Pellegrini breaks silence on Roma return to Champions League and media criticism

Roma completed two signings to strengthen their roster experience after failing to land their initial targets. Marten de Roon arrived from Atalanta after requesting to leave when manager Maurizio Sarri took charge, while Leonardo Balerdi joined on loan from Olympique Marseille with a €15M conditional obligation to buy. The club abandoned pursuit of fullback Jayden Oosterwolde from Fenerbahce after discovering the severity of his injury was worse than expected and declined to revise terms; youth product Emanuele Lulli has since proven serviceable at the position. Morato remained at Marseille after Nottingham Forest insisted on a permanent deal rather than the loan arrangement Roma sought; the defender departs having made 200 appearances over six seasons. The De Roon signing represents a strategic pivot away from signings made by the previous director that lacked head coach Gian Piero Gasperini's backing. De Roon will replace Neil El Aynaoui in the midfield, though El Aynaoui never quite fulfilled the potential he demonstrated at Lens. Roma are exploring additions to the forward line should opportunities arise, working on moves for Zenit's Luiz Henrique and Stuttgart's Jamie Leweling, according to reports. These potential signings could accelerate if Matías Soulé departs the club. El Aynaoui is headed to RB Leipzig for a potential €29M package, Sky reports. The strategic direction reflects Roma's preference for established performers unlikely to cause disruption while delivering solid contributions when selected.

Roma have signed midfielder Marten de Roon from Atalanta and defender Leonardo Balerdi from Olympique Marseille, but failed to complete moves for fullback Jayden Oosterwolde and defender Morato. The deal for Oosterwolde collapsed after Fenerbahçe's injury proved more severe than expected and the club refused to renegotiate terms; Roma are not pursuing alternative options as academy product Emanuele Lulli has proven serviceable. Morato joins on loan with a €15 million conditional obligation to buy after Nottingham Forest demanded an immediate permanent transfer—he had been a cornerstone of Marseille's plans for six seasons with 200 appearances. De Roon arrives as a replacement for Neil El Aynaoui, who is heading to RB Leipzig for a reported potential €29 million package. The midfielder asked to leave when his manager Maurizio Sarri called, and Atalanta allowed his departure without obstruction. Roma's recruitment reflects a broader shift away from signings made by the previous director that lacked Gian Piero Gasperini's approval, selecting instead established players unlikely to disrupt the group. Roma are also working on signings from Zenit's Luiz Henrique and Stuttgart's Jamie Leweling, according to reports from Alfredo Pedullà, with the possibility of adding both if Matías Soulé departs. El Aynaoui, who joined from Lens, never fully realised the potential he had shown in Ligue 1, and the club have opted to move forward with proven commodities expected to deliver solid contributions when called upon.

Serie A has officially confirmed that Roma's fixture against Torino will take place on Monday 14 September at 18:30. The scheduling change follows Roma's Champions League commitment: the club will face Fenerbahce away on Thursday 10 September, meaning they will play the Serie A fourth-round match in the Monday Night slot. The Champions League calendar has reshaped the domestic schedule for this round. Elsewhere in Serie A that weekend, Lazio will host Milan at 18:00 on Saturday, Napoli will play Bologna at 18:00 on Sunday, and Juventus will face Sassuolo at 20:45 on Sunday. Como will also compete on the Monday, having faced Lipsia in the Champions League at home on Thursday.

Roma defeated Lecce 4–0 in the second round of Serie A on 31 August, extending their winning streak to six consecutive league matches. Donyell Malen scored three goals — at 4 minutes, 23 minutes and 65 minutes — while Matías Soulé added the fourth at 24 minutes. The match was played at a 27,031 attendance. Gasperini fielded an unchanged starting XI from Roma's opening 4–0 victory over Fiorentina. The defence lined up as Ghilardi, Mancini and Hermoso across the back, with Wesley on the left flank. Emanuele Lulli started at right-back, winning the pre-match competition with Nahuel Molina for the spot. In midfield, Bryan Cristante and Manu Koné anchored the side, with Matías Soulé operating as number 10 behind the striker pairing of Paulo Dybala and Malen. Rodrigo Mora was named in the forward line, rotating with Soulé. Evan N'Dicka suffered an adductor injury during the warm-up and was unavailable. Roma's six-game winning run now comprises the final five matches of the 2025–26 season plus the 2026–27 opening day against Fiorentina. The club has registered only one previous run of seven consecutive league wins in the past decade: a streak between February and March 2025 under former manager Claudio Ranieri. Lecce have lost 28 of their 40 Serie A fixtures against Roma — only Inter have inflicted more defeats on the Salento side in the top flight, with 32 losses. Roma have scored 85 goals against Lecce in Serie A; again, only Inter have conceded more to Roma in the league, with 94. Despite awaiting further transfer activity, Gasperini's focus remained solely on the Lecce fixture. Devyne Rensch and Lorenzo Pellegrini were rested and unavailable; Rensch will return to action from next week and face Atalanta, while Pellegrini is targeting a return by mid-month. Robinio Vaz was absent for transfer reasons, positioned at the edge of a move to Hull City. Leonardo Balerdi and Marten de Roon made their first competitive calls.

Roma travel to Lecce on 31 August at 18:30 seeking to build on their commanding 4–0 opening-day victory over Fiorentina. Coach Gian Piero Gasperini intends to make minimal changes to the starting eleven that earned that emphatic win, with the principal uncertainty centring on the right-back slot where Nahuel Molina and Emanuele Lulli are contending for a starting place. Rodrigo Mora is favoured to retain his position in the attacking line alongside Paulo Dybala and Donyell Malen, who scored a hat-trick against Fiorentina. Mile Svilar will continue in goal, with the defensive trio of Gianluca Mancini, Evan N'Dicka and Mario Hermoso set to remain unchanged in front of him. Wesley will operate at left-back, while Bryan Cristante and Manu Koné are expected to continue as the central midfield pairing, despite the latter finishing the Fiorentina match with minor physical discomfort. The attacking system allows the three front players considerable fluidity, with Dybala given freedom to drift between the lines and support Malen as the most advanced referential point. Two recent arrivals—Marten de Roon and Leonardo Balerdi—have been included in the travelling squad for Lecce but are unlikely to start. De Roon, officially confirmed by Roma in recent hours, and Balerdi, newly arrived, have had minimal training time with their teammates and will serve as potential substitutes. Gasperini stated that he considered Matías Soulé fully available for the Lecce fixture, though Mora currently holds the edge for the starting role. The ballottage readings suggest Molina leads Lulli 55–45 per cent, while Mora is favoured 65–35 per cent over Soulé. Lorenzo Pellegrini and Devyne Rensch remain unavailable. Roma's tactical setup is expected to mirror the successful pattern from the opening day, with ten positions clearly established and the contest between Molina and Lulli on the right flank representing the main selection dilemma Gasperini faces.

Roma head coach Gian Piero Gasperini has identified a striker and a left-back as the remaining pieces needed to complete the squad ahead of tomorrow's away fixture at Lecce. Gasperini said: "To complete the team we need a piece that closes that section. A left-back and a forward have remained. Lulli has filled in somewhat, I have always believed in him, he is giving important responses but we cannot load such large responsibilities on him. Last season we had Angeliño, Tsimikas, Çelik, Wesley and also Rensch." Gasperini has most of his squad available for the trip to Via del Mare, with Lorenzo Pellegrini and Devyne Rensch expected to return to group training next week. Leonardo Balerdi was officially confirmed as a new arrival this morning, joining fellow recent additions Konstantinos Koulierakis, Rodrigo Mora, Santiago Castro and Nahuel Molina among the squad.