Roma eyeing Tresoldi move ahead of potential Dovbyk exit

Tony D'Amico, Roma's sporting director, spoke to DAZN minutes before kickoff against Fiorentina on 24 August. Speaking for the first time in his role, D'Amico said: "It is the first time I am speaking as Roma's sporting director and I am doing so in this stadium. The emotion is considerable." He took up the position on 20 June during an active transfer window and credited head coach Gian Piero Gasperini with easing his integration. The pair had worked together at Atalanta. "With the manager we have lived important years at Atalanta, so he has helped me greatly in my settling in, because I took office on 20 June, right in the middle of the transfer market. His knowledge of football has made things easier for me," D'Amico said. D'Amico acknowledged Fiorentina as a dangerous opponent. "They are certainly a squad with great enthusiasm. They have done excellent business in the market, with major investments. It will be a complicated match; we hope to do our best," he said. On Roma's own market activity with a week remaining, he was cautious about significant departures. "We are certainly vigilant in the market. There is still a week to go. The settlement agreement is known to all. We have constraints we must respect which sometimes force us to change our targets. We will certainly need opportunities to broaden the squad and have a competitive team. As far as departures are concerned, I think it is difficult to imagine one a week from the end of the market," D'Amico explained. When asked about left-wing targets, specifically whether Fofana and Gittens were current options, D'Amico did not address them by name. He reiterated Roma's need to find opportunities within the financial framework set by the settlement agreement that governs the club's spending capacity.

Tony D'Amico spoke publicly as Roma's director for the first time on 24 August, moments before the match against Fiorentina at the Stadio Olimpico. D'Amico, who took office on 20 June during the transfer window, described the emotional weight of returning to the stadium as a Roma official after his time as an opponent. He highlighted his prior relationship with head coach Gasperini, saying: "With the manager we lived three fantastic years, full of emotions and important results at Atalanta. He helped me greatly in getting settled. The knowledge of his method and his idea of football made things easier for me." On the club's transfer strategy, D'Amico acknowledged the constraints imposed by Roma's UEFA Financial Fair Play settlement agreement. "We have parameters to respect that sometimes make us change objectives and review strategies," he said. He confirmed Roma remain active in the market with one week remaining in the window, but ruled out significant departures: "It's complicated to imagine sales a week before the market closes." D'Amico also indicated openness to further signings if opportunities arise, particularly to strengthen the squad for the league campaign and Champions League competition. When asked about specific targets such as a left winger to suit Gasperini's preferences, and whether players like Gittens and Fofana were current options, D'Amico did not name individuals. Instead, he reiterated: "We are alert on the market. If there are opportunities between now and the end, we will need to broaden the squad for the competitions we face. We will evaluate between now and the end of the market." He emphasised that Fiorentina had made strong signings and conducted quality business, describing them as "a team with great enthusiasm" and predicting a difficult match ahead.

Roma's sporting director spoke for the first time in his role ahead of the club's Serie A opener against Fiorentina on 24 August. D'Amico took charge on 23 June during the transfer window and credited Gasperini with easing his integration after three years working together at Atalanta. "With the manager we lived three fantastic years, full of emotion and important results at Atalanta. So he helped me a lot in settling in because I took charge on 23 June right in the middle of the market, and therefore knowledge of his method and his football made things easier for me," he said. On the coming match, D'Amico expects a difficult encounter. "Fiorentina certainly have great enthusiasm. They've done significant business in the market and have a good manager. It will be a complicated match but we look at ourselves. An environment like this will certainly drive us. It will be a nice match and we hope to give our best." With a week remaining in the window, Roma remain active but face constraints under their UEFA Financial Fair Play settlement agreement. "We have rules to respect that sometimes force us to change targets and review strategies," D'Amico explained. The club will evaluate opportunities to strengthen the squad for the Serie A season and Champions League competition if they arise. When asked about possible departures, D'Amico was dismissive: "I think it's complicated to imagine them a week before the market closes." The sporting director also referenced reports linking the club to left-wing targets and said Roma would remain vigilant for the final week, though he did not confirm specific players or targets.

Konstantinos Koulierakis and Santiago Castro made their official competitive debuts for Roma in the opening Serie A match of the 2026–27 season against Fiorentina at Stadio Olimpico. Both players arrived in the current transfer window and saw action after initial appearances in the club's pre-season training camp in Wales. Koulierakis, a Greek defender signed from Wolfsburg, entered the match in place of Mario Hermoso, while Castro came on as a substitute for Donyell Malen, who had scored a hat-trick before being withdrawn to applause from the home crowd. The two new arrivals had already featured in the squad's earlier warm-weather preparations, but this represented their first official competitive action in Roma colours.

Rodrigo Mora made his AS Roma debut at the Olimpico on 24 August, receiving an immediate opportunity from head coach Gasperini after just a week of training. The 19-year-old Portuguese forward played 53 minutes and nearly broke the deadlock with a striking effort from the edge of the box that seemed destined for the top corner, only for De Gea to deny him his first goal in giallorosso colours. Despite the close call, Mora's approach was assured and measured; he avoided overplaying and completed his task efficiently in what amounted to a successful audition. Gasperini had decided to give the young attacker a starting role immediately, backed by the faith shown in training. The Olimpico crowd supported Mora throughout his appearance, acknowledging a composed first outing. His substitution came at the 53-minute mark when Matías Soulé replaced him on the pitch. Gasperini had begun demanding more from his team after the interval, unsatisfied with Roma's second-half attitude before Donyell Malen added a second goal. As Mora departed to applause and headed to the bench, he approached his manager. The two embraced—a simple gesture that carried symbolic weight. The moment encapsulated an encouraging beginning: a debut, crowd recognition, and the warmth between player and coach that suggested a promising relationship was already forming.

Donyell Malen scored three goals as Roma opened the 2026–27 Serie A season against Fiorentina at the Olimpico, with Paulo Dybala providing all three assists in a dominant display of attacking football. Malen's opening goal, set up by Dybala after the Argentine had dribbled past two Fiorentina defenders and entered the box, initially drew him level with Gabriel Batistuta among Roma's all-time top scorers in the opening 20 matches of a season. However, the Dutch forward's second and third strikes—both again from Dybala crosses—saw him overtake the legendary Batistuta in that statistic. Malen's performance underlined his status as Roma's principal attacking threat. He has now scored 17 goals in 19 appearances for the club, figures that position him as the team's leading force. Dybala's three-assist haul completed a perfect attacking partnership, illuminating every offensive action Roma executed. The result also extended Roma's run of scoring in all their last 16 Serie A matches, a streak that reflects the offensive continuity built during head coach Gian Piero Gasperini's tenure.

Roman radio stations analysed Gasperini's post-match demeanour and Roma's transfer window on 24 August, with the coach reportedly venting frustration after a pre-match press conference. David Rossi of Rete Sport said Gasperini "attempted to maintain composure during the conference, so much so that once it finished he let off steam—we have audio of what he said after the conference, but we won't play it because we're decent people—but hearing the post-conference outburst tells you he is not serene." Gasperini has been actively involved in the market alongside D'Amico, reiterating his desire for a left-footed winger and left-sided striker, though the station noted that if those signings do not arrive, it is not a failure to pursue them but a failure to secure them. The broader consensus across the stations was mixed. Piero Torri of Manà Manà Sport identified Fofana as "the best option that remains," better than other targets, suggesting Lyon's potential Champions League qualification could enable a deal structured as a loan with a conditional obligation to buy. Daniele Lo Monaco of Radio Romanista offered strong backing of the existing squad, stating: "With him you would not win the Champions League, but you would not have won it either with Summerville; in fact, I think you have more chances with Mora than with the Dutchman. If you signed Gittens, you would have Gittens, Mora, Dybala, Soulé, Castro and Malen… Last year you had Venturino, Zaragoza, Baldanzi, Dovbyk, Ferguson… and we finished third. This is why I tell you we must be very satisfied with what is happening, very satisfied. And all of this without selling players. But guys, what more do we want? For me, if the market completes in this manner, it will be the best since the days of Batistuta." Analysts debated the likely formation and deployment of recent arrivals. Lorenzo Pes suggested Roma could play with a trequartista behind two strikers, noting uncertainty over whether Soulé or Rodrigo Mora would occupy that role. Mario Mattioli expressed scepticism about Mora's involvement, predicting he would not start and questioning whether he could break through substantially. Roberto Pruzzo backed Santiago Castro as a strong addition who would receive more minutes than expected, while Checco Oddo Casano voiced concern that Roma was not equipped to compete for the Champions League, predicting a third- to sixth-place finish in Serie A. Alessio Nardo highlighted Dybala's history of injury problems at Roma, noting that last season his meniscus injury was mismanaged; he added that should Dybala complete the season without significant injury, "it would be a sort of miracle of Gasperini and his staff." The match against Fiorentina was set for the evening of 24 August. Pes cautioned that Fiorentina would be difficult to assess as an opponent, having conducted an ambitious transfer window under new management. The window closes on 31 August, with Gasperini's requirements for additional signings still unmet.

Roma's transfer window has been solid on paper, but a sense of incompleteness lingers as the 2026–27 season approaches. Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini harboured genuine title ambitions and believed the club could break free from the trophy drought that has gripped Roma since 2001 with a pair of elite signings. Names such as Greenwood, Summerville, Nusa and Fofana circulated—not transcendental acquisitions, but players who could have offered greater guarantees to a squad that has failed to close the gap with Inter and Napoli. Instead, Roma finds itself lumped among Como, Milan, Juventus and Atalanta in what the article describes as "the usual free-for-all". While the squad is objectively stronger than it was a year ago—with changes such as Castro for Dovbyk, Molina for Çelik, and Mora for Bailey—no blockbuster arrival materialised. Gasperini has acknowledged both D'Amico's serious work and the communication difficulties with the Friedkin Group ownership. Roma avoided selling major players, a point in its favour, yet failed to offload the figures whose departures might have unlocked genuine transformation. The question of whether that constitutes merit or fault remains open. Even the most optimistic voices cannot claim Roma is positioned as Inter's antidote this season, nor can anyone expect the kind of transfer signing that would have forced police deployment at Rome's airports. Gasperini is acutely aware the squad does not possess title credentials—arguably not even Champions League credentials, despite finishing third last season on a photo-finish. The breakthrough he sought was meant to unlock funds throttled by UEFA agreement complications that have clouded recent years. Instead, "the reckoning" will arrive in the coming months, after which title dreams may finally take root. Much will depend on Paulo Dybala's form, the promises of Mora and the consistency of Donyell Malen. Ten days remain before the season begins, and that nagging sense of "I would but I cannot" has not yet lifted.

Gian Piero Gasperini defended Roma's transfer approach at his pre-match press conference on 22 August, two days before the Serie A opener against Fiorentina at the Olimpico. The coach confirmed that UEFA financial regulations have forced a strategic shift in the market, compounding constraints that stem from years of previous spending. "The profile is only that of UEFA; there are no other possibilities," Gasperini said. "There are situations that UEFA imposes and from which our ownership, even wanting to, cannot escape. I thought that after six months or with arrival in the Champions League the situation would be resolved, but it is not so." Gasperini emphasised that Roma remain the only Italian club currently under UEFA supervision. "Roma has already had two deferrals and probably cannot have any more," he noted. "Now the reckoning has arrived, but we will do well anyway." Despite those constraints, he expressed satisfaction with arrivals in the window. Álex Molina replaced Zeki Çelik after winning the World Cup two months earlier; Christos Koulierakis joined as a defensive profile the squad lacked; and Rodrigo Mora arrived as a young long-term investment. Artem Dovbyk and Evan Ferguson departed, replaced by Mateo Castro. El Shaarawy, Bryan Zaragoza, Angeliño and Kostas Tsimikas also left. Gasperini stated: "All the players who arrived have strongly wanted to come to Roma. They have also reduced their salaries—and under this aspect I believe very positive work has been done. There are still ten days of the market left and we hope to complete everything." On the left wing position that Roma had pursued, Gasperini offered flexibility: "Only if he can be added value, otherwise I am not going to load myself with players just for the sake of it." Numerically, two squad slots remain available from a full complement of 23. He praised Paulo Dybala, Lorenzo Pellegrini and Bryan Cristante for accepting significant wage cuts. On Dybala's fitness prospects, Gasperini said: "I am certain, because I see him not only determined as he was last year but also particularly strong. He completed a pre-season perhaps for the first time without injuries." Dybala suffered two serious injuries last season—one requiring meniscus surgery that sidelined him for three and a half months. Gasperini stated that further squad exits may follow only if they represent tactical switches rather than pure departures. "If there are other exits it is only for changes, to switch," he said. "In this moment there is nothing certain." The window closes in ten days. Roma finished last season on 73 points and third place in Serie A, but Gasperini stressed the slate resets: "Every year you start from zero. What was done was very positive and satisfactory for all, but when the season starts everyone begins at 0 points and the 73 points from last year must be played again."