Malen the certainty, Dovbyk the doubt: Gasperini's attack for the Champions League

Donyell Malen has settled quickly at Roma and dreams of celebrating a Serie A title at the Circo Massimo, recalling footage of the club's 2001 Scudetto celebrations there. The Dutch forward credits head coach Gasperini with giving him clear direction and confidence. "The trust he has placed in me, the clarity with which he expresses himself," Malen said. "It's hard not to understand what he asks. He knows my qualities and puts me in the best conditions to finish the team's work." Malen reflected on his journey through the Netherlands, Germany, England, and now Italy, noting that Roma's path to Champions League qualification after seven years was more significant than individual goal tallies. He acknowledged Gasperini's recent suggestion that he and Santiago Castro may rarely start together, accepting the coach's tactical decisions. On Paulo Dybala, he said simply: "A magician." Malen spoke warmly of his wife Delisha, whom he has known since adolescence, and their recent addition—daughter Shiloh, now six months old, joining three older sons. His mother, who worked night shifts as a taxi driver to support the family during the day, earned particular gratitude. Growing up in a rural area with farms and animals, Malen earned the childhood nickname "the farmer with clogs" after copying his grandfather's footwear.

Roma are closing in on a deal for Feyenoord winger Read but have not yet reached agreement with the Dutch club. Head coach Gasperini is awaiting his third summer signing and has requested four additional reinforcements beyond that. Sporting director D'Amico is working to meet those demands, with Read identified as a concrete target. The player has already committed to the Roma project, but Feyenoord remain a significant obstacle. The club are standing firm on a €30 million valuation, while Roma have tabled an offer of €28 million. Negotiations continue over performance bonuses and a resale percentage, leaving a gap to be bridged between the two clubs. Read's willingness to join is not in question; the impasse is purely between Roma and Feyenoord over financial terms. Gasperini must wait for further progress as talks proceed on the outstanding issues.

Roma have reignited their interest in Torino winger Cacciamani, a 2007-born player tracked closely at Trigoria. The club's first approach, an offer of €7 million, was rejected by Torino owner Cairo, who values the player at approximately €15 million and initially resisted any sale. However, the pursuit has heated up in recent days, with sporting director D'Amico preparing to make a fresh bid. The coming hours could prove decisive. Gasperini remains short of squad depth on both flanks — he is still seeking a left-sided winger, a right-back starter and a left-back option. So far this summer, D'Amico has completed only two signings: Castro and Koulierakis, which the club believes is insufficient to complete the roster. Cacciamani represents one of several targets being tracked, though Read is also among Roma's priorities. The continued lack of concrete progress has prompted the club to accelerate their efforts. With Gasperini awaiting reinforcements, D'Amico is stepping up activity in the transfer market. The prospect of further bids for Cacciamani reflects Roma's determination to strengthen their attacking and defensive options before the window closes.

Donyell Malen has settled quickly at Roma and dreams of celebrating a Serie A title at the Circo Massimo, recalling footage of the club's 2001 Scudetto celebrations there. The Dutch forward credits head coach Gasperini with giving him clear direction and confidence. "The trust he has placed in me, the clarity with which he expresses himself," Malen said. "It's hard not to understand what he asks. He knows my qualities and puts me in the best conditions to finish the team's work." Malen reflected on his journey through the Netherlands, Germany, England, and now Italy, noting that Roma's path to Champions League qualification after seven years was more significant than individual goal tallies. He acknowledged Gasperini's recent suggestion that he and Santiago Castro may rarely start together, accepting the coach's tactical decisions. On Paulo Dybala, he said simply: "A magician." Malen spoke warmly of his wife Delisha, whom he has known since adolescence, and their recent addition—daughter Shiloh, now six months old, joining three older sons. His mother, who worked night shifts as a taxi driver to support the family during the day, earned particular gratitude. Growing up in a rural area with farms and animals, Malen earned the childhood nickname "the farmer with clogs" after copying his grandfather's footwear.

Roma face Newport County in their second pre-season friendly in Wales on 4 August at 20:00 at the Rodney Parade. The match follows an earlier fixture against Cardiff City during the summer preparation period under head coach Gian Piero Gasperini. Gasperini is expected to deploy a 3-4-2-1 formation, with Mile Svilar in goal; Gianluca Mancini, Evan N'Dicka and Koulierakis across the back; Devyne Rensch and Wesley as wing-backs; Neil El Aynaoui and Bryan Cristante in midfield; Paulo Dybala and Matías Soulé in the attacking midfield line; and Donyell Malen leading the attack. Tickets are available through Newport County's official website. The friendly will be broadcast live on DAZN, with live text coverage available on ilromanista.eu.

Donyell Malen has set his sights on a repeat of Roma's impressive 2025–26 campaign, speaking from the club's preseason base in Cardiff. The Dutch forward scored 15 goals in 20 appearances in his first six months at Roma and is determined to maintain that trajectory in the 2026–27 season. Malen reflected on last season's primary achievement: the Champions League qualification that ended a long drought for the club. "Always nice for a striker to score many goals and help the team win," he said. "In the end, the big success of last year wasn't my scoring record, but the Champions League place we secured. Roma hadn't played in it for so many years. It would be a dream to replicate what we achieved last year." When asked about winning the Serie A Golden Boot, Malen stressed that individual accolades are secondary to overall performance. "Dream of becoming top scorer? The important thing is to play at a high level. It's not just about goals, but creating plenty of chances and providing assists. I know my qualities in finishing, and if I improve week after week, who knows where I can get to," he said.

Donyell Malen has settled quickly at Roma and dreams of celebrating a Serie A title at the Circo Massimo, recalling footage of the club's 2001 Scudetto celebrations there. The Dutch forward credits head coach Gasperini with giving him clear direction and confidence. "The trust he has placed in me, the clarity with which he expresses himself," Malen said. "It's hard not to understand what he asks. He knows my qualities and puts me in the best conditions to finish the team's work." Malen reflected on his journey through the Netherlands, Germany, England, and now Italy, noting that Roma's path to Champions League qualification after seven years was more significant than individual goal tallies. He acknowledged Gasperini's recent suggestion that he and Santiago Castro may rarely start together, accepting the coach's tactical decisions. On Paulo Dybala, he said simply: "A magician." Malen spoke warmly of his wife Delisha, whom he has known since adolescence, and their recent addition—daughter Shiloh, now six months old, joining three older sons. His mother, who worked night shifts as a taxi driver to support the family during the day, earned particular gratitude. Growing up in a rural area with farms and animals, Malen earned the childhood nickname "the farmer with clogs" after copying his grandfather's footwear.

Devyne Rensch has spoken of his emotional arrival at Roma, telling Romanews.eu from the club's Cardiff training camp: "It is a feeling difficult to explain. These are sensations you don't experience often but only in very special moments. When I signed for Roma it was a special moment for me and so the emotions came out. My mother was crying too and that is one of the reasons why that moment was so special." Midfielder Muhammed Bah suffered a serious setback during the same training spell, tearing his anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee after 26 minutes of the friendly against Cardiff City. The 2007-born player will undergo surgery in Switzerland with Dr Georg Ahlbäumer, with recovery estimated at approximately nine months. Bah had suffered the same injury once before in 2024. Elsewhere, Roma are accelerating their pursuit of right-back Givairo Read from Feyenoord as their primary target for the flank. The club has tabled an offer of €25 million and an agreement in principle has been reached with the player; further contact with Feyenoord is expected in the coming days to advance the deal. Winger Wesley withdrew from training after just ten minutes but Roma's medical staff reported no serious alarm, describing it as a minor issue to manage in the coming days. His early exit had been pre-arranged with the coaching team. Paulo Dybala was singled out as one of the few Roma players performing well in the Cardiff friendly loss.

Roma's Argentine contingent of Paulo Dybala, Matías Soulé and Santiago Castro were spotted together during the club's training camp in Wales, continuing a tradition established two years earlier when Leandro Paredes formed part of the group at Burton. The three players share close ties—Soulé and Castro work with the same fitness coach, Guido Viggiano, and spent part of their summer break together in Argentina. Their bond was evident during a friendly against Cardiff, when both Soulé and Castro protested to the referee over a challenge on Castro, with Lorenzo Pellegrini stepping in as captain to mediate. The incident had blown over by the following day, with the pair joking together while watching training from the gym. Soulé's position within that circle faces jeopardy, however. The winger has been available for transfer since early June, with Roma seeking a buyer despite rejections from interested Saudi Arabian clubs and only tentative approaches from German and English sides. Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini's tactical deployment in the Cardiff match offered a telling sign: Soulé was stationed on the left wing rather than his previous season's right-wing role, with Dybala occupying the primary position on that flank. Should Soulé depart, it could unlock the path to signing Endrick, though academy prospect Mastantuono has failed to convince. Elsewhere, young defender Bah suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee and faces approximately nine months on the sidelines. Wesley remains unavailable and will miss tomorrow's fixture against Newport. Niccolò Pisilli is sidelined pending another scan next week, with hopes of rejoining group training the following week. In mercato news, Roma awaits a response regarding Read, with an agreement with Feyenoord edging close—approximately 2 million euros remain under negotiation.

Roma travel to Wales on Saturday 1 August for a pre-season friendly against Cardiff, kicking off at 16:00 local time (15:00 GMT). Donyell Malen starts in attack, with Castro on the bench in his first appearance of pre-season. Neil El Aynaoui returns to action after missing the opening weeks of summer training due to World Cup involvement. Robinio Vaz is available after recovering from a knee injury. Niccolò Pisilli remains unavailable and has not yet reached full fitness. The match will be broadcast live exclusively on DAZN, requiring a subscription to watch on smart TV, gaming consoles (Xbox or PlayStation), or streaming devices including Amazon Fire TV Stick, Google Chromecast, and TIM VISION Box. The fixture will also air on free-to-air channel Canale Nove, though only as a delayed broadcast at 21:30. Roma fans can follow live updates via Forzaroma.info's live blog and the club's social media accounts on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

Roma started their pre-season campaign in Wales on 1 August, with a morning training session at Hensol followed by a friendly against Cardiff City at the Cardiff City Stadium, kicking off at 15:00 (16:00 Italian time). All eyes were on Castro, who was set for his debut, while Neil El Aynaoui returned from holiday and is fully available for head coach Gian Piero Gasperini. The majority of the squad was available, with Robinio Vaz having recovered from injury and Niccolò Pisilli progressing in his rehabilitation and expected to rejoin the group in the coming days. The club's pre-season schedule continued with another training session scheduled for 2 August at the sports complex, open to supporters and media. A second friendly fixture against Newport follows on 3 August at 19:00.

Roma arrived in Wales for their pre-season training camp on Tuesday, though roughly an hour behind schedule after switching flights due to an operational issue. The squad will be based at Vale Resort in Hensol and face Cardiff City in their opening friendly at Cardiff City Stadium on Wednesday at 16:00 local time (15:00 UK time). No morning training session is scheduled before the match. Santiago Castro, who has completed initial work at Trigoria, is primed to feature after his recent arrival, with Donyell Malen set to start as the sole new signing present. Matteo Koulierakis has not yet arrived for his medical examination; he is expected in the capital on Wednesday before joining the squad in Wales. Niccolò Pisilli has been recalled to the group as he continues recovery from a left soleus muscle injury but will not play. Robinio Vaz has fully recovered from injury and is available, while Neil El Aynaoui has returned after extended leave following World Cup duties. Approximately 10,000 tickets have been sold for the fixture. Shuttle bus services will operate every 15 minutes on route 95 between Cardiff city centre and the stadium from Wood Street (stop JB), beginning two hours before kickoff and running until the crowd has dispersed. Gates open at 13:30—90 minutes before the 15:00 local start. Around 100 Roma supporters are expected to attend.