Italiano backs Castro for Roma success after signing striker

Marten de Roon faced a hostile reception from Atalanta's ultras during yesterday's match against Cagliari, who displayed a banner criticizing his move to Roma in the final days of the transfer window. The ultras were unhappy with both his departure and his celebration at the end of Saturday's match at the Olimpico. Gasperini moved to defend his midfielder, saying: "De Roon was for many years a player who brought honour to Atalanta and the city of Bergamo. He did something extraordinary, and now it's a privilege to have him here. As soon as he finds his best condition he will be an important player. Leaving Atalanta was not his choice, he did not fit into their plans. What was he supposed to become? An old shoe locked away in a cupboard?" De Roon remains one of Gasperini's trusted lieutenants at Roma. He will miss tomorrow's match against Torino while continuing to build fitness, but Gasperini expects him to become a key midfielder once his condition improves.

Marten de Roon's departure from Atalanta to Roma continues to provoke anger among sections of the Bergamo support. The Dutch midfielder, who returned to Gian Piero Gasperini's squad in the summer transfer window after eleven seasons in nerazzurro, has been targeted again by Atalanta supporters with a banner displayed before the Atalanta–Cagliari match. The message read: "You chose to pass into our history but not to belong to it… farewell captain." The words reflect deep dissatisfaction among the fanbase over De Roon's decision to leave Bergamo for Roma, having spent eleven seasons there and serving as both captain and a symbol of the club's most important recent cycle. This is not the first display of discontent directed at the midfielder. A previous banner appeared weeks earlier during an Atalanta match against Bologna, stating: "Thank you for these 11 years, it would have been nice to say goodbye in nerazzurro." The banners underscore how De Roon's choice to depart Bergamo has left a wound among the Atalanta faithful, despite his long and decorated service to the club.

Alessandro Romano has been sold to Cagliari for €5 million plus bonuses potentially rising to €6.5 million, but the move has reignited debate about Roma's pattern of disposing of young talent at underdeveloped stages. Signed from Winterthur in 2022 for approximately €70,000, Romano had been viewed at Trigoria as a prospect with significant potential and was developed into a Serie A-standard midfielder within a few years. From a financial standpoint, the transaction is defensible: the enormous profit relative to the initial outlay is straightforward. The deeper question, however, is whether Roma will later regret the sale. The club is not alone in facing pressure to generate revenue from youth players—academies exist partly to produce economic value, and no organization can retain all its talents indefinitely while waiting to identify which ones will flourish. Roma's position has been complicated by UEFA settlement agreement obligations in recent years, making the academy a significant revenue source; since 2022, youth departures have generated tens of millions. Yet a pattern has emerged. Davide Frattesi developed into an internationally competitive midfielder away from Rome; Riccardo Calafiori represents probably Roma's greatest regret. Romano's career trajectory will determine whether Roma sold him at the right moment or too early. The concern is not that he is currently ready to displace Manu Koné or Bryan Cristante, but that a talent still developing is precisely the type a club should attempt to maintain some form of control over when possible. The issue becomes more acute when considering Emanuele Lulli, who came close to joining Avellino during the summer in a deal that could have included a loan with an option to buy. The principle remains constant: when market conditions force a club to seek resources, young players become one of the easiest paths. Romano was sold in a summer when Roma needed to generate plusvalenzas and protect players deemed central to the first team. Romano will reveal through his career whether Roma timed the sale correctly or sold too soon. The lesson from Frattesi and Calafiori should be clear: while some young talent will inevitably escape, when Trigoria develops a player with something extra, maintaining some link to his future may ultimately be worth far more than immediate profit.

Gian Piero Gasperini held his pre-match press conference on 13 September as Roma prepare to face Torino at Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino on Monday 14 September at 18:30 for Serie A matchday four, just days after drawing with Fenerbahce in the Champions League. The coach dismissed repeated questions about player hierarchies, saying: "I beg you to stop with this talk of hierarchies, it's not good towards the players who are giving their all, it makes no sense and has no effect on the squad. Everyone gives an important contribution." He also defended recent signings Leonardo Balerdi and Marten de Roon, emphasizing that strong squads in European competition operate with multiple starter-quality players rather than a fixed pecking order. Gasperini paid special tribute to Donyell Malen's early form, describing his Serie A record as extraordinary. "These are extraordinary numbers, out of the ordinary," he said. "This player did something special, above all with consistency. These are extraordinary even for the characteristics and quality of the goals. When we signed Malen I knew he would be an important player, but here we have gone beyond that." The coach also spoke positively of young midfielder Rodrigo Mora, calling him "a boy of great talent, very young, and that is not considered. He needs to complete himself, especially on the physical side, and then the tactical. He arrived recently, but what he has shown is that of a young player of great level." Gasperini addressed the physical demands facing Roma after consecutive heavy fixtures, saying his approach is simple: "When I see a player is well he continues, when I see him fatigued I substitute him. Players live in cycles, you must try to take the best from each one, but they are all reliable and there are no dismissals if once one plays and another time another does." On Paulo Dybala's potential involvement, he said: "If he is well he plays always. There is no doubt. A player rests when he is tired. You cannot predict an injury, we don't have a crystal ball; if he is well he plays." He confirmed that Lorenzo Pellegrini, recently recovered, will travel to Turin, and noted that Emanuele Lulli, who was suffering from flu, appeared better on the day of the conference. He also indicated Manu Koné's availability would be assessed on the day itself. Gasperini highlighted the depth of his attacking options. "There is him [Castro], there is Malen, there is Dybala, Mora, Soulé…tell me who is playing badly…Tomorrow we also recover Pellegrini and I'm taking him to Turin: perhaps for the first time we have everyone," he said. On Konstantinos Koulierakis and defensive options, he added: "Who doesn't want to see? N'Dicka? Hermoso? I assure you that tomorrow 16 will play as well. Unfortunately another 4 will not play, but perhaps they will the following match." Nahuel Molina, signed on 31 August, has been at the club for 14 days; Gasperini confirmed Wesley recovered from a knock sustained in recent action.

Santiago Castro is aiming to open his Roma account in Saturday's fixture at the Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino, using the same stage where Donyell Malen made his opening contribution in giallorosso. The Argentine forward, nicknamed the "Torito", has been building match fitness and tactical understanding under Gian Piero Gasperini after remaining unused in Roma's Champions League trip to Istanbul against Fenerbahçe. Castro is expected to feature in a rotation partnership with Malen, who has been Roma's central attacking reference in the early season. The two forwards have already shown promising signs in their on-pitch alternation during the recent match against Atalanta, where Castro's introduction brought renewed energy and effectiveness to Roma's play. Though opportunities came his way in that fixture—striking both a post and the crossbar—he was denied by fortune rather than finishing. Gasperini's system appears to be building a rhythm with the pair sharing attacking duties as the season develops. Castro's return to the Torino stadium carries symbolic weight, as it was there that Malen began his Roma journey. The Argentine will be hoping to convert the positive momentum and increased game time into a concrete goal in Saturday's encounter.

Gian Piero Gasperini is preparing to rest Paulo Dybala for Roma's trip to Torino, with the forward having started four consecutive matches and played the full 90 minutes against Fenerbahce in Istanbul despite suffering cramps. Dybala remains one of Roma's most important players, but the proximity of the match to the Fenerbahce fixture and the more significant Inter clash at the Olimpico that follows has prompted Gasperini to consider bringing him off the bench instead. The rotation could coincide with a tactical shift. Against Torino's three-man defence, Gasperini plans to abandon the central attacking midfielder role used in recent outings and revert to a more traditional setup: two wide players behind the striker. Rodrigo Mora is expected to play on the left, while Matías Soulé should start on the right. Mora will look to bounce back from a below-par display in Istanbul that Gasperini judged to fall short of expectations, while Soulé pursues a third consecutive Serie A goal. Donyell Malen is favoured to lead the line, with Santiago Castro ready to come off the bench. Gasperini could manage the match through the five available substitutions without overhauling his starting eleven, leaving Dybala available to deploy as an in-game weapon. Mora, Soulé and Malen possess qualities that can flourish against a three-man defence.