Roma faces June reckoning on player sales to balance books

Paulo Dybala gave his match shirt to a young Roma supporter at the end of the club's victory away at Torino. After the final whistle, Dybala approached the section occupied by Roma's travelling supporters and spotted a child in the stands. He removed his shirt and handed it to the boy, who was overwhelmed with emotion and burst into tears before proudly raising the gift as those around him applauded. The gesture underscores the bond between Roma's players and their supporters. Roma shared video of the moment on their official social media channels, captioning it: "Much more than a simple shirt". Though the incident falls outside the result and league table, it transformed an evening already made memorable by victory into what may prove an unforgettable memory for that young fan. The club's post highlighted the human connection between team and followers that moments like these create, reminding supporters why such gestures often resonate far beyond the ninety minutes on the pitch.

Paulo Dybala delivered another performance of high quality against Torino, laying on the assist for Donyell Malen's opening goal, but it was an off-field gesture that captured hearts. As Dybala left the pitch, he noticed a young Roma fan holding a sign asking for his shirt. Without hesitation, he approached the stands and handed over his jersey to a steward, who passed it to the child. The boy was overcome with emotion, breaking down in tears of joy at receiving the gift. The video of the moment spread rapidly across social media, shared by Roma's official accounts and the Serie A social media pages, garnering thousands of comments praising Dybala's kindness.

John Galantic, Roma's new chief executive, made his debut at a Lega Serie A assembly on 15 September 2026 as the league continued discussions on the sale of international broadcasting rights. Club representatives heard presentations from Lega CEO Luigi De Siervo and JP Morgan advisors, who participated remotely, updating them on expressions of interest and offers from various investment funds. Galantic, attending his first assembly session, offered brief comment afterwards: "It was a first meeting, everything went well." No clear consensus has yet emerged among the clubs, who are still reviewing the detailed financial proposals on the table. The assembly also heard from Turin president Urbano Cairo, who expressed caution about investment fund involvement. Cairo stated: "I don't understand the project fully. I was in favour of an investment fund deal years ago, but we're talking about 2021, so five years ago. Now I don't know—I want to understand what the valuations are and who could come in." The gathering included recognition of Fiorentina's centenary, with president Giuseppe Commisso receiving an honour and saying: "I received it with great pride and a sense of responsibility for the future." The assembly opened with a message of good wishes for Sport Minister Andrea Abodi, who was unable to attend in Milan after a minor accident.

Roma hold first place in Serie A ahead of Saturday's fixture against Inter. The side has conceded only one goal in the league this season—Ederson's effort in Atalanta's limited attempts—a defensive record matched among Europe's top five leagues only by Arsenal, the Europa League runners-up. In Germany, Freiburg lead with one goal conceded in three matches; in Spain, Real Madrid and Barcelona both have four; in France, four clubs have conceded two. Gasperini has overhauled Roma's defence compared to last season. Out are N'Dicka, Wesley and Koné; in are Balerdi, Molina and Pisilli. Balerdi and Molina have just arrived—Argentine internationals of substance, neither a routine acquisition. Balerdi missed the World Cup through injury; Molina was Copa América runner-up alongside Paulo Dybala after winning the World Cup in Qatar. The contrast with last season is stark. A year ago, Gasperini would have replaced N'Dicka and Wesley with Ziolkowski and Tsimikas, neither of whom remain at the club. Similarly, El Aynaoui would have started in place of Koné, but he too was moved on after just one season.

Roma's evolution under coach Gian Piero Gasperini has taken shape across two decisive fixtures—the Champions League debut against Fenerbahce in Istanbul on Thursday and a four-day-later trip to Turin against Torino—that showcase the impact of the summer transfer market overhaul steered by new sporting director D'Amico. In the first match, Roma's return to Europe's elite competition after a seven-year absence saw Gasperini field performers who had earned third place in Serie A. Against Torino, however, two summer signings started, with three more introduced during play as Roma secured a fourth consecutive league win. Despite missing three key players—Evan N'Dicka, Wesley, and Manu Koné—Roma maintained tactical identity and attacking threat at Turin, underlining how the summer reinforcements have strengthened the squad's reliability compared to the previous season. The shift in personnel tells the story plainly. A year ago, Gasperini would have replaced N'Dicka and Wesley with Kostas Tsimikas and Jan Ziółkowski; neither remains at Trigoria. Manu Koné's role would have gone to Neil El Aynaoui, who has been moved on after one season, as have Tsimikas and Ziółkowski. In their place came Leonardo Balerdi and Nahuel Molina, both Argentine internationals—Balerdi absent from last year's World Cup only through injury, Molina a Qatar winner alongside Paulo Dybala and recently a World Cup runner-up. Niccolò Pisilli, grown into his role at the start of 2026 and a national team player, has inherited Koné's midfield spot. Gasperini paired Balerdi immediately with Marten de Roon, who arrived from Bergamo in the final moments of the window and played more than half the second half against Torino. Lorenzo Pellegrini, called up after five months out, extended Gasperini's roster of captains—the coach has made clear he possesses multiple leaders beyond Bryan Cristante and Gianluca Mancini. Gasperini operates what he calls the "law of sixteen," seeking to deploy the same core of players in every match to guarantee brilliance, intensity and competitive edge. He refuses publicly to divide his squad into starters and substitutes; there is no difference between a player who begins and one who enters in progress. New sporting director D'Amico's tenure has produced a squad numerically smaller than its predecessor, as D'Amico himself acknowledged, yet Gasperini presented it at full strength in Turin. The article notes that one or two adjustments in January may be needed to perfect the squad further.

Roma's defensive department has emerged as one of the strongest in Europe through the opening weeks of the 2026-27 campaign. After finishing last season as Serie A's second-best defence behind Como, the backline under Gian Piero Gasperini has been further reinforced with the arrivals of Leonardo Balerdi and Konstantinos Koulierakis, joining established defenders Gianluca Mancini, Evan N'Dicka, Mario Hermoso and Daniele Ghilardi. In this season's opening fixtures, Roma have conceded just one goal—scored by Ederson in the match against Atalanta. Comparing the opening rounds across Europe's five major leagues, Roma's defensive record is matched only by Arsenal, the runners-up in the European championship, who have also conceded a single goal in their first four matches. Freiburg in the Bundesliga has the same record but across three games played, while Real Madrid and Barcelona in La Liga have both conceded four goals and four clubs in Ligue 1 sit at two goals conceded. At shot-on-target metrics, Roma rank second in Serie A, allowing an average of three shots per match—just behind Como's 2.75—while Arsenal lead across Europe with 2.25 per game, according to Sofascore data. Goalkeeper Mile Svilar has provided crucial protection between the posts, making decisive interventions in moments of defensive vulnerability. This strong defensive performance stands in sharp contrast to Inter, Roma's next league opponent, who have already conceded six goals in their opening matches.