Koulierakis: Roma was an instant yes, I admire Ramos and Laporte

Roma sporting director Tony D'Amico spoke to reporters before Udinese v Roma, a Serie A matchday 10 fixture at the Bluenergy Stadium, and said the club is not rushing its January transfer decisions. Asked about Endrick's prospects in the January window, D'Amico said it was difficult to think of names because the squad was short of numbers, adding: "Endrick is strong, but we are focused on what we have to do on the pitch. There will be time for the market." D'Amico also spoke about Mario Hermoso's contract. He said the club was happy with the whole squad, given the number of matches ahead and the need to widen the squad, and described Hermoso as important to the club, including during the week, and an example for the younger players. Asked about extending Hermoso's deal, D'Amico said: "We are happy to have him with us, and we will also talk about the renewal." He added that the club was also pleased with how the young players were being developed alongside Gasperini. On Paulo Dybala's fitness, D'Amico said the Argentine needed a few more days and that the club would assess him midweek. He admitted that losing an important resource during a busy run of games hurt, adding: "These things happen." Describing Udinese, he said: "Udinese are difficult to play against, physical, regardless of their league position. We need quality, and we think we can put in a good performance." Asked about comments from Massimiliano Allegri, D'Amico said: "We think about ourselves, we work hard, and the result is what you deserve on the pitch. Today will be difficult for us."

Roma sporting director Tony D'Amico says there is no hurry over the transfer market or Mario Hermoso's contract renewal, while Paulo Dybala needs a few more days and will be reassessed midweek. D'Amico spoke to Dazn before Roma's match against Udinese. D'Amico said it was a source of pride to see young players featuring for the team. Roma have plenty of matches to play, and as Gasperini says, it is important to widen the squad. The club has no immediate timeline on the Spaniard's future. Dybala's absence is a blow, as it leaves Roma one fewer option at a time when the fixtures are piling up. Roma play every three days, so the squad needs depth. On Hermoso, D'Amico said: "Mario is important on Sundays but also during the week, he is an example for the young players. We will talk about the renewal at the right moment." On Dybala, he said: "Today we face a strong and physical team. They are difficult to play against. We are convinced we will put in a good performance. Dybala needs a few more days, we will see midweek. It is a pity because we will be a player short, and there are a lot of matches." Asked about comments from Allegri, D'Amico said: "We are focused on ourselves. We think about working, and the final result of every championship is what a team deserves on the pitch. We think about ourselves." On reported interest in Endrick, he said: "Today it is hard to think about names. There is a long way to go. Endrick is strong, but we are focused on what we have to do on the pitch. We play every three days, there will be time."

Roma are monitoring Monza midfielder Manga Foe-Ondoa as they look to add reinforcements in midfield ahead of the January transfer window, according to market expert Ekrem Konur on X. The French midfielder, born in 2005, could also attract interest from Lazio, which would set up a transfer derby between the two Rome clubs. Roma's sporting director Tony D'Amico is seeking new signings to widen the options available to Gian Piero Gasperini. Foe-Ondoa is not yet a Roma player, and the interest described is exploratory, with no offers or concrete negotiations so far. Lazio are also said to have looked at the midfielder. Foe-Ondoa joined Monza last summer from Estoril Praia and is carving out a place in the side coached by Ivan Juric. He has made seven Serie A appearances, five of them as a starter, and has provided one assist so far this season. The Frenchman can play several roles in midfield, and is described as physically strong, dynamic and good at winning back possession. He is under contract at Monza until June 2030 and is regarded as a player with promising room to improve. With January approaching, his name could become one to watch closely.

Roma head to Udinese with Gian Piero Gasperini making several changes to his starting line-up, with Daniele Ghilardi coming into the defence. The match is part of a demanding run of fixtures for the Giallorossi, and the team sheets for both sides have been confirmed. In midfield, Marten de Roon keeps his place rather than being rested and will pair with Bryan Cristante. Up front, Rodrigo Mora and Matías Soulé form the attacking partnership, with Donyell Malen playing behind them. Udinese are coached by Runjaic and line up in a 3-4-2-1 formation, with Okoye in goal and Zaniolo and Ekkelenkamp supporting Davis in attack. Roma's starting XI is Gollini; Ghilardi, Ndicka, Hermoso; Molina, Cristante, De Roon, Wesley; Soulé, Mora; Malen, set out in a 3-4-2-1. For Udinese, Okoye starts in goal, with Abankwah, Kabasele and Palma in defence, Vojvoda, Piotrowski, Karlström and Kamara in midfield, and Davis leading the line. On the bench, Roma have Vásquez, De Marzi, Koulierakis, Rensch, Mancini, Pisilli, Lulli, Di Nunzio, Castro, Arena and Camara among the options available to Gasperini. Udinese's replacements include Padelli, Mrozek, Bertola, Ebosse, Zarraga, Miller, Lovric, Arizala, Chakvetadze, Jovanovic, Unai Gómez and Vinciati.

Roma produced an emphatic 5-2 away win over Udinese in Serie A's tenth round, with Cristante, Mora, Malen and N'Dicka all on the scoresheet before the interval. Gian Piero Gasperini's side led 4-0 at half-time, and Zaniolo and Palma pulled a goal back each for the hosts before Ghilardi settled the match late on. Roma arrived in Friuli still unbeaten in the league and looking to build on their midweek win over Cagliari, while Udinese, under Kosta Runjaic, were chasing a victory they had not managed since late August. Roma were without Mile Svilar, Manu Koné, Lorenzo Pellegrini and Paulo Dybala, and Gasperini made several changes to the side that beat Cagliari, bringing Ghilardi into defence and handing Rodrigo Mora a start alongside Matías Soulé behind Donyell Malen. The match was refereed by Maresca of Napoli, with Lo Cicero and Rossi as assistants, Chiffi as fourth official, and Paterna on VAR assisted by Aureliano. The early tempo was all Roma's. Cristante opened the scoring in the 10th minute, heading home a cross from Wesley with a powerful jump that beat Okoye. Roma kept pressing, and Mora doubled the lead in the 30th minute, finishing with his right foot after a fine assist from Cristante, who was in dominant form. Malen made it three in the 33rd minute, controlling the ball in the box, dribbling to open up space and placing a left-footed shot into the corner. N'Dicka headed in the fourth in the 37th minute from a corner by Soulé, which Okoye could not stop. Roma also struck the woodwork twice in the first half, with Soulé hitting the post and Malen hitting the crossbar after Okoye had saved his first effort. Udinese showed more intent after the break, and Zaniolo reduced the deficit in the 50th minute. Miller's long-range drive was parried by Gollini, and Zaniolo followed up to score from the rebound. Gasperini responded by taking off Mora and Malen in the 59th minute, bringing on Niccolò Pisilli and Santiago Castro, and Roma's changes continued with Wesley and Soulé making way for Nahuel Molina's replacements in the 79th minute. Palma restored some hope for Udinese in the 78th minute, heading in from close range after getting in front of the Roma defence, and Udinese continued to push, with a left-footed strike from Unai Gomez flashing narrowly wide in the 84th minute. Ghilardi finished the match off in the closing minutes, striking a powerful right-footed shot under the crossbar after an assist from Castro, to make it 5-2. Cristante was also booked for a reckless arm in the 60th minute, and Roma were content to manage the game and protect their advantage in the final stages. The result leaves Roma with three important points before a run of meetings that the report describes as decisive in the coming hours. Gasperini's side will look to carry this attacking form into those fixtures, while Udinese face the task of rebuilding after a heavy defeat on home soil. The report confirms that Roma's starting line-up was Gollini; Ghilardi, N'Dicka, Hermoso; Molina, Cristante, De Roon, Wesley; Soulé, Mora; Malen, and that Udinese lined up in a 3-4-2-1 formation with Okoye in goal, Davis up front and Zaniolo and Ekkelenkamp in support. Hermoso was replaced by Koulierakis in the 84th minute, and the match finished 5-2 to Roma.

Roma travel to the Bluenergy Stadium this afternoon to face Udinese, managed by Kosta Runjaic, in the tenth round of Serie A. Gian Piero Gasperini's side arrive in Friuli unbeaten in the league and looking to build on their midweek win over Cagliari. Udinese are seeking a victory they have not managed since late August, and will try to use home advantage against a Roma side still missing several players. Gasperini will be without Svilar, Koné, Pellegrini and Dybala. With two hours to kick-off, the Roma coach appears set to make further changes from the Cagliari game. Ghilardi is expected to get a chance in defence, while Rodrigo Mora is the favourite to partner Soulé behind Malen in attack. Udinese's probable line-up is in a 3-4-2-1 formation: Okoye; Abankwah, Kabasele, Ebosse; Vojvoda, Karlström, Piotrowski, Kamara; Ekkelenkamp, Zaniolo; Davis. Roma are also set up 3-4-2-1: Gollini; Ghilardi, Ndicka, Hermoso; Molina, Cristante, De Roon, Wesley; Soulé, Mora; Malen. Udinese's substitutes are Mrozek, Padelli, Lovric, Zarraga, Bertola, Palma, Miller, Zanoli, Arizala, Unai Gomez and Chakvetadze. Roma's bench comprises Vasquez, De Marzi, Rensch, Koulierakis, Castro, Lulli, Mancini, Balerdi, Pisilli, Di Nunzio and Camara. The referee is Maresca of Napoli, with assistants Lo Cicero and Rossi L. The fourth official is Chiffi, while Paterna is the VAR and Aureliano the assistant VAR.

Nahuel Molina has become one of Gasperini's most dangerous players in Roma's opening Serie A fixtures, proving to be a decisive summer acquisition for €13 million. The Argentine has demonstrated his impact through aggressive ball recovery in advanced positions—notably helping create Manu Koné's opening goal—and his consistent threat from distance. After five league matches, Molina ranks among Serie A's best for chances created (2.9 per 90 minutes, behind only Dybala and Wesley in giallorosso), ball recoveries (5.04 per 90), and possessions won in the opponent's third (0.78 per 90), according to Sofascore data. Roma have finally secured a right-sided threat matching Gasperini's tactical demands, addressing a weakness from last season when the club saw only sporadic contributions from a combination of Zeki Çelik and Kostas Tsimikas on that flank. Alongside other key acquisitions—Donyell Malen, Paulo Dybala and Leonardo Balerdi—Molina is reshaping the team's profile. Some observers outside Rome had already suggested he represented a downgrade compared to Çelik, but offensive and defensive statistics offer no room for interpretation. Molina's record through early September demonstrates substantial improvement across all phases: key passes, dribbling, expected assists, ball recoveries and possessions won in the advanced third all favour the Argentine over his predecessor.

Roma hold first place in Serie A ahead of Saturday's fixture against Inter. The side has conceded only one goal in the league this season—Ederson's effort in Atalanta's limited attempts—a defensive record matched among Europe's top five leagues only by Arsenal, the Europa League runners-up. In Germany, Freiburg lead with one goal conceded in three matches; in Spain, Real Madrid and Barcelona both have four; in France, four clubs have conceded two. Gasperini has overhauled Roma's defence compared to last season. Out are N'Dicka, Wesley and Koné; in are Balerdi, Molina and Pisilli. Balerdi and Molina have just arrived—Argentine internationals of substance, neither a routine acquisition. Balerdi missed the World Cup through injury; Molina was Copa América runner-up alongside Paulo Dybala after winning the World Cup in Qatar. The contrast with last season is stark. A year ago, Gasperini would have replaced N'Dicka and Wesley with Ziolkowski and Tsimikas, neither of whom remain at the club. Similarly, El Aynaoui would have started in place of Koné, but he too was moved on after just one season.

Roma's evolution under coach Gian Piero Gasperini has taken shape across two decisive fixtures—the Champions League debut against Fenerbahce in Istanbul on Thursday and a four-day-later trip to Turin against Torino—that showcase the impact of the summer transfer market overhaul steered by new sporting director D'Amico. In the first match, Roma's return to Europe's elite competition after a seven-year absence saw Gasperini field performers who had earned third place in Serie A. Against Torino, however, two summer signings started, with three more introduced during play as Roma secured a fourth consecutive league win. Despite missing three key players—Evan N'Dicka, Wesley, and Manu Koné—Roma maintained tactical identity and attacking threat at Turin, underlining how the summer reinforcements have strengthened the squad's reliability compared to the previous season. The shift in personnel tells the story plainly. A year ago, Gasperini would have replaced N'Dicka and Wesley with Kostas Tsimikas and Jan Ziółkowski; neither remains at Trigoria. Manu Koné's role would have gone to Neil El Aynaoui, who has been moved on after one season, as have Tsimikas and Ziółkowski. In their place came Leonardo Balerdi and Nahuel Molina, both Argentine internationals—Balerdi absent from last year's World Cup only through injury, Molina a Qatar winner alongside Paulo Dybala and recently a World Cup runner-up. Niccolò Pisilli, grown into his role at the start of 2026 and a national team player, has inherited Koné's midfield spot. Gasperini paired Balerdi immediately with Marten de Roon, who arrived from Bergamo in the final moments of the window and played more than half the second half against Torino. Lorenzo Pellegrini, called up after five months out, extended Gasperini's roster of captains—the coach has made clear he possesses multiple leaders beyond Bryan Cristante and Gianluca Mancini. Gasperini operates what he calls the "law of sixteen," seeking to deploy the same core of players in every match to guarantee brilliance, intensity and competitive edge. He refuses publicly to divide his squad into starters and substitutes; there is no difference between a player who begins and one who enters in progress. New sporting director D'Amico's tenure has produced a squad numerically smaller than its predecessor, as D'Amico himself acknowledged, yet Gasperini presented it at full strength in Turin. The article notes that one or two adjustments in January may be needed to perfect the squad further.