of the symbol story leaves the Champions League criterion as the central point in the reporting. Endrick's camp has pushed back on claims about his religious reasons for avoiding Milan, while the club-selection factors remain the centre of the discussion.

Roma are accelerating their transfer activity and focusing their attention on the attack, with Endrick at the top of the list. The Brazilian reportedly wants more playing time after a first spell at Real Madrid in which he did not carve out the role he had hoped for. Roma are pressing to sign him on loan, but the route remains complicated: Milan are also following the situation, and the Spanish club has not yet decided whether to let him leave. Endrick is not the only name on Gian Piero Gasperini's mind. Among the alternatives are Jamie Gittens, for whom Chelsea have reportedly opened the door to a loan move, and Ademola Lookman, a profile that continues to attract interest. The name of Rodrigo Riquelme has also returned to the discussions in recent assessments. The priority has become adding quality and options in attack, temporarily putting the search for an alternative to Wesley on hold. Lulli played an important role in this change of strategy.

Roma's summer recruits have been involved in 36.5% of the club's goals this season, with 15 of the team's 41 strikes involving one of them. Gian Piero Gasperini has relied heavily on seven players who were not part of the squad in the last match of the previous campaign: Nahuel Molina, Marten de Roon, Leonardo Balerdi, Rodrigo Mora, Emanuele Lulli, Santiago Castro and Konstantinos Koulierakis. Lulli came up from the Primavera. Molina has been the most-used player, with 751 minutes, one goal and two assists. He is followed by De Roon (732 minutes), Balerdi (639), Mora (595), Lulli (546), Castro (370) and Koulierakis (225). Gasperini has given minutes to every summer arrival, including the Primavera graduate, showing confidence in the quality of the new players. Mora has been the most productive, with four goals and two assists. His recent form, with a sharp improvement in the latest matches, has eased doubts about the investment made in the summer, reported at €25 million plus 50% of a future resale, for a valuation of €50 million. Across all competitions, the new players have taken part in 15 of Roma's 41 goals. By comparison, at the same stage of last season, Massara's summer signings from that campaign had contributed to just three goals: Wesley with one goal, Ferguson with one assist and Tsimikas with one assist.

Fidelis Castro's goal and assist, earned in two starts at home to Genoa and Cagliari, have revived debate over the striker's place in the Roma squad and the money spent on him. The Argentine, fresh from a call-up to the national team, has once again drawn criticism from those who question whether Roma needed him at all, and whether he is worth the reported €35 million outlay. Some critics said last summer that Roma should have targeted Robinio Vaz instead, and that the money spent on Castro was wasted. The article notes that Vaz, who is described as a well-paid bit-part player at Hull City, would have been a better investment, and suggests that Dovbyk, who after just three months had worn out much of Bologna's patience, could have been kept. Against this, the writer argues that Castro has the hardest job among Roma's forwards. He plays almost exclusively in place of Malen, and when he comes on, the team is often more tired and less composed than when Malen is leading the line, leaving Castro to chase the ball alone and run down opponents mounting comebacks. Castro made his first start against Genoa, where he scored the first goal, decisive for the win, with a moment of magic. In his second start, against Cagliari, he struggled, as did the whole side, which came from behind to win and only really hit form in the closing stages. The writer contends that this was enough to revive the criticism seen over the summer, when the transfer market was labelled a disaster partly because the backup striker had cost so much. The article argues that it is too complicated for critics to consider that Malen is a cannibal who leaves his backup only a few minutes, and only when he has no energy left. The writer draws a comparison with the 1985-86 season, when Eriksson's Roma came close to the Scudetto. Pruzzo was the prolific starter, with Bruno Conti and Boniek alongside him, while Graziani and the young Tovalieri provided cover. Tovalieri was a key figure in the Coppa Italia that season and scored three goals in 22 appearances in the league, the writer notes, because Pruzzo left few scraps. The point is that Roma have an outstanding striker and a very good deputy, and that critics should be grateful rather than anxious. The article adds that last season, Ferguson and Dovbyk were the forwards, and that in January, before Malen arrived, Roma had brought in Vaz and tried to sign Füllkrug.

Gian Piero Gasperini's Roma are scoring far more goals than a year ago, with 19 more in their first eleven matches of the season and 12 different scorers, compared with eight last season. The comparison, drawn during the international break, shows a clear improvement across the board. Last year at this stage Roma sat first in the table alongside Inter, but with fewer points: 24 then, against 27 today. The attack has changed most noticeably, moving from the pairing of Dovbyk and Ferguson to Malen and Castro. Roma are also creating more. They are taking 19.4 shots per game against 13.2 last season, with 6.5 on target against 4.7, and they are getting into the opposition box more often, with 37.2 touches per game against 26.2. Their expected goals (xG) have nearly doubled, rising from 1.32 to 2.38 per match. The one negative is goals conceded, which have risen from 5 to 10. Gasperini is willing to accept that cost. The figure is also affected by the absences of Svilar and Koné. When both are on the pitch, Roma's average is lower than it was a year ago. The numbers point to a team that is both more potent and more consistent than the one that finished last season, with the new attacking set-up at the heart of the gains.