Roma, l'allenamento verso il Lecce: out Rensch. C'è Molina

Antonio Arena, Roma's young striker born in 2009, has spoken about his journey from Australia to Italian football in an interview with Vivo Azzurro. The 14-year-old Academy product began playing football at five in Australia, where both his parents were born; his grandparents are from Calabria. He moved to Europe at 14 for trials across the continent before joining Pescara, where he spent seven months on the bench before his father encouraged him to stay. "My father came with me to Italy," Arena said. "Without him, I would probably have gone back. It was difficult at first. Baldini called me to train with them one day because an attacker was missing, and from then on I stayed with them almost always. I was on the bench for 7 months. I wanted to play but I wasn't ready. I improved a lot with him." Arena recently scored for Roma against Torino in what he described as a shock. "A special evening, I was delighted, I didn't expect to play," he recalled. "Wesley's cross comes in, then the header and I don't even remember it properly — it all happened so fast. Pity about the result but it was a special night. I didn't believe it. My father told me I'd been good but that I should keep my head down and keep working." The striker has represented Italy at U17, U18 and U19 level. On his ambitions, Arena said: "My dream is to be as strong a player as possible. I want to play in the Champions League, win World Cups and Euros with Italy. I want to be among the best strikers. I want to get there."

Jayden Oosterwolde arrived in Rome with all the ceremony of a completed signing — meeting fans, heading to the training ground, undergoing medical checks. An official announcement, photoshoot and first interview were ready. Then the deal collapsed. The medical examinations revealed serious concerns: several doctors flagged a high risk of surgery to the tendons of the Fenerbahçe defender. Fenerbahçe refused to negotiate a revised offer, and Roma swiftly sent Oosterwolde back. The club chose to abandon the transfer rather than proceed with the risk. The outcome is unusual but not unprecedented in Serie A. Milan faced a similar situation with Mateta; Lazio with Bamba Dieng. Roma's own history holds comparable examples. Six months into another transfer saga, Milik encountered the same fate with Napoli: full agreement reached, then detailed instrumental checks in Switzerland on the Polish striker's knees — he had undergone two previous cruciate ligament surgeries — prompted Roma's hierarchy to harbour serious doubts about his rehabilitation timeline, ultimately breaking the deal. Unlike Oosterwolde's public arrival, that negotiation remained behind closed doors. The 2024 case of Tiago Djalo offers another parallel. The Juventus defender's transfer to Roma collapsed on 30 August, in the final days of the transfer window, despite having already completed his medical with the club. Roma hesitated, unconvinced by the deal, leaving Djalo confined to a hotel. After two days, the player chose to return to Turin.

Roma are working to complete their squad in the final days of the transfer window. Head coach Gasperini has made clear that while new arrivals have impressed, further effort is needed to expand a squad requiring quality alternatives in every position to compete in all three competitions. With the wage bill and amortisation costs calculated to the last cent, Roma are being selective in their recruitment. A move for Kessie has been ruled out due to his salary demands, while discussions with Fenerbahce over Oosterwolde have stalled without a new agreement being reached. Ziółkowski is set to leave, but only if Roma secure a replacement first; interest in Morato has cooled. Nayef Aguerd, born 1996 and currently at Marseille, is on the club's list as a loan option. Monaco's Kehrer is also being assessed.

Gianluca Falsini, who coached Emanuele Lulli at Roma's Under-16 and Primavera levels, gave an exclusive interview to Retesport praising the young forward's character and potential. Falsini described Lulli as "incredible, a Roma fan with Giallorosso blood running through his veins. He is resilient, has the capacity to listen, everyone would want him as a son: he is extraordinary." The former academy coach noted that Lulli's greatest asset is his intensity, combined with a good first touch and ball control, though he still needs to improve his finishing, crossing, shooting and short passing. "He has 19 years, have patience and he applies himself to the work. Certainly he will improve, Gasperini's style of play suits him perfectly: he has to run a lot without the ball, I am happy for him and his family," Falsini said. Falsini emphasised that Lulli's path to the first team was unconventional. Unlike earlier academy products such as Coletta, Di Nunzio and Nardin, who had a certain technical baseline, Lulli lacked that foundation initially. "When I started, he had great physical capacity, strength and power and had problems to the point that he suffered rebalancing his body, but he did it working with dedication every day," Falsini explained. The coach was emotional watching Roma's 4–0 win over Fiorentina, in which Lulli played at the Stadio Olimpico under immense pressure. He remains confident in the player's trajectory: "In silence every year he has improved, so he is a boy who will make it." Falsini also touched on the broader Serie A landscape. He called Roma's result against Fiorentina frightening but cautioned that Inter are "clearly much stronger," while Napoli should fight for a top-three finish. He expressed hope that Como would replicate last season's campaign and predicted Juventus would perform better than they did in 2025–26. "It will be a gripping Serie A; the line will be drawn when the market closes, but the indications are these: it is normal that one match does not prove anything," he said.

Gianluca Falsini, former Roma Under-16 and Primavera coach who developed Emanuele Lulli, praised the 19-year-old's character and potential in an exclusive interview. Falsini stressed Lulli's mentality and work ethic: "He is a boy with giallorosso blood running through his veins. He is resilient, has the ability to listen, everyone would want him as a son—he is extraordinary." Lulli lacked technical foundation when Falsini first trained him, yet improved through daily dedication and now shows great physical capacity and running ability. Falsini highlighted that Lulli's best quality is intensity, coupled with good first touch and ball control, though he still needs to develop his finishing, crossing, shooting, and short passing. At 19, Falsini expressed patience with his development. Crucially, Falsini believes Gasperini's playing style aligns perfectly with Lulli's profile: "The way Gasperini plays suits him to a tee—he has to run a lot without the ball, and I am happy for him and his family." Lulli's path was unconventional; he was never selected for his age-group national teams and suffered illness that prevented him from progressing to Under-17, yet Falsini calls him an example for other academy players. Falsini also reflected on Roma's broader prospects. He noted that Roma impressed with a 4–0 victory over Fiorentina and that Serie A will be competitive, with Inter "markedly stronger" than others. He expects Napoli to challenge for a top-three finish, Como to replicate last season's performance, and Juventus to avoid another mediocre campaign. On the first round of fixtures: "There is good news in that there is more football being played—athletically stronger squads will have an advantage." Falsini cautioned that one match does not define a season but predicted an engaging Serie A campaign.

Roma head coach Gian Piero Gasperini will address the media on Sunday at 13:30, the day before the club's second Serie A fixture of the season away at Lecce on Monday at 18:30. The appointment comes after Roma's convincing opening victory against Fiorentina. Gasperini faces few selection dilemmas ahead of the Lecce match. Devyne Rensch remains unavailable, but Nahuel Molina has recovered and will compete with Lulli for a place in the squad. On the attacking midfield line, Rodrigo Mora is favoured over Matías Soulé to operate behind forwards Donyell Malen and Paulo Dybala.