Roma plotting squad depth for Champions League challenge under Gasperini

Roma have accelerated negotiations to sign Morato from Nottingham Forest as a defensive reinforcement. The deal is structured as a loan with a right of purchase that can become an obligation under certain conditions. Morato's arrival would clear the way for Jan Ziółkowski's departure, with Monza waiting to complete the Polish centre-back's move. The two clubs are working through the formula of the transfer, with Monza pushing to include a right of purchase while Roma considers its position. Jayden Oosterwolde's situation has also entered a decisive phase after comprehensive medical checks. Roma and Fenerbahce continue talks, with the club attempting to modify the structure of the operation to reach an agreement. Optimism is filtering through from the negotiations. In midfield, Kessié remains the standout target, though Roma are exploring other profiles. The transfer window is entering its most active phase.

Zibi Boniek has backed Roma to fight for the Serie A title, saying the club can compete at the highest level after a strong start to the season. Speaking to Retesport, Boniek praised recent arrivals and squad depth while identifying a priority for the transfer market. "We start brilliantly with a beautiful match. Roma can fight for the top because it only has Inter ahead of it, we're on the same level as the other big clubs," Boniek said. He argued that Roma do not lack a left winger but rather need "another strong number 8", adding that any top-quality player arriving will strengthen the team. He singled out recent debutant Lulli for his fearlessness and praised Santiago Castro as "a serious and genuine striker", though he must wait his turn with Donyell Malen in imperious form and Paulo Dybala in "perfect connection" with him. On academy defender Jan Ziółkowski, Boniek confirmed the young Pole is set to leave on loan to develop regularly elsewhere. He also highlighted Niccolò Pisilli as "the most dangerous midfielder in the squad" who sees goal, saying: "If he plays as a starter he'll bring home 8–10 goals, he will have his space in a strong department."

Roma's pursuit of Nottingham Forest defender Morato is progressing on the basis of a loan with a right of purchase that can become an obligation if certain conditions are met. The arrival of the Brazilian centre-back would free space in Roma's squad and clear the way for Jan Ziolkowski's departure to Monza, a move that is now in an advanced stage of negotiation. Monza, managed by Ivan Juric, are treating with Roma for Ziolkowski on a loan basis with the possibility of inserting a right of purchase. The deal would offer the 2005-born defender greater playing time and continuity in his development, while Roma are determined not to sell him permanently for less than his initial €20 million valuation. Parma and other European clubs have also made enquiries about him in recent weeks. A significant issue has emerged elsewhere in the squad: Jayden Oosterwolde has reportedly passed his medical tests with Roma, but the examinations revealed a different situation than the initial assessment provided by Fenerbahce. Recovery times could be considerably longer than the two to three weeks initially communicated by the Turkish club. Roma and the player are working together to find a solution, with no final decision yet taken on the transfer. Radio commentary from Aspri suggested that head coach Gasperini has clear tactical hierarchies in mind. On potential midfielder targets, Aspri said: "Gasperini has the hierarchies well established. If someone like Kessié were to arrive, the midfield would become of great substance. There is Juventus and competition that, on paper, is impractical for Roma, but the news is true. Gasperini's doubts concern Kessié's condition; he has a great love for the player, but the operation is complicated and interesting because it would change the hierarchies." Discussion also centred on Roma's pursuit of Fofana from Lyon, with negotiations aimed at reducing the fee demanded.

Zibi Boniek has backed Roma to fight for the Serie A title, saying the club can compete at the highest level after a strong start to the season. Speaking to Retesport, Boniek praised recent arrivals and squad depth while identifying a priority for the transfer market. "We start brilliantly with a beautiful match. Roma can fight for the top because it only has Inter ahead of it, we're on the same level as the other big clubs," Boniek said. He argued that Roma do not lack a left winger but rather need "another strong number 8", adding that any top-quality player arriving will strengthen the team. He singled out recent debutant Lulli for his fearlessness and praised Santiago Castro as "a serious and genuine striker", though he must wait his turn with Donyell Malen in imperious form and Paulo Dybala in "perfect connection" with him. On academy defender Jan Ziółkowski, Boniek confirmed the young Pole is set to leave on loan to develop regularly elsewhere. He also highlighted Niccolò Pisilli as "the most dangerous midfielder in the squad" who sees goal, saying: "If he plays as a starter he'll bring home 8–10 goals, he will have his space in a strong department."

Six AS Roma players have been nominated for awards at the Gran Galà del Calcio, which takes place on 2 September at the Teatro della Scala in Milan. Sky Sport will broadcast the ceremony live. Mile Svilar is a candidate for best goalkeeper, Evan N'Dicka for best defender, Manu Koné for best midfielder, and Donyell Malen for best forward. Malen has made a strong start to the season with a hat-trick against Fiorentina. Gian Piero Gasperini is also in contention, nominated for best coach of the previous season.

AS Roma will have a strong presence at the 2026 AIC Gran Galà del Calcio on 2 September at Milan's Teatro alla Scala, with the club nominated for multiple individual and collective honours. Roma is in contention for the award of Society of the Year alongside Como and Inter, reflecting the strength of its season. Five Roma players and staff feature on the award shortlists: Mile Svilar is a candidate for best goalkeeper, Evan N'Dicka is among the selected defenders, Manu Koné is listed among the best midfielders, Donyell Malen appears in the forwards' list, and head coach Gian Piero Gasperini is nominated in the managers' category. The gala represents recognition of Roma's competitive standing this season. The ceremony will be broadcast live on Sky Sport from 7 p.m., streamed on NOW, and shown on free-to-air TV8 from 9:20 p.m.

Jayden Oosterwolde arrived in Rome on 25 August but his transfer from Fenerbahçe to Roma hit an unexpected snag when medical staff demanded further tests before signing off on the deal. The Dutch left-back, Gasperini's fifth summer signing, was due to sign his contract today but the green light was delayed pending the outcome of fresh medical assessments this morning. Initial fitness tests came back clear, but Roma's medical team wanted to examine a recent muscular problem that sidelined him in recent weeks. Gasperini plans to deploy Oosterwolde on the left flank as a back-up to Wesley, though his versatility also allows him to play as a centre-back. The player has already resumed running and should be fully available by mid-September. Only after final clearance from the medical consultations would the transfer be formally concluded. The deal is structured as a €1 million loan fee with a €15 million purchase option. The obligation to buy will trigger automatically if Oosterwolde makes 20 appearances of at least 45 minutes each.

Gian Piero Gasperini deployed three different formations during Roma's match against Fiorentina, avoiding the 3-4-2-1 system that defined last season but never abandoning the aggressive one-on-one pressing and intensity that characterise his approach. The tactical adjustments were made to nullify Fiorentina's threats rather than to compensate for transfer market gaps or absences. Gasperini's willingness to shift shape underscores a deeper principle: Roma's behaviour remains unchanged regardless of formation. The side consistently attacks, with N'Dicka operating as a target on the attacking third and Mancini and Hermoso—later replaced by Koulierakis—covering the flanks. Fiorentina manager Grosso began in a 4-3-2-1 before moving to 4-2-4 when Roma went two goals clear. With Kean deployed alongside Pellegrino, Gasperini matched the adjustment with an identical system. The lineup featured Svilar in goal, Lulli, Mancini, N'Dicka and Hermoso across the back, Cristante and Koné in midfield, and Soulé, Dybala, Malen and Wesley in attack. Soulé had replaced Mora at 2-0. When Grosso shifted to 4-3-3 late on, Gasperini responded by introducing El Aynaoui and Pisilli for Koné and Dybala, switching to a 3-5-1-1. This brought Mancini, N'Dicka and Koulierakis across the back, a five-man midfield of Lulli, Pisilli, Cristante, El Aynaoui and Wesley, with Soulé supporting Castro in attack. Roma scored a fourth goal. Gasperini's track record with such adjustments is long and proven, but the club now needs a right-footed winger capable of providing thrust on the break and winning one-on-one duels. The manager will learn soon whether Chelsea is willing to negotiate for Gittens, and after Lyon play Fenerbahce tomorrow evening, whether an agreement with Fofana can be finalised.

Roma demolished Fiorentina 4–0 in a commanding display, with Donyell Malen scoring a hat-trick to lead the charge. Paulo Dybala contributed three assists and Manu Koné was withdrawn only through fatigue, underlining Roma's control. Debutant Daniele Ghilardi impressed in an early appearance, while Evan N'Dicka stood firm at the back as the team moved to 3–4–1–2 formation under head coach Gian Piero Gasperini. All five major Italian newspapers awarded Roma positive marks across the board. Svilar received ratings between 6 and 6.5 in goal. The defence was solid, with N'Dicka rated 7 to 7.5 by all outlets and Mancini and Hermoso both praised. In midfield, Cristante earned 6.5 to 7, while Wesley was rated 6 to 7 on the flank. Koné's 6.5 to 7.5 reflected his strong showing before substitution. Malen's 8.5 to 9 and Dybala's 8 to 9 dominated the attacking ratings. Corrections made 68 minutes in saw Koulierakis introduced for Hermoso, while Pisilli replaced Koné at 79 minutes. Rodrigo Mora (6.5) and later Matías Soulé (6) featured in attack; Santiago Castro entered for Malen at 68 minutes. Gasperini earned 7.5 to 8 from the press corps. N'Dicka's display of 7 to 7.5, Koné's energy and Ghilardi's first appearance highlighted a Roma side functioning with precision and depth throughout.

Emanuele Lulli made his Serie A debut in Roma's 4–0 victory over Fiorentina on 24 August 2026, delivering numbers that exceeded the seasonal average of predecessor Zeki Çelik. The 19-year-old academy product recorded four successful tackles, 56 touches, 86.5% pass accuracy, seven duels won out of ten, and a decisive recovery that led to Donyell Malen's goal for the 3–0. In the 2025–26 season, Çelik averaged a rating between 6.7 and 7.0 with roughly two tackles per 90 minutes and solid passing precision; Lulli's intensity and physicality in his opening match surpassed that baseline. The comparison extends beyond statistics. Çelik managed play with experience and positional sense across four years in the shirt; Lulli brought the aggressive, tireless profile that Gasperini has consistently sought in his wide defenders—more in the mould of a pressing, high-intensity fullback than a controlled operator. Gasperini's system rewards corsa, aggressiveness and constant covering rather than refined crossing. Çelik departed for Juventus without generating significant regret, but a Palestrina and Trigoria academy graduate has now demonstrated, at least in raw output, superior performance to the departed player's average. Lulli remains incomplete. He must improve his ball management and the quality of his final pass. He showed no signs of being overwhelmed by the context and contributed concretely to Roma's cause. The performance serves as more than tactical encouragement: it reinforces a working principle that the academy, when given proper development and managerial backing, can generate solutions better suited to Gasperini's model than external recruitment alone.

Gian Piero Gasperini arrived at Roma in June with ambitions to sign elite attacking talent such as Mason Greenwood, Luis Summerville or Alexander Nusa, but faces the close of the transfer window having settled for younger, more sustainable prospects. Oosterwolde is expected to arrive in the coming days as one of two final signings, but the manager's publicly measured tone masks deeper disappointment at what proved achievable against his original vision for the squad. The shift reflects the club's financial constraints under UEFA's settlement agreement with Roma. The constraint has not only limited inbound spending but appears to have narrowly governed outbound movement as well. On 21 July, Roma sent a private aircraft to Rotterdam to pursue Summerville, whose transfer would have cost €53 million in fees plus €4 million in annual wages including bonuses. When that move collapsed, Gasperini suggested the dynamics altered: "Perhaps if we had done Summerville we couldn't have done anything else. Or perhaps his contract was sustainable at that moment." The comment hints that Roma's operational budget suddenly contracted mid-window, forcing a change in strategy communicated by ownership during a meeting at a location in Wales. The timing and scale of other moves support this reading. After Al Hilal's counter-offer prompted Roma to act quickly, the club signed Castro (€36 million plus €3 million add-ons), Koulierakis (€16.5 million plus €1.5 million) and Molina (€13 million plus €4 million—an unplanned expense given the earlier expectation Çelik would remain). A club source indicated that "Roma has already had two payment deferrals with UEFA and cannot have more. Now comes the reckoning." The new stance, communicated as ownership's direction, prioritizes younger profiles over established names, regardless of sporting ambition. Gasperini blamed the Financial Fair Play framework: "It is limiting; perhaps Roma is the only club in Italy that must pay this price." The tension between what he sought and what the transfer market delivered will shape his approach to the new season.

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.