Roma move for Obrador as Gasperini eyes left-back solution

Roma's transfer strategy this summer has drawn criticism from sections of the media, particularly the departures and arrivals in defence. Jan Ziółkowski, signed in August 2025 at a low fee following scout Massara's assessment of his potential in Poland, has left to gain playing time elsewhere after Gasperini identified other priorities. Alongside Konstantinos Koulierakis, Leonardo Balerdi arrived late in the window—the former Marseille captain—prompting complaints from observers who questioned why Ziółkowski was sold if money was then spent on a replacement. The logic behind Roma's approach is becoming clearer in the opening weeks of the season. Ziółkowski may return one day ready to compete for a starting place, or he may represent a useful profit for the club's finances. For now, Balerdi is what Roma need. What rankles some commentators is that those now celebrating Balerdi's arrival were among those who dismissed his signing initially, often appearing unfamiliar with his name. Before Turin-Roma, some called for Balerdi to replace Gianluca Mancini, whom they had written off as finished after errors against Atalanta and Fenerbahçe. Mancini, however, produced a monumental display at Turin, exposing the opportunism of those quick to turn on him. The article criticizes media outlets for excitement in watching Roma stumble rather than genuine engagement with the club's direction.

Roma have strengthened their squad depth considerably this summer, moving beyond a reliance on a fixed starting eleven. Leonardo Balerdi has replaced Jan Ziółkowski as a key defender, Nahuel Molina has taken over from Zeki Çelik, and Marten de Roon has arrived to displace concerns about midfield depth. The arrivals of Emanuele Lulli and Konstantinos Koulierakis add further options across the back line. Gasperini, who last season was forced to deploy makeshift solutions—using Baldanzi as a centre-forward and reluctantly fielding Kostas Tsimikas and Zaragoza—now has genuine alternatives. In the match against Torino, Roma demonstrated they possess not eleven starters but at least sixteen capable players. Balerdi showed himself to be a commanding defender and leader in brief outings against Atalanta and Fenerbahce, confirming his qualities across all dimensions of play. De Roon's entrance in yesterday's fixture at Torino displayed the right attitude and the unconditional backing of Gasperini, who brought him to the club; his experience and assurance offset any reservations some may hold. Molina's addition means Roma can rotate their full-back options without sacrifice. Marten Lulli's emergence has made the remaining transfer market gap feel less troubling. Santiago Castro has yet to score but showed his capabilities against Atalanta and a goal will come; Gasperini is pleased with his on-field conduct. The club still awaits a final piece—possibly Rodrigo Mora—but the summer business by director D'Amico and Gasperini has been purposeful, securing functional players with the correct character rather than marquee names.

Roma completed the signing of Marten de Roon from Atalanta late in the summer transfer window in a deal that closed quickly, driven by the midfielder's existing relationship with head coach Gian Piero Gasperini from their time together in Bergamo. De Roon's departure from Atalanta came after disappointment with how his spell at the club ended. Upon returning from the World Cup, the Dutchman expected a warm reception as club captain but instead found that new sporting director Cristiano Guintoli was reshaping the squad. He received no explanation of his role and Guintoli attempted to move him to Bologna in a cash-plus-swap arrangement involving Jonathan Rowe, shocking De Roon into requesting his contract be terminated. Gasperini then contacted him, and the Roma manager subsequently spoke to Atalanta president Luca Percassi about a transfer. The club proved willing to complete a deal, though De Roon asked for time to bid farewell properly to Bergamo, where his wife and daughters still live. He was not granted that opportunity. Gasperini wanted him available for Roma's match against Lecce, and De Roon complied despite his preference for a more respectful departure from Atalanta.

Roma players out on loan delivered mixed results across a busy weekend of football, with Alessandro Romano continuing to impress in Serie A while others made their debuts for their temporary clubs. Romano played all 90 minutes as Cagliari defeated Atalanta 2–1 at Bergamo, and created a chance for Mendy early in the second half that was ruled out for marginal offside. The 20-year-old also fired from distance in the 15th minute, forcing a corner from Carnesecchi. Under coach Pisacane, Romano has become an established starter and is at Cagliari on a loan with an obligation to buy should certain sporting conditions be met. Neil El Aynaoui experienced a contrasting week at RB Leipzig. The Moroccan midfielder played the full match in the Bundesliga club's 4–1 Champions League defeat away at Como on Thursday, then returned to the starting XI in Bundesliga action on Sunday, playing 74 minutes in a 5–0 victory over Hamburg without scoring or assisting. He remains on loan with a right of redemption. Robinio Vaz made his Premier League debut for Hull City, entering at the 82nd minute in place of McBurnie during an away fixture at Stamford Bridge against Chelsea. Hull secured a 2–2 draw, and Vaz, born in 2007, now has his first minutes in English football under his belt. He too is on loan with a right of redemption. Other Roma loanees had quieter weekends. Mattia Mannini made his Benevento debut off the bench, replacing Siatounis in the 74th minute of a 3–1 win against Hellas Verona—his first appearance after being unused at Ascoli. Filippo Reale played 90 minutes at left centre-back in Carrarese's 1–0 home defeat to Catanzaro, the goal coming from Iemmello in the 83rd minute. Radoslaw Zelezny started in goal for Perugia away at Ravenna but saw his side lose 3–0 after being reduced to ten men when Kabashi was sent off late in the first half. He had kept a clean sheet in a win against Pineto the previous week. Luigi Cherubini sat unused on Benevento's bench in their 3–1 success, a reversal of his playing status from Ascoli. Angeliño made a second consecutive unused substitute appearance for Deportivo La Coruña in a 1–1 draw at Getafe. Marash Kumbulla returned to the squad list for Rayo Vallecano but did not play in a 4–1 defeat at Real Madrid's Bernabeu. Jan Ziolkowski remained unavailable with a foot problem that had already kept him out the week prior; Monza lost 3–2 to Lecce without him. Artem Dovbyk was held out of Bologna's trip to Napoli after sustaining a minor groin issue in the 91st minute of a prior victory; Bologna lost 1–0 at the Maradona, with manager Tedesco calling the precaution sensible rather than a serious injury. Anass Salah-Eddine is nearing a loan move to Panathinaikos; Roma has agreed terms and the winger has arrived in Athens for medicals, though an official announcement had not yet been published at the time of writing.

Roma's loanees across Italy and Europe made an impact on the weekend. Artem Dovbyk was the standout performer, coming off the bench in the 66th minute for Bologna against Sassuolo and scoring the equaliser in the 91st minute to secure a 2–2 draw and the Rossoblu's first point of the season. The Ukrainian striker's decisive finish came in an Emilia derby on loan with a right of redemption clause. Elsewhere, young goalkeeper Radoslaw Zelezny put in a strong performance for Perugia in their 2–1 victory over Pineto, playing all 90 minutes as the side's first-choice keeper. The 2006-born Zelezny was blameless for the goal conceded and made several crucial saves, including a high-quality intervention in the first half and a decisive stop in the second. He is on loan at the Umbrian club with an option and counter-option attached. Midfield prospect Alessandro Romano again started for Cagliari in Serie A, remaining on the pitch for the full 90 minutes as the Sardinians won 1–0 away at Lecce thanks to a Daniel Maldini goal in the 29th minute. Romano's loan includes an obligation to buy if certain sporting conditions are met. Neil El Aynaoui made an immediate first-team debut for RB Leipzig, starting in the away fixture against Werder Brema and playing until the 75th minute. However, Leipzig suffered a 3–1 defeat. The Moroccan midfielder's move is on loan with a right of redemption. Filippo Reale, a 2006-born defender, played the full 90 minutes for Carrarese on the flank in their 1–0 home loss to Empoli, conceding in the 74th minute; he is on loan with an option and counter-option in Roma's favour. Luigi Cherubini started in attack for Benevento in the first half at Ascoli before being substituted at the interval; Benevento were reduced to ten men in the 41st minute by Prisco's red card and lost 1–0 to a Brunori penalty in the closing stages. Cherubini's loan includes a right of option and obligation to buy. Mattia Mannini received his first call-up after joining Benevento on loan but remained unused from the bench in the same Ascoli defeat. Angeliño was an unused substitute as Deportivo La Coruña won 3–2 away at Villarreal in La Liga. Robinio Vaz was included in a Premier League squad for the first time after a late-market transfer to Hull City but did not feature in a 0–0 draw with Aston Villa. Jan Ziółkowski was unavailable for Monza's away trip to Parma—which ended 1–1—due to a plantar fascia problem requiring monitoring. Marash Kumbulla likewise missed Rayo Vallecano's 3–2 victory over Racing Santander as he continues to deal with a knee issue.

Roma closed the summer transfer window with a tactical anomaly on the flanks that Gasperini must now correct. The club welcomed Nahuel Molina, an international-level operator, and promoted Emanuele Lulli from the Primavera, but departed with three established wide players: Zeki Çelik despite a renewal near completion (he chose Juventus), Kostas Tsimikas at the end of his loan spell, and Angeliño on a permanent exit. From 1 September, Gasperini has four full-backs available—Wesley, Devyne Rensch, Molina and Lulli—with a critical shared characteristic: all four are naturally right-footed. In a system where wide players are fundamental, this represents a significant imbalance that demands correction. The left flank presents a particular problem. Wesley, who proved a credible option there last season when Angeliño suffered injuries and Tsimikas disappointed, operates from an inverted position—offering a diagonal cut inside toward attacking midfielders but sacrificing natural overlapping runs and first-time crosses. This inversion does suit the movement style of Donyell Malen, a forward more suited to fluid attacking play than penalty-box poaching. On the right last season, Çelik provided physical reliability; in the opening two league matches of the current campaign, Lulli has dominated the position. The 2007-born academy product is carving out his space with force, quality and intent, constraining Molina's deployment. The Argentine debutant, not yet at full fitness, entered Monday's match against Lecce at the hour mark when the contest was settled after 25 minutes, positioned on the left flank rather than his natural right, then shifted across later with Lulli moving to the opposite wing. Rensch, who remains unavailable, can operate on both flanks. Salah-Eddine, a genuine left-footer in the squad, has been excluded from the Champions League list and is outside Gasperini's project. During the three-month summer window, Roma pursued numerous full-back profiles—Fresneda, Cacciamani, Read, Moreira and Luiz Henrique among them—prompting discussion of Wesley returning to the right flank. None materialised, leaving the club with four naturally right-footed wide defenders. Gasperini's Atalanta tenure established the template for offensive wing-back football: over nine years in Bergamo, he consistently deployed pure left-footers on the left (Gosens, Ruggeri, Reca, Bakker) or right-footed players with exceptional weak-foot technique or cut-inside dribbling (Spinazzola, Mæhle, Castagne). Gosens and Ruggeri delivered eye-catching output: 12 goals and 8 assists in 2020-21 for the former; 2 goals and 6 assists in 2023-24 for the latter. The most concrete path forward at Roma appears to be Wesley's cut-inside dribbling combined with attacking-midfielder interplay. However, a move into the free-agent market remains possible: Guerreiro, returning after a decade between Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich, represents the ideal profile for the left flank, though explosive pace is not his hallmark. Diatta is also on the radar; he can fill all wide positions and could serve a dual-role function.

DAZN commentator Ricky Buscaglia praised Roma's performance in their victory at Turin, telling Retesport: "I saw and perceived live a further leap in quality from Roma." Buscaglia highlighted the team's continued development, noting that Donyell Malen is thriving in his role and enjoying feeling decisive in the side's attacking play.

Rome's radio stations offered their verdict on Roma's latest performance, with broadcasters drawing parallels between the club and Serie A's title contenders. Roberto Pruzzo on Radio Radio noted Roma's quality in the opening half hour, praising Donyell Malen as decisive and dangerous, and Paulo Dybala for demonstrating good fitness. Sandro Sabatini also called it a strong display, highlighting Roma's attacking control when ahead and singling out Leonardo Balerdi as an unexpected standout, though he pointed to Inter's defensive vulnerabilities as a contrast. Lorenzo Pes on Teleradiostereo made the boldest assessment, saying Roma have emerged as a genuine title contender alongside Inter and Como. He underlined Roma's recent defensive record—just one goal conceded in four matches—and identified centre-backs Hermoso and Mancini as a significant asset. Pes also praised Balerdi's composure and speed, and expressed surprise at Marten de Roon's quick adaptation, suggesting the midfielder's presence could complicate Gasperini's team selection in the defensive line. Pes stated: "The Roma team has become a certainty, together with Como and Inter." He noted that Inter's next opponent will be Roma after the international break, followed by Como. Pes also observed that Roma's setup differs markedly from the fixture between the clubs last season, marking a shift in how the team approaches its challenges.

Donyell Malen and Niccolò Pisilli scored as Roma won at Torino to extend their perfect start to the season to four consecutive Serie A victories. Malen's goal opened the scoring — his sixth of the campaign — before Pisilli added a second in injury time to secure the points. The display showed the defensive leadership of Leonardo Balerdi and the tactical impact of Gasperini's substitutions, with Nahuel Molina's performance on the wing and Marten de Roon's immediate influence after coming on praised for order and authority. Pisilli, deployed in the starting midfield alongside Bryan Cristante, was the standout performer. The academy product answered summer transfer speculation that had linked him with a possible exit by delivering a complete display built on work rate, game management and consistency. Gasperini demands exactly this standard and Pisilli continued to deliver it without prompting. Roma maintained their compact shape throughout at Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino, demonstrating the mature, solid and ambitious structure that has underpinned their four consecutive league wins and unbeaten record this season.