Pellegrini Returns to Training Tuesday as Roma Eyes September Comeback

Roma are monitoring Giorgi Kvernadze, the Frosinone left winger, according to journalist Ekrem Konur. The Georgia-born forward, born in 2003, has made an immediate impact in Serie A this season with 3 goals and 2 assists, plus another 2 goals in the Coppa Italia. Frosinone, managed by Alvini, have impressed early in the campaign and beat Como, with Kvernadze among the standout individual performers alongside Raimondo and Calò. Roma are not alone in their interest. Fiorentina are also tracking the winger, while Napoli lead the chase for his signature. Kvernadze could follow the path taken by Matías Soulé, who left Frosinone last summer to join Roma after a strong season in the Ciociaria. The hope for Frosinone is to retain Kvernadze and preserve their top-flight status, reversing the club's fortunes from three years ago when they were unable to escape relegation despite their quality football.

Roma have begun moving in the January transfer window and have identified Frosinone winger Giorgi Kvernadze as a priority target. The Georgian, born 2003, has scored 5 goals and provided 2 assists across Serie A and Coppa Italia in recent outings that Roma scouts have monitored closely. Napoli are also tracking the situation. The club sits joint-top of Serie A with 13 points from 15 available after an impressive start to the 2026–27 season, level on points with Inter and Lazio. Roma's sporting director Tony D'Amico recognises that reinforcements are still needed, particularly a left-winger with a right foot — a specific profile the club has prioritised. The five summer signings brought in to implement manager Gian Piero Gasperini's ideas — Leonardo Balerdi, Nahuel Molina, Rodrigo Mora, Konstantinos Koulierakis and Marten de Roon — have integrated well, but the squad remains incomplete ahead of the mid-season market. According to reports from Nicolò Schira and confirmed by Il Tempo, Roma have begun their groundwork for January. Kvernadze's form has caught the attention of Roma's recruitment team as the club prepares to strengthen in the coming weeks.

Mile Svilar has emerged as one of Europe's elite goalkeepers under Gian Piero Gasperini, and AS Roma have decisively rejected multiple advances for him this summer, including a concrete approach from Juventus worth over €40 million. The Friedkin Group stood firm, and Svilar has signed a new contract through 2030, anchoring his long-term future at the club. Svilar's form speaks for itself. In five matches this season, he has recorded three clean sheets, 13 saves and an 81.2% success rate on interventions—an average of 2.5 saves per game that places him among the elite goalkeepers with at least fifty official appearances. His performances have been pivotal: decisive interventions against Bisseck and Lautaro in the match against Inter, and against Simeone at Turin. Gasperini's system, which frequently exposes Roma to open-field duels, perfectly suits Svilar's exceptional low-ball exits and one-on-one defending. His development has been consistent since De Rossi's faith in him, followed by the backing of Ranieri, and now the complete trust of Gasperini. At 23, Svilar has rebuilt his career at Roma after difficulties at Benfica, nearly three years into his tenure as the club's undisputed first choice. He has become a leader and an idol to the supporters. One complication shadows his record: after playing for Belgium's youth sides, a 2021 friendly appearance for Serbia prevents him from being called up by the Belgian national team today—a minor disappointment that does not alter his standing at Trigoria.

Lorenzo Pellegrini is closing in on a competitive return after a lengthy absence. The midfielder, who has not featured in any match for Roma this season, last played in April against Pisa. Gasperini's coaching staff has designed targeted tests during the international break to rebuild his match fitness and rhythm as Pellegrini gradually increases his training workload. Pellegrini's comeback will give Gasperini an added resource in the attacking midfield area, a department so far built around Paulo Dybala, Matías Soulé and Rodrigo Mora. The 29-year-old is determined to repay the manager's faith and prove himself on the pitch. Beyond the immediate Roma picture, Pellegrini harbours a second objective: returning to the Italian national team and reclaiming his place under Roberto Mancini after two years away. According to Corriere della Sera, Pellegrini has been sidelined for roughly six months and remains the only outfield player in Roma's squad yet to debut in the 2026–27 campaign. His push for match sharpness and a return to previous form represents a significant boost to Gasperini's squad depth as the season progresses.

Lorenzo Pellegrini has emerged as Roma's key figure during the international break, remaining the only outfield player yet to feature under Gian Piero Gasperini this season. Despite six matches played, the head coach has called upon 19 of his 20 available outfield players, leaving Pellegrini absent from action. Rather than a tactical decision, the situation reflects the need for one of the club's captains to regain full fitness. Pellegrini's last appearance came in Roma's match against Pisa on 10 April. The break in league action has provided an opportunity for him to undertake specific fitness work to restore his match rhythm ahead of the resumption. Gasperini has shown strong confidence in Pellegrini, having actively pushed for his contract renewal on a fresh one-year deal. The manager's backing carries weight as Pellegrini looks to prove the decision justified. Beyond Roma, Pellegrini has his sights set on returning to the Italy squad under head coach Roberto Mancini, having been absent for two years. The international dimension adds further motivation for the 1996-born midfielder. During these opening days of the break, Pellegrini has notably increased his workload, following a preparation schedule delivered by Gasperini's staff. According to reporting from Simone Valdarchi in the Corriere della Sera, the squad rotation and forthcoming fixtures will give Pellegrini the platform to demonstrate the faith placed in him.

Gian Piero Gasperini is refusing to ease off during the international break, instead using the coming weeks to prepare Roma for a late-autumn peak when his teams have historically shown their strongest form. While Inter gave their squad six days of complete rest, Gasperini has maintained high-intensity training at Trigoria, though the programme is inevitably shaped by the departure of twelve international players. The squad remaining in Rome includes Mile Svilar, Donyell Malen, Paulo Dybala, Mario Hermoso, Bryan Cristante, Devyne Rensch, Nahuel Molina and Marten de Roon, alongside players requiring specific work—notably Wesley, who must build his athletic base, and Lorenzo Pellegrini, who is returning from a lengthy absence and has already begun an intensive programme to rejoin regular rotation. Gasperini is also considering organizing a friendly match that could involve some youth-team players. Gasperini's approach reflects a precise logic. His teams have consistently shown their best athletic performance between late autumn and early winter, when the benefits of summer preparation become fully absorbed. His most famous precedent came in his first Atalanta season, when six consecutive league wins in November 2016 transformed a team with survival as its target into a Europa League contender. Similar runs followed in 2021 and 2024. Roma have already started well despite not yet operating at full capacity—some new players are still integrating, others building fitness, and Pellegrini has barely begun his season. The stretch ahead will demand depth: the combination of league and Champions League fixtures will produce a sequence of closely spaced matches making it impossible to rely on the same eleven throughout. For this reason Gasperini does not want a pause. He wants a launchpad. The logic is that Roma have already built their league position during the summer; now the coach wants to prepare their bodies for autumn. If the pattern his squads have followed repeats itself, the strongest part of the season may still be to come.