Pellegrini dines with Mancini as Roma mourns De Rossi tribute and Trebiciani

Jadon Sancho has re-entered Roma's thinking more than a year after the club's pursuit of him ended with his move to Aston Villa last summer. The English winger is now a free agent and represents a potential opportunity for the Giallorossi. Roma's management are considering offering him a performance-based contract, with wages tied to appearances, to provide the right-footed winger Gian Piero Gasperini has requested to complete the attacking department. No negotiations are currently underway, but Sancho remains a concrete option to monitor over the coming weeks. Separately, Roma face travel restrictions for Monday's fixture at Torino, scheduled for 18:30 on 14 September. A ticket sales ban has been imposed for residents of Rome's province, preventing them from attending the match at the Olimpico Grande Torino. Residents elsewhere in Lazio may purchase tickets only in the away section and exclusively with an AS Roma membership card. Roma's Champions League opener against Fenerbahçe is set for Thursday at 18:45 at the Şükrü Saracoğlu in Istanbul. Fenerbahçe have returned to training following a loss to Besiktas and will be without Mateo Guendouzi, suspended by UEFA for the match after incidents in a preliminary tie against Lyon. Marco Asensio is under assessment after two weeks out with injury and has not featured in training. Fenerbahçe's coach hopes to recover Akturkoglu and to have Romelu Lukaku at full fitness, while Oosterwolde remains unavailable following surgery. Analyst Piero Torri stated: "Roma are currently unbeaten alongside Inter, and these are certainly positive responses. From now until December it will be entirely a question of injuries: if Roma are not hit by injuries, their squad is sufficient. All the same, Pisilli and Rensch remained on the bench on Saturday, and Pellegrini will return." Commentator Carina added: "Roma are finally 'Gasperini-style': they are the same Roma we saw in Gasperini's Atalanta. Three matches and three games in the Gasperini style: they never stop. It is a squad that takes your breath away. And for the first time a coach wins the match by removing two defenders: had he not taken off N'Dicka and Mancini, Roma would have suffered a second goal, because both fail to understand each other against Kristovic and run into difficulty."

Roma trained on 7 September as preparations intensified for their Champions League fixture against Fenerbahce on Thursday in Istanbul. Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini held a late-afternoon session at Trigoria with no intention of reducing intensity ahead of the difficult away match. The squad worked through drills, small-sided games and competitive exercises, with Gasperini preparing to field his strongest eleven. Lorenzo Pellegrini featured in training and is targeting a recall to the matchday squad. The session underlined Roma's unity and focus on their return to European football's premier competition after an absence. CEO Galantic observed the training from the sideline. The club published a brief video on social media with the caption "Champions League week" and "Towards Istanbul", marking the significance of the occasion.

Roma supporters living in Rome province will be barred from purchasing tickets for the away section when Roma travel to Torino for a Serie A match on Monday 14 September at 18:30. Ticket sales will be exclusively available to fans residing outside Rome province who hold an AS Roma Card. The restriction will prevent a significant portion of Roma's fanbase from attending the match in person to follow Gian Piero Gasperini's side. Ticket sales begin on 8 September at 10:00. The ban reflects a standard visitor segregation policy implemented for the fixture, limiting access for the club's local support base during an away league campaign.

Lorenzo Pellegrini has recovered from recent injury and returned to full training with Roma's squad, a significant boost for head coach Gian Piero Gasperini as the club prepares for its European campaign. The midfielder had been sidelined by problems that disrupted the previous weeks but is now working normally with his teammates at Trigoria, the club confirmed via social media with a training video captioned "Towards Istanbul". The recovery is timely as Roma enters the critical phase of the season where squad rotation and energy management become increasingly important. Pellegrini's availability gives Gasperini more options in midfield at a moment when the team will need to balance domestic and continental commitments. This comes after Roma secured a third consecutive league victory, maintaining momentum before the European campaign begins.

Roma began preparations for their Champions League campaign with a training session on Thursday ahead of their debut in Europe's elite competition against Fenerbahce in Istanbul on Thursday. Lorenzo Pellegrini trained with the group and is targeting a recall to the squad. The club's focus extends beyond the pitch: director D'Amico has identified a need for a left-sided forward, and Roma are considering Jadon Sancho, currently a free agent. New contact has been made with the English player, with the idea of a pay-per-appearance contract arrangement.

Jadon Sancho has re-entered Roma's thinking more than a year after the club's pursuit of him ended with his move to Aston Villa last summer. The English winger is now a free agent and represents a potential opportunity for the Giallorossi. Roma's management are considering offering him a performance-based contract, with wages tied to appearances, to provide the right-footed winger Gian Piero Gasperini has requested to complete the attacking department. No negotiations are currently underway, but Sancho remains a concrete option to monitor over the coming weeks. Separately, Roma face travel restrictions for Monday's fixture at Torino, scheduled for 18:30 on 14 September. A ticket sales ban has been imposed for residents of Rome's province, preventing them from attending the match at the Olimpico Grande Torino. Residents elsewhere in Lazio may purchase tickets only in the away section and exclusively with an AS Roma membership card. Roma's Champions League opener against Fenerbahçe is set for Thursday at 18:45 at the Şükrü Saracoğlu in Istanbul. Fenerbahçe have returned to training following a loss to Besiktas and will be without Mateo Guendouzi, suspended by UEFA for the match after incidents in a preliminary tie against Lyon. Marco Asensio is under assessment after two weeks out with injury and has not featured in training. Fenerbahçe's coach hopes to recover Akturkoglu and to have Romelu Lukaku at full fitness, while Oosterwolde remains unavailable following surgery. Analyst Piero Torri stated: "Roma are currently unbeaten alongside Inter, and these are certainly positive responses. From now until December it will be entirely a question of injuries: if Roma are not hit by injuries, their squad is sufficient. All the same, Pisilli and Rensch remained on the bench on Saturday, and Pellegrini will return." Commentator Carina added: "Roma are finally 'Gasperini-style': they are the same Roma we saw in Gasperini's Atalanta. Three matches and three games in the Gasperini style: they never stop. It is a squad that takes your breath away. And for the first time a coach wins the match by removing two defenders: had he not taken off N'Dicka and Mancini, Roma would have suffered a second goal, because both fail to understand each other against Kristovic and run into difficulty."

Jadon Sancho has re-entered Roma's thinking more than a year after the club's pursuit of him ended with his move to Aston Villa last summer. The English winger is now a free agent and represents a potential opportunity for the Giallorossi. Roma's management are considering offering him a performance-based contract, with wages tied to appearances, to provide the right-footed winger Gian Piero Gasperini has requested to complete the attacking department. No negotiations are currently underway, but Sancho remains a concrete option to monitor over the coming weeks. Separately, Roma face travel restrictions for Monday's fixture at Torino, scheduled for 18:30 on 14 September. A ticket sales ban has been imposed for residents of Rome's province, preventing them from attending the match at the Olimpico Grande Torino. Residents elsewhere in Lazio may purchase tickets only in the away section and exclusively with an AS Roma membership card. Roma's Champions League opener against Fenerbahçe is set for Thursday at 18:45 at the Şükrü Saracoğlu in Istanbul. Fenerbahçe have returned to training following a loss to Besiktas and will be without Mateo Guendouzi, suspended by UEFA for the match after incidents in a preliminary tie against Lyon. Marco Asensio is under assessment after two weeks out with injury and has not featured in training. Fenerbahçe's coach hopes to recover Akturkoglu and to have Romelu Lukaku at full fitness, while Oosterwolde remains unavailable following surgery. Analyst Piero Torri stated: "Roma are currently unbeaten alongside Inter, and these are certainly positive responses. From now until December it will be entirely a question of injuries: if Roma are not hit by injuries, their squad is sufficient. All the same, Pisilli and Rensch remained on the bench on Saturday, and Pellegrini will return." Commentator Carina added: "Roma are finally 'Gasperini-style': they are the same Roma we saw in Gasperini's Atalanta. Three matches and three games in the Gasperini style: they never stop. It is a squad that takes your breath away. And for the first time a coach wins the match by removing two defenders: had he not taken off N'Dicka and Mancini, Roma would have suffered a second goal, because both fail to understand each other against Kristovic and run into difficulty."

Under Gasperini's management, Roma have abandoned their defensive-first identity and emerged as one of Serie A's most creative and dangerous attacking forces. In Saturday's fixture, the club fielded two less experienced defenders in place of established players Evan N'Dicka and Gianluca Mancini—yet Roma shifted up a gear from that point on. After a season defined by the defensive solidity inherited from José Mourinho and Claudio Ranieri, the first three matches of this campaign have revealed what it means to play Gasperini football: field domination, mental strength, and a relentless goal-scoring machine. Roma have climbed to the top of Serie A's offensive statistics alongside Inter and Como—the two clubs displaying the best football this season. Beyond goals and assists, Gasperini's side matches Inter in possession percentage (63.9%, compared to Inter's 66%), but this is far from sterile possession: Roma have shot on target 26 times, the most in the league (Como second with 21), and created 17 big chances—the highest total alongside Inter, who have 13. The transformation is staggering. Two seasons ago, Roma ranked fifth in Serie A for big chances and barely ninth for shots on target. In the first three matches, Roma have also ranked among the best for successful dribbles with 29—an extraordinary figure after finishing 19th of 20 teams last season. Gasperini arrived on 6 June 2025 with a clear project: a gradual revolution built around young players and buttressed by experienced personnel. Despite market limitations that prevented him from signing the attacking player he wanted—notably Mason Greenwood—Roma have become a team of modern ideas, character, and tactical openness, playing without fear against any opponent. The gap from the squad Ranieri left behind is measured in years, not months. Ahead lie significant tests: Fenerbahçe in Istanbul, then Torino before fixtures against Inter, Como, and Real Madrid. The final three, in particular, have long been circled in red.

Daniele Ghilardi has emerged as one of the season's surprises at Roma. After months of adaptation last season following his arrival from Verona, the defender earned Gasperini's trust, yet began the campaign without a league start across the opening eighteen matches. His turning point came at Lecce, where he suddenly stepped into the side and performed flawlessly. Last week at the same venue he was named in the starting eleven again, producing four tackles won from five attempts, eight ground duels won and aerial supremacy. On Saturday against Atalanta, Ghilardi replaced Gianluca Mancini and contributed significantly to Roma's comeback. Gasperini chose to release Jan Ziółkowski over the summer in favour of keeping the 2003-born defender, continuing a pattern of player development that has become a hallmark of his management at Roma. Crucially, Italy national team coach Roberto Mancini attended the Olimpico fixture and took note of the performance. While Ghilardi remains too early for September's international break, Mancini is expected to consider him for future call-ups.