Malen's hot form attracts Premier League attention

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 have scored 28 goals in their first ten matches of the 2026-27 season, a club record, after a 5-3 win at Udinese. The tally surpasses the previous record of 26 goals, set in 1960/61 and 2016/17, and the goals have come from a wide spread of players rather than relying on Donyell Malen, although he is leading the side. Under Gian Piero Gasperini, Roma have become a side that is always dangerous and always able to finish, with many matches won by at least four goals across Serie A and the Champions League. Roma have scored with 14 different players so far: Malen, Niccolò Pisilli, Manu Koné, Matías Soulé, Mario Hermoso, Emanuele Lulli, Rodrigo Mora, Bryan Cristante, Marten de Roon, Santiago Castro, Nahuel Molina and Leonardo Balerdi. Evan N'Dicka and Daniele Ghilardi also scored against Udinese and join that list. The results are reflected in the table: 24 points from ten matches, the club's best start since 2013. Last season Roma had 21 points at this stage, and two seasons ago they had just 13. To find similar numbers, you have to go back to 2022, when Mourinho reached 22 points. The Udinese victory was not simply a big win but proof of a team that scores with a consistency never seen before at the club. The 28 goals in the opening ten rounds represent a milestone the club had never reached, and the tally was built across Serie A and the Champions League alike.

Roma eased to a 5-2 win over Udinese, moving to within one point of Inter and Lazio in the table, pending those sides' matches. Five different players scored. Bryan Cristante opened the scoring with a header and then set up Rodrigo Mora's goal to make it 2-0. Donyell Malen completed the hat-trick for 3-0 before Evan N'Dicka made it 4-0 in the 37th minute. Udinese, coached by Runjaic, came back into the game after the break. Zaniolo, the former Roma player, pulled one back, and Palma added a second to make it 4-2. Ghilardi sealed the result late on with the fifth Roma goal. Roma's player ratings: Rodrigo Mora and Malen (7) scored again, Cristante (8) was on the scoresheet with a goal and an assist, and Okoye was given a 4.5.

Gian Piero Gasperini said Roma's goal tally from many different scorers is a "great signal" after his side beat Udinese 4-0 in the tenth round of Serie A at the Bluenergy Stadium. Roma have scored 28 goals in ten matches, a striking change from last season, and Malen is not the only source of their threat. "The numbers sometimes count and say something. Certainly, as well as scoring many goals, we are scoring them with many different players. This is also a sign of confidence, of many players who now believe they can be decisive, both in the assist, as in this case, and in the finish. So we are scoring more goals and with more players. This is a great signal." Roma led 4-0 at half-time, but the second half saw them ease off, particularly in offensive intensity. Gasperini said the drop was understandable: "I don't know, because even the teams fighting for the top positions have some small problems. I have to say it is quite normal. When you go 4-0 up, although at half-time we told each other to be very careful, keep defending well and not conceding, it is clear something can drop. We play in Manchester in three days, we are playing a lot. This was our eighth match in less than twenty days. So what is lacking is not so much physical strength as a little attention and concentration. Then we conceded a goal from distance that reopened the game a little. It was a bad goal, because we were set up and that is exactly the sign of having switched off mentally. We would never have conceded a goal like that. But it is also true that as soon as we had the chance to accelerate, we could still be dangerous." Asked about the impressive performances of Roma's young players, and Ghilardi's goal, Gasperini credited the group's attitude: "I have the good fortune of having all the players, even the less young ones, who give me great availability. With young players there is always this availability, because they want to emerge and improve. I am lucky to have a group with a fantastic mix. We may have other kinds of faults, but in terms of availability it is total." He added: "Ghilardi, moreover, was quite angry because recently a goal was disallowed for him in the Champions League against Slovan, a really beautiful goal. That desire to score stayed inside him and tonight he scored a beautiful goal." On the physical demands of the calendar, Gasperini said: "A period this long, with this continuity of matches three times a week, I struggle to remember. It has happened to me at other times, for example with Atalanta in the year we won the Europa League. We had reached the final of the Coppa Italia too and were fighting for the Champions League in the league. But that was March-April, a different period. A situation like this I do not remember. There is certainly a lot of fatigue, because the matches you go to play are all high-level and very difficult. I think after the next break, although the commitments will continue to be many, the situation will be a little less heavy. Especially for us, who for almost all of this period have had the absences of Svilar, Koné, Dybala and Pellegrini. Being able to rotate the squad, get everyone playing and distribute minutes is certainly helping us." Asked whether any of the injured players could return before the break, Gasperini said: "It is difficult, but I hope so. In theory all three could recover, but it could also be that none of them do. We will see, this will be a decisive week." On Cristante, who was outstanding, Gasperini said: "The pre-season preparation has stayed the same. What varies a little is the reading of individual players, we also work individually. It is difficult to train Mora the same as Mancini or N'Dicka, we have our own parameters and reads, and we work a lot on the players, that yes. There is a lot of individualised work. Honestly, I remember Cristante like this." He explained that Cristante had been out for a month with a knee injury that affected the collateral ligament, adding: "He has played three games in a row after a month out, a bit like De Roon, the more he plays the better he gets. He recovers quickly and that is a good sign." Gasperini also reflected on the season so far: "You can never know beforehand what will happen. I have a group that is hungry to improve and sets team goals to get better, we are not thinking about anything grand. Tactical work we do not have much time for, we learn during matches. By playing we have undoubtedly grown, and we have great confidence in the whole squad. Using everyone also helps, so everyone is ready." On the attacking play, he said: "I see myself in all the concepts of play. There were also goals of fine quality, N'Dicka scoring with a header from a corner, and all the others were fine assists with equally fine goals. Right now everyone is in confidence, when we get there there is aggression from everyone." Roma return to Manchester in three days' time, with Gasperini's side facing a demanding run of matches before the international break.