Rodrigo Mora Arrives at Roma

Matías Soulé made his Argentina debut on 3 October 2026 alongside Santiago Castro, a milestone that has drawn unwanted attention from Fabián Berlanga, president of Velez Sarsfield, the club where Soulé grew up before leaving for Juventus at age 16. Berlanga has called for severe sanctions against the Roma forward, saying: "Soulé as Argentina's new number 10 after Messi? No, he should instead face an exemplary punishment. For example, permanent exclusion from the possibility of ever wearing that shirt number, or from wearing the captain's armband. He is not a good example. We don't like when young players leave on a free transfer, but we know it's a battle to fight against agents, who sometimes act in bad faith." The animosity stems from 2019, when Soulé, then a teenager, exploited a legal provision for underage footballers to break his Velez contract and depart on a free transfer. Berlanga's grievance centres on how the player, his family and his representatives used the regulation to circumvent the club's interests. The comments represent a reopening of old tensions surrounding Soulé's youth-level exit from Argentina.

Roma and AC Milan are locked in a contest to sign Real Madrid forward Endrick in January, with the 19-year-old Brazilian having previously agreed terms with the Giallorossi in the summer before the deal collapsed. Sporting Director D'Amico and head coach Gasperini have not abandoned their pursuit and are preparing a fresh attempt. Milan, however, hold a significant advantage: the club has a partnership with Roc Nation, the agency representing Endrick's interests, since 2020—a relationship that has continued under current president Gerry Cardinale. Milan also brokered an agreement with Endrick over the summer before José Mourinho blocked a proposed loan move. Endrick has struggled for minutes at the Bernabéu despite Mourinho's assurances, strengthening Milan's hand as they sense they are in pole position over Roma. The Rossoneri will lean on their established relationship with Roc Nation and their existing ties with Real Madrid to attempt to secure the player in the coming months.

Giorgi Kvernadze's impressive start to the 2026-27 season at Frosinone has attracted attention from major Italian clubs ahead of the January transfer window, with Roma reportedly among those interested in the Georgian winger. Frosinone president Maurizio Stirpe has moved to dampen speculation, stating that Roma have made no formal approach. Gasperini is said to be keen on adding a right-footed attacking winger to his squad, and Kvernadze—a 2003-born prospect—fits that profile. However, Stirpe told Corriere della Sera: "Kvernadze's possible departure? As of now it's just chatter, I haven't received any phone calls. I am waiting only for official and concrete proposals."

André Villas-Boas, Porto president, has backed Rodrigo Mora to become a top-level player at Roma following the Portuguese teenager's summer transfer to the Italian club. Speaking to Corriere dello Sport, Villas-Boas confirmed that Mora left Porto after a lengthy negotiation, with the move driven partly by the player's desire for more playing time amid intense competition at the Portuguese club. "Rodrigo wanted to leave and there was plenty of competition in the squad," Villas-Boas said. "He is an immense talent who will make the Roma fans happy." The 19-year-old represented a significant investment for Roma, and Villas-Boas expressed confidence he would thrive under the club's structure. "He will find his space and enchant Rome, I'm sure of it. He has personality and uncommon technical qualities and wants to have a great career," the Porto president added. He acknowledged that Mora had been an idol for Porto's supporters and a product of their academy, but the player's limited minutes prompted the club to listen to offers. "Roma was truly decisive in taking him," Villas-Boas confirmed. On Roma coach Gian Piero Gasperini's role in developing Mora, Villas-Boas said: "I think he is a talent technically among the best in circulation and in future, with the tactical work of a master like Gasp, he can become a world-class top player." When asked about physical development, Villas-Boas was pragmatic: "He can't become one metre eighty tall. And if you're talking about muscles, I'd say no—he already has plenty of quality in his feet."

Roman radio commentators debated Endrick's future and Roma's midfield depth in their daily round-up of opinion from the Rome airwaves. Agresti reported that Real Madrid want to loan out Endrick, and that despite Roma remaining in the picture and able to offer Champions League football, the forward is currently more inclined toward Milan. He has played only 4 minutes for Madrid this season. Mourinho had blocked his departure in the summer, but Endrick wants to showcase himself, and Milan are ready to give him playing time. The club from the San Siro have close relationships with Endrick's agents and had already tried to advance the matter over the summer; they are now reassessing in light of his minimal usage at Madrid. "Tutto dipende da Mourinho e dal fatto che lasci andare il giocatore" — everything depends on Mourinho and whether he lets the player leave, Agresti said. Pugliese suggested Mourinho's intervention in blocking the deal last summer reflected poor relations with the Friedkin ownership. He noted that Cardinale has a close relationship with Roc Nation, and Rodrygo will return to the Real Madrid fold in December, creating crowded options: Díaz, Yoro, Bernardo Silva, Mbappé, Vinicius, Diomande — too many players for too few places. If Mourinho wants to help someone, Pugliese said, "Penso che Mou se vuole dare una mano potrebbe darla Amorim, non a Gasperini" — he thinks Mou could lend it to Amorim, not Gasperini. On Roma's midfield, Pruzzo said young players must be given chances despite the errors they will make. He praised Bryan Cristante for playing every match and providing equilibrium and security to the squad and to Gasperini. "Nel momento in cui ti viene meno, devi avere un'alternativa a centrocampo: la Roma ha i giocatori contati, e questo può essere un problema" — the moment he becomes unavailable, you need an alternative in midfield, and Roma's options are limited, which could be a problem. Pugliese added that Portugal are pushing for Rodrigo Mora to play for the national team in the position left by Cristiano Ronaldo; Mora is a recognizable technical talent and should grow athletically. At Como, if Pellegrini is fit, he will play ahead of Mora.

Porto president André Villas-Boas has praised Rodrigo Mora following the midfielder's move to Roma, expressing confidence that the 19-year-old will flourish at the club. Mora left Porto after competition for playing time limited his minutes, but Villas-Boas believes Roma made a decisive effort to secure him and that he possesses exceptional technical qualities. "He will find his space and enchant Roma, I am sure of it. He has personality and technical qualities that are uncommon, and he wants to have a great career," Villas-Boas said. The investment in Mora was significant for a player of his age. Villas-Boas acknowledged that while Mora was an idol for Porto's supporters and a gem of their academy, the squad's competitive depth meant his minutes fell short of his ambitions, prompting the club to listen to offers. Villas-Boas, now serving as Porto's president rather than coach, is confident that Gasperini's tactical instruction will be crucial to Mora's development. "I think he is technically a talent among the best in circulation, and in the future, with the tactical work of a master like Gasp, he can become a world-class top," Villas-Boas stated. On Mora's physical profile, he added: "Well, he cannot become 1.80 metres tall. And if you speak of muscles I would say no—he already has enough quality in his feet."

Gian Piero Gasperini is already planning Roma's January window despite the club sitting top of the table with a functioning attack led by Dybala and Malen. Between appearances at the Trento Festival and work at Trigoria, Roma are targeting reinforcements in the attacking department, focusing on players currently struggling for minutes at their clubs. A conversation between CEO Galantic and Gasperini at the festival underscores Roma's philosophy of planning winter moves in advance. Roma's priority remains a quality wide forward, with evaluation also ongoing into a more complete profile like Oosterwolde. Four players already tracked in the summer transfer window remain in the club's sights: Gittens, Leweling, Luiz Henrique and Endrick. The common thread linking them is a shortage of regular playing time. Gittens, a Gasperini favourite, has yet to debut in the Premier League. Leweling plays only sporadic minutes at Stuttgart and was excluded from the initial squad list under new national team coach Klopp. Luiz Henrique remains blocked in Russia by bureaucratic issues that have also cost him national team call-ups. Endrick's situation is the most delicate. Mourinho secured him at Real Madrid over the summer, but the Brazilian has virtually disappeared: just four minutes across La Liga and the Champions League combined. That picture of underuse could shift as soon as November, when UEFA will make decisions on the Settlement Agreement, opening new scenarios potentially favourable to Roma heading into the winter market.

Gian Piero Gasperini spoke at the Festival dello Sport in Trento, hosted by La Gazzetta dello Sport, reflecting on his time at Roma. In an exchange on the club's social media channels, he was asked about defining moments from the previous season and fielded questions on several topics. When asked which match had moved him most since taking charge, Gasperini said: "I would say the last league match against Verona, because there was the feeling of having reached an important milestone and with great satisfaction from the supporters." On the season's most difficult encounter, Gasperini pointed to Roma's trip to Milan to face Inter last season as the period when the club's form dipped most severely. "However, the last match we played was on another level entirely," he added. The coach was also quizzed on which player had surprised him most. He highlighted Donyell Malen's goal tally as unexpected: "The number of goals from Malen was something no one could have imagined. For the rest, they have all been very positive surprises." When asked which player he had always wanted to manage but never had the chance to, Gasperini responded with humour to a question about Lionel Messi, laughing at the suggestion. The remarks came amid reports that Paulo Dybala and Nahuel Molina had declined to travel to Messi's farewell international event.

Radio pundit Piero Torri has voiced concern that Bryan Cristante's injury could be more serious than initially thought, and has outlined how he would approach Roma's upcoming fixtures if the midfielder is unavailable. Speaking on Radio Manà Manà Sport Roma (90.9), Torri said: "I'm afraid Cristante's injury may not be a short one. If he's not fit, I wouldn't risk trying to get him back for Real Madrid. I would play de Roon at Como and Pisilli against Real Madrid." Torri also reflected on head coach Gian Piero Gasperini's handling of Paulo Dybala's minutes, saying the manager's approach has shifted his perspective. "What Gasperini said about Dybala struck me—it erased my previous beliefs about his playing time and management. And so far he's been proved right," Torri noted. He suggested Roma should begin discussions about Gasperini's contract intentions, given that the coach's deal will expire at the end of the season. Former Roma striker Roberto Pruzzo, speaking on Radio Radio Mattino (104.5), praised goalkeeper Mile Svilar's importance to the team: "Svilar is a world-class goalkeeper for Roma, I have no doubt about it. If there's a normal goalkeeper, it's easy to lose 3–1. But with him it's different."