Roma dismiss Guidi as Primavera coach, promote Mattia Scala

Paulo Dybala has chosen to remain at Roma and continue his experience at the club, rejecting opportunities to return to Argentina or seek a move to the Middle East. Now a mature player beyond the pursuit of World Cups or lucrative long-term contracts elsewhere, Dybala has full awareness of his role at Roma and appears content with it. His relationship with head coach Gian Piero Gasperini mirrors that with his predecessors: the coach deploys him whenever he is fit, with strong understanding between them. Unlike some ageing players, Dybala does not require careful management to avoid fatigue-related injury; his physical problems arrive without warning and are not caused by wear and tear. When he is healthy, managers use him as much as possible. In Roma's recent fixture against Fiorentina, Dybala demonstrated mature football by placing himself entirely at the service of teammate Donyell Malen. Beyond an early attempt at goal, he operated to support the Dutch forward, seemingly keen to help him break Roberto Pruzzo's single-match goal record of five, set against Avellino in 1985–86. This reflected a version of Dybala liberated from routine responsibilities and focused solely on playing the matches that injury and misfortune have too often denied him. His choice of continuity at Roma, combined with his partnership with Gasperini and his willingness to elevate teammates, underlines the maturity of a phenomenal footballer entering a new chapter.

AS Roma has appointed Jacopo Gobbetti as head of scouting for the youth academy. Gobbetti, formerly at Verona, is already at work at Trigoria and was a strong request from Margiotta, the youth academy director, with whom he worked together at Verona. Roma has also overhauled its coaching structure across the youth ranks. Scala, 32, has been promoted to lead the Primavera side, while Terlizzi takes charge of the Under 18s, Polverini the Under 17s, Trombetti the Under 16s, and Lorenzi the Under 15s. Lorenzi, 49, arrives from Atalanta. Further down the age groups, D'Andrea oversees the Under 14s, Cervelli the Under 13s, Darretta the Under 12s, Santucci the Under 11s, and Mattei the Under 10s.

Roma will travel to Lecce on Monday 31 August at 18:30 for their first away fixture of the season, following their 4–0 victory over Fiorentina. Daniele Chiffi will take charge of the match at Via del Mare stadium, assisted by Imperiale and Cecconi. Di Bello will be fourth official, with Di Paolo as VAR and Paganessi as AVAR. Chiffi has overseen 14 previous Roma matches, with a record of 9 wins, 1 draw and 4 defeats for the club. His most recent encounter was last season's 3–2 victory over Parma, a result that proved crucial in Roma's pursuit of Champions League qualification. In 2023, however, José Mourinho heavily criticised Chiffi following Roma's draw with Monza, earning himself a suspension for his outburst. Mourinho said: "Playing with the worst referee I have found in my career is difficult, and I have encountered many poor ones. The referee did not influence the result, but it is difficult to play with him. Technically terrible, from a human point of view he is not empathetic."