Real Madrid defender Asencio faces three-month layoff with surgery decision due

Roma closed the summer transfer window with one significant regret: the absence of a left-sided attacking winger. Despite extensive negotiations until the final days, sporting director Tony D'Amico has already signalled that the club will return to the market in January to provide Gasperini with the reinforcement needed to complete the squad. Several targets who fell through over the summer are now in very different circumstances, potentially reopening old pursuit lines. Jamie Gittens, Trigoria's preferred option for the position, has struggled to find playing time in the Premier League under Xabi Alonso, appearing for only 52 minutes in the League Cup and suffering an ankle injury with the Under 21s. Jamie Leweling, who rejected Roma at the last moment, is also struggling: he has failed to become a regular starter in the Bundesliga and has lost his call-up to the German national team under new manager Jürgen Klopp. Brazilian options Luiz Henrique and Endrick are also in flux. Luiz Henrique remained at Zenit after bureaucratic complications derailed his Roma transfer, though he plays regularly and has fallen out of favour with the Brazil national team. Endrick is enduring a difficult start at Real Madrid under José Mourinho, with only four minutes on the pitch. Brazil's national team coach Carlo Ancelotti has reminded young players of the importance of continuous playing time. A loan move could become relevant again on 14 October, when Roma face Real Madrid at Stadio Olimpico in the Champions League.

Four players Roma pursued over the summer transfer window could resurface as targets when the January window opens, with left-sided attacker emerging as a priority gap in Gian Piero Gasperini's squad. Jamie Gittens, Jamie Leweling, Luiz Henrique and Endrick were the main names in the final stages of the summer campaign after moves for Greenwood and Summerville fell through. Gittens was Roma's preferred choice on technical grounds, but Xabi Alonso blocked a loan move with a buy option or obligation during the off-season, viewing him as central to his plans. The Borussia Dortmund winger's season has stalled significantly: he has played no minutes in the Premier League and only 52 minutes in the League Cup, and he has suffered an ankle injury while on England Under-21 duty requiring medical tests. Leweling's deal with Stuttgart collapsed in summer after the German player withheld permission, and in the Bundesliga he has yet to start a match, appearing only as a substitute. That form cost him a place in Jürgen Klopp's first squad list as Germany's new manager. Luiz Henrique remained at Zenit after bureaucratic problems halted Roma's summer approach, has regained playing time in Russia but dropped out of Brazil's plans. Endrick moved to Real Madrid, where Carlo Ancelotti stated: "Players so young must play to grow"; the teenager has collected only four minutes under Ancelotti. Director of sport Tony D'Amico confirmed Roma's intention to complete the squad in January with a pair of signings for Gasperini. The opportunity for fresh talks over Endrick could come on 14 October, when Roma face Real Madrid at the Olimpico in the Champions League.

Roma face back-to-back fixtures on their return from the international break that will reveal much about their credentials as a major club. The standout occasion is a Champions League home match against Real Madrid on 14 October — a reunion heavy with history. José Mourinho returns to the Olimpico, where he spent two and a half seasons and where Roma supporters are primed to salute him properly, though Gasperini's bench will hold no warm pleasantries. The fixture carries particular weight because Roma can approach it without fear: Real Madrid have struggled through the early campaign, including against Inter despite the Bernabéu result, and will arrive in Rome without key players including Konaté, Valverde, and possibly Mbappé, who is recovering from a tendon injury to his knee sustained with France. A dominant first-half display against Inter has delivered confidence and clarity to a squad that has identified gaps in their game — notably goals conceded early in the second half — but retains the hunger to return among Europe's elite. Gasperini has already shown in little more than a year that his football can carry a whole city, and Roma know these two matches will test their maturity against world-class opposition. The coach will not afford to slip. Gasperini's own words on Daniele De Rossi's arrival underscore the tension between different eras: "At Roma De Rossi put football first — before that people sought results through other things," he said, a pointed reference to Mourinho's tenure. Roma's ambition in the Champions League phase and their need to defend the first-half coherence they showed against Inter will define whether this squad belongs among the continent's best.