Koulierakis: Gasperini is among Italy's best coaches

Konstantinos Koulierakis has completed his transfer to Roma, with the official announcement arriving on 1 August 2026. The defender spoke for the first time as a Roma player, expressing immediate enthusiasm for the move. When his agent informed him of Roma's interest, Koulierakis said he had no hesitation: "I told him 'ok, let's go!' I asked him to do the maximum to make me a player of this club, so important in Italy. I had no doubt whatsoever; I only thought about being ready to sign for Roma." Koulierakis cited conversations with Kostas Tsimikas and Joakim Maehle of Wolfsburg about head coach Gian Piero Gasperini, calling him one of Italy's finest managers. He also revealed he knows Kostas Manolas, having spoken to him this summer about joining Roma—a conversation Koulierakis described as meaningful. The 23-year-old identified Sergio Ramos and Aymeric Laporte as his defensive inspirations, praising their mentality, strength, and playing style. He noted that like Laporte, he is left-footed. Koulierakis highlighted his left foot and mental toughness as his main strengths, emphasizing his drive to improve and win. He expressed eagerness to experience the Stadio Olimpico atmosphere in person, having watched it on television and in videos. Koulierakis also referenced Manolas's role in Roma's famous 3–0 victory over Barcelona, describing it as a great performance he had watched. He thanked the ownership for their faith in him and concluded with "Forza Roma!"

Wesley left Roma's training session in Cardiff on 2 August, limping away after suffering discomfort to an ankle that had troubled him the previous day. The Brazilian was unable to continue the session and had to stop early. Roma are preparing for upcoming fixtures while managing an injury concern with one of their attacking options. Wesley joined the club last summer on a five-year contract from Flamengo for €25 million plus €5 million in add-ons. His availability for the next match will be monitored closely as the squad continues pre-season work in Wales. The club also reported on other squad movements during the training camp, with Koulierakis joining the group in Cardiff and fellow players including an unnamed Dutch player recently featuring in a 74-minute appearance against Atalanta following a €28 million bid.

Roma suffered a fresh injury blow during training in Cardiff on 2 August as Wesley was forced to withdraw from the session after aggravating a right ankle sprain sustained in the friendly against Cardiff. The Brazilian attempted to continue but lasted only a few minutes before leaving the pitch after a brief consultation with head coach Gian Piero Gasperini. The session continued as an internal match. Koulierakis arrived at the training base in Wales after completing his medical and signing formalities in Rome, joining the squad immediately and taking part in the open training session. Also present was new chief executive John Galantic. Roma are preparing for a friendly against Newport scheduled for Tuesday. Niccolò Pisilli remained unavailable despite being named in the group, while Bah sustained a knee distortion in the previous day's session and awaited magnetic resonance imaging scheduled for the following day. Jan Ziółkowski briefly required treatment after a heavy blow to his ankle but resumed without significant issue. Neil El Aynaoui undertook a gradual reintegration following the World Cup, completing an extended fitness session around the resort rather than full participation. Wesley departed the pitch with a prominent bandage on his right leg, visibly limping.

Konstantinos Koulierakis has completed his transfer to Roma, with the official announcement arriving on 1 August 2026. The defender spoke for the first time as a Roma player, expressing immediate enthusiasm for the move. When his agent informed him of Roma's interest, Koulierakis said he had no hesitation: "I told him 'ok, let's go!' I asked him to do the maximum to make me a player of this club, so important in Italy. I had no doubt whatsoever; I only thought about being ready to sign for Roma." Koulierakis cited conversations with Kostas Tsimikas and Joakim Maehle of Wolfsburg about head coach Gian Piero Gasperini, calling him one of Italy's finest managers. He also revealed he knows Kostas Manolas, having spoken to him this summer about joining Roma—a conversation Koulierakis described as meaningful. The 23-year-old identified Sergio Ramos and Aymeric Laporte as his defensive inspirations, praising their mentality, strength, and playing style. He noted that like Laporte, he is left-footed. Koulierakis highlighted his left foot and mental toughness as his main strengths, emphasizing his drive to improve and win. He expressed eagerness to experience the Stadio Olimpico atmosphere in person, having watched it on television and in videos. Koulierakis also referenced Manolas's role in Roma's famous 3–0 victory over Barcelona, describing it as a great performance he had watched. He thanked the ownership for their faith in him and concluded with "Forza Roma!"

Kostas Tsimikas became the centre of controversy during Liverpool's pre-season friendly against Wrexham at Yankee Stadium, when a dispute over the captain's armband sparked an awkward exchange between players. Szoboszlai and Curtis Jones argued over who should wear the armband during the post-match lap of honour; according to reports including from the BBC, Jones expressed displeasure when Szoboszlai handed it to Tsimikas instead. Standing between the two, Tsimikas removed the armband and threw it to the ground, where Jones retrieved it as the disagreement continued. Tsimikas departed Roma on 1 July to join Liverpool on a permanent basis. The former Roma left-back's treatment of the armband drew swift criticism on social media, with supporters objecting to what they viewed as disrespect towards the symbol of the club's captaincy. The incident also reflected poorly on Curtis Jones, who was similarly criticized for his role in the confrontation. Supporters described the episode as "a total lack of respect" for the captain's armband.

Roma have a long history of recruiting Greek players, particularly in defence. The first was Lampros Choutos, an attacker from Roma's youth academy between 1995 and 2000 with only 4 appearances, followed by defender Traianos Dellas (2002–2005, 67 presences, 4 goals, 3 assists). Dimitrios Eleutheropoulos served as third-choice goalkeeper in 2005–06 without playing. Between 2012 and 2019, four Greek players represented Roma: the standout centre-back Kostas Manolas (206 presences between 2014 and 2019, 8 goals, 6 assists), plus full-backs Vasilis Torosidis (77 appearances with 7 goals and 5 assists from 2013 to 2016) and José Cholevas (34 presences with 1 goal and 1 assist in 2014–15), alongside midfielder Panagiotis Tachtsidis (23 appearances with 1 goal and 2 assists in 2012–13). Torosidis publicly backed the signing of Koulierakis. More recently, centre-back Dimitrios Keramitsis (born 2004), a cornerstone of Roma's youth setup, earned only one first-team appearance between 2022 and 2024. Full-back Kostas Tsimikas featured 25 times with 1 assist in the last disappointing campaign before returning to Liverpool.