Pes says Gasperini wants a small push in attack, not a Greenwood-style signing

Bologna are reportedly weighing up whether to end Artem Dovbyk's loan early during the January transfer window, with talks between the Emilian club and Roma expected in the coming weeks. The report, attributed to Matteo Moretto on Fabrizio Romano's YouTube channel, says the Ukrainian striker has not fully convinced Bologna. Dovbyk left Rome last summer in search of more regular football, but his time at Bologna has fallen short of expectations. Injuries and a change of coach have limited his minutes. Roma, for their part, do not currently consider Dovbyk a priority within their technical project, so the two clubs will discuss the best solution for the striker's future. The Italian report notes that Dovbyk could see his situation change again in January, with the two clubs due to meet to take stock of the position.

Bologna are considering terminating Artem Dovbyk's loan early, with the Ukrainian striker potentially returning to Roma as soon as January, according to market expert Matteo Moretto. Five matches into the season, Dovbyk has scored just one goal for Bologna, and the club are unhappy with his output. The forward has failed to fit into the systems of coach Palladino, and at Casteldebole, Bologna's training ground, there are growing doubts that he is the right striker to build around for the rest of the campaign. Roma had not factored such a scenario into their plans. At Trigoria, the club have set up the season without counting on Dovbyk, and an early return would risk disrupting their plans. For that reason, talks are scheduled between the two clubs to take stock of the situation and determine the best solution. Moretto said: "There will be a meeting with Roma." Dovbyk's future has once again become uncertain, and January could bring a new twist.

Artem Dovbyk could return to Roma as early as January, with Bologna reportedly considering ending his loan six months early. The Ukrainian striker's spell at Bologna, intended to revive his career after a difficult season, has not gone to plan. Matteo Moretto raised the possibility on Fabrizio Romano's YouTube channel, and Il Resto del Carlino also reports that Bologna are weighing their January departures, including that of the former Girona player. Dovbyk's numbers at Bologna are modest: five league appearances, no starts and one goal. More worrying for the player is his fading status under Raffaele Palladino. Even with no other recognised strikers available, the coach has often preferred alternatives, using Odgaard as a centre-forward. In the most recent match against Parma, Dovbyk stayed on the bench for the full ninety minutes. Money also weighs on Bologna's thinking. Dovbyk earns around three million euros net per season, a significant outlay for a player who currently has no place in the side. The loan, which carries an option to buy, runs until 30 June 2027, but the two clubs could discuss an early termination. The situation is not settled. Bologna chief executive Claudio Fenucci has, at least publicly, ruled out any immediate intention to sell Dovbyk, stressing that the player has important qualities and above all needs to regain confidence. That stance is more cautious than the market speculation and leaves room for a revival in the coming weeks. A early return to Roma would not be automatic. Bologna cannot end the loan unilaterally for technical reasons without Roma's consent, unless the agreement contains specific clauses. A mutual termination would also require the agreement of the player. Roma could therefore refuse Bologna's request and keep the loan in place until its scheduled expiry. Talks between the clubs would serve to establish whether conditions for a shared solution exist. Dovbyk will meanwhile try to use his call-up to the Ukraine squad to regain minutes and confidence. The coming weeks could decide his future, with January approaching and Roma at risk of another outgoing deal to manage.

Roma have three players capable of igniting matches in attacking midfield, and Gasperini now has a difficult but welcome choice to make. Dybala, Soulé and Mora form a trio described as a fairytale unit, ready to set up goals for Malen. The balance shifted when Dybala was injured: Soulé became the ace and Mora the joker Gasperini cannot do without. Dybala is now back and wants to start against Parma. The answer to who should make way lies in the data. Mora wins the ball in the opponent's final third, averaging 2.3 recoveries per match, a trait that neither Soulé nor Dybala matches in the same way, and no one else at Roma does it as he does. In Gasperini's high-pressing system, pressing is everything, and Mora keeps the team pushed up, pushing opponents away from his own half and creating chances in theirs. He is small in stature but has enormous talent, not only with the ball at his feet. Four goals and two assists count for something, but Gasperini is looking at more than goals: his system needs perfect interpreters, and Mora fits that description today, even though he is not the winger Gasperini had in mind. Mora has four goals and two assists, while Dybala's return gives the coach a dilemma that every manager would welcome. The question is whom to leave out, and the statistics point towards Mora being indispensable in the pressing game.

Roma radio pundits used the latest edition of the On Air roundup to debate the club's January transfer plans, with Daniele Lo Monaco of Radio Romanista claiming that Roma would win the Scudetto if they could sign Gittens and Endrick. He added: "If I could have Gittens and Endrick today, Roma would win the Scudetto. Or at least they would fight it out until the last matchday with Inter." The Italian headline also carries comments from Lorenzo Pes and Checco Oddo Casano on the UEFA financial verdict and its effect on the market. The main backdrop is the Financial Fair Play case. Gianluca Piacentini of Rete Sport said the UEFA ruling will come in May, and that the parameters had already been reported: the reduction of the squad cost and Roma's virtuous process, helped by Champions League money. He said: "I take it as good news, Roma are on a virtuous path." Casano disagreed on the market impact, saying: "Nobody has ever talked about a blocked market. Nobody at Trigoria is certain of a budget to spend in January, regardless of the UEFA matter." He added: "Not knowing what kind of verdict you will get, you cannot go to Real in January and say: 'Here are 70 million for Endrick'. You would risk worsening your position in the eyes of your judge." On the squad, Roberto Pruzzo said: "Roma have reacted well to the absences: Soulè has played very well and has at times taken the team in hand, while the striker up front has dropped off a little, but it seems to me you have absorbed the injuries well. Now you can restart with more certainties." Lo Monaco argued that Castro and Malen struggle to play together, as they do more or less the same things, and that Endrick could be the alternative to Dybala with Mora as a trequartista. Andrea Pugliese said Soulè and Dybala do their best work on the right and asked where Soulè would play once Dybala returns to the starting line-up, adding that Dybala would be almost certain to start in Parma. Petruzzi said Mora has scored 4 goals and Soulè has also scored, and that Dybala will play whenever he is at 100%. On Lookman, Mario Corsi said: "With Gasperini I would take Lookman. He has scored only one goal at Atletico Madrid, and maybe that is why they are ready to sell him." Pes said: "If I had to sign someone who can really help you, it would be Lookman. If there were the chance to work together again, the old grudges would be smoothed over." He also said that Gasperini does not want a Greenwood-type player but someone who can help, and that a midfield reinforcement may be needed given Koné's injury record and Pellegrini's absence. Pes added that a major sale is hard to see at this point of the season. Pes said the official FPF sanction will arrive in the spring, but that Roma will probably know something in the coming weeks. On the January window, he said: "We cannot take anything for granted, but something will be done." Nando Orsi, also of Radio Radio, defended Svilar, arguing that his absence has not cost Roma points in Serie A or the Champions League, and that the only goalkeeper without blame against Real was the goalkeeper himself.

Dybala and Mancini have returned to training with the group at Trigoria, with both now in contention for Roma's trip to Parma on 21 November. The squad resumed work after three days' rest with thirteen players away on international duty, and Gian Piero Gasperini used the break to clear the injury list. Paulo Dybala is gradually overcoming a calf injury, while Gianluca Mancini has almost shaken off a muscle complaint. Their responses will be assessed over the coming days, but the chances of both being available at the Tardini are growing. There are also encouraging signs for Mile Svilar, who is still training apart from the group but has put his boots back on after weeks in a protective boot for a foot injury, boosting hopes of his return in goal against Parma. His recovery will also allow Pierluigi Gollini to recover more calmly from the back problem that cost him the last two matches. Gasperini is now looking ahead to the January window and will discuss the matter this week with sporting director Tony D'Amico and chief executive John Galantic. The coach's priority is to add offensive options with a profile offering pace and unpredictability. Three different options are on the club's list, though none has yet become a concrete negotiation. The internal discussions come against a backdrop of a cool and distant relationship between Gasperini and the Friedkin family. No meetings with the ownership are currently planned to define winter strategy, so the talks with D'Amico and Galantic will serve to set priorities and room for manoeuvre while awaiting decisions from the American owners.