Tony D'Amico held his first press conference as Roma's sporting director on 2 September 2026 at 16:45, addressing a summer transfer window shaped by UEFA financial fair play restrictions. D'Amico arrived at the club on 20 June following his dismissal by Atalanta and immediately moved to retain four key players whose contracts were expiring or entering their final year: Paulo Dybala, Lorenzo Pellegrini, Bryan Cristante and Gianluca Mancini. All agreed to reduced salaries, with D'Amico describing them as the nucleus of Roma's Champions League-qualified squad. The club reduced its overall wage bill by 15 percent—roughly €20 million—while investing over €90 million across new signings and contract purchases, according to Roma News.
Despite identifying attacking wingers as a priority alongside head coach Gian Piero Gasperini, Roma failed to land a left-winger, with negotiations for Mason Greenwood, Luis Summerville, Florian Leweling and Luiz Henrique all falling through. Forza Roma notes that Leweling was particularly close before the player changed his mind. Rodrigo Mora arrived instead, though D'Amico stressed Roma did not redirect resources away from attacking reinforcement. "One player is missing," he acknowledged, indicating the club would revisit the market in January. GialloRossi.net reports D'Amico emphasized that priorities must be contextualized throughout the window, as negotiations move at different speeds and many high-profile targets ultimately chose not to join.
D'Amico firmly denied reports surrounding midfielder Manu Koné, describing any contact as purely informational rather than official approaches. He dismissed claims of an ultimatum from Gasperini, calling such narratives "completely fanciful." Forza Roma specifies that Chelsea made informal inquiries about Koné in the final hours but submitted no official offer. D'Amico confirmed daily collaboration between ownership, the sporting department and Gasperini on all recruitment decisions, with all summer signings chosen collaboratively.
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