Roma resume training on 29 September as Gasperini targets Malen and Wesley returns

Leonardo Balerdi has already won over the Roma dressing room since arriving from Marseille on a loan deal worth €1 million with a buy obligation structured around appearance thresholds. Roma had pursued the defender last season but Marseille's €30 million asking price proved prohibitive; the French club's subsequent financial difficulties allowed Trigoria to move decisively. The deal converts to a permanent transfer in June 2026, with the fee determined by Balerdi's playing time: €14 million if he plays at least 55% of matches as a starter, €11 million if between 40–55%, or €9 million if he reaches 20%. Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini is confident Balerdi will feature heavily for the remainder of the season, having already demonstrated his worth. Gasperini praised the Argentine's credentials in both defensive positioning and ball progression. "Leonardo is a captain; we knew the player's value well," the coach said, highlighting the personality Balerdi has already shown on the pitch. The impression at the club is that he will be a cornerstone of Roma's defence, combining physicality with the composure needed to build from the back—qualities rarely found in a single defender at this stage of a transfer window.

Leonardo Balerdi has made an immediate impression at Roma on loan from Marseille, and the club's hierarchy is confident he will become a permanent fixture. The Argentine defender has played three matches against Atalanta, Torino and Inter, already giving Roma reason to believe his stay will extend well beyond this season. Roma had pursued Balerdi in the previous year, but Marseille's €30 million asking price proved prohibitive at the time. When the French club's circumstances changed, Roma moved quickly to secure him. The deal was structured as a €1 million loan with a performance-based redemption clause: €14 million if Balerdi plays at least 55% of matches lasting a minimum of 45 minutes; €11 million between 40% and 55%; €9 million if he reaches at least 20%. Given his impact and the clear approval of head coach Gian Piero Gasperini, all three thresholds now appear almost certain to be triggered. Gasperini prizes Balerdi's defensive marking quality, his ability to build from the back, and the personality he has shown from his first appearances. Crucially, his recovery pace is ideally suited to Roma's tactical system. The club defends very high, applies pressure in the opponent's half, and often leaves 40 metres or more behind the defensive line to protect. A centre-back capable of covering that ground quickly and shutting down dangerous situations is essential to that approach. Gasperini underlined the signing's importance immediately: "Leonardo is a captain, we knew the player's value well." The comment reflects how convinced Roma were of the operation before seeing him perform at the Olimpico. The field will determine which redemption fee triggers by June, but the real question has already shifted: not whether Roma will buy him, but at what price his permanent transfer will be activated.

Emanuele Lulli has made a remarkable impression in little over a month, overturning the squad hierarchy and earning the complete confidence of coach Gian Piero Gasperini. The nineteen-year-old from Palestrina has delivered an overwhelming start to the season, in some respects unexpectedly: last summer he was on the verge of joining Avellino on loan, but Gasperini's direct intervention halted the departure. After the exit of Romano, Roma were unwilling to let another academy product leave, and Gasperini chose to back the teenager's qualities. Lulli has started in four of Roma's first five league matches, sitting out only the clash against Inter, and has also appeared in the Champions League fixture against Fenerbahçe. With his contract expiring on 30 June 2027, Lulli has become a cornerstone of Roma's present and future plans. The club intends to move quickly to secure him, and discussions are expected to open soon. His agency represents Lorenzo Pellegrini as well, a shared connection that should smooth negotiations between the parties once a meeting is arranged. Meanwhile, the club is mapping out contract renewals across the squad. For key figures such as Pellegrini and Paulo Dybala, final assessments will be made later, likely towards the end of the season. The situation is also open regarding Pierluigi Gollini and especially Mario Hermoso, whose current agreement lacks the automatic renewal clause that was present in his previous contract, necessitating fresh talks between club and player.

AS Roma marked Francesco Totti's birthday with a 42-second video message on social media, a gesture that underscores the distance between the club and its former captain. The post carried only the slogan "Happy birthday Francesco"—a brief acknowledgment of a player who scored 307 goals and made 786 appearances in the Giallorossi shirt throughout his career, the only colours he ever wore as a player. The coldness of the greeting reflects the wider chill in Roma's relationship with Totti under Friedkin Group ownership. Where previous management pushed him out, the current regime keeps him at a remove—even as head coach Gian Piero Gasperini has reportedly made clear he sees Totti as a resource rather than a burden. According to the article, Gasperini has discussed Totti's views on squad needs, including advice he offered: "I suggested Castro, a winger and a midfielder." Santiago Castro is currently used as a deputy to Donyell Malen. Despite Gasperini's support, the Friedkin ownership remains silent on any formal role for Totti, reportedly delegating peripheral matters to CEO Galantic—a figure who had only marginal contact with Totti during John Friedkin's time on Pallotta's board. The article notes that the ownership has expressed a wish to see Totti placed in a football governance role alongside Giovanni Malagò, though such an arrangement remains unresolved.

Lorenzo Pellegrini is ready to feature for Roma at Como after six months away from competitive football, with head coach Gian Piero Gasperini considering deploying him as a lone attacking midfielder behind two front strikers. Facing Como's organised four-man defence under Cesc Fàbregas, Gasperini has identified a specific tactical solution: positioning Pellegrini in the space between Como's midfield and back line, where the Roma captain can operate as a difficult-to-mark presence. Two opposing centre-backs cannot push forward aggressively without ceding depth to Roma's two forwards, while Como's midfielders risk being caught between lines and forced to cover ground without the ball. The role demands more than creative finishing or the final pass to forwards — whether the pairing of Donyell Malen and Paulo Dybala or the option of Santiago Castro from the start. Pellegrini must provide the aggression and positional awareness essential in the defensive phase. As a central attacking midfielder, the Roma captain becomes the first player tasked with pressing Como's initial build-up, screening the opposition playmaker and disrupting their play from the back. A 3-4-1-2 formation would offer Pellegrini a dual responsibility: playmaker when Roma regains possession, and first line of defence when closing space is needed. The shape appears tailored specifically for the trip to the Stadio Sinigaglia.

Santiago Castro arrived at Roma as the club's primary summer signing and most expensive acquisition, with the Friedkin Group paying Bologna €36 million plus 10% of any future sale. However, the Argentine forward has struggled to establish himself in the opening weeks of the 2026-27 season, accumulating just 105 minutes in Serie A and zero appearances in the Champions League, while Dutch striker Donyell Malen has taken control of the attacking role with six goals in the first five league matches. Castro knew when he joined that he would have to compete for the centre-forward position against a player in exceptional form. Gasperini keeps all contests open in team selection, but the 2004-born forward has spent most of the early campaign on the sidelines. He was also unlucky in the recent match against Atalanta, striking the woodwork twice. Despite the slow start, Castro's credentials are strengthened by the endorsement of Francesco Totti, Roma's former captain and legend. In his new book *Oltre*, Totti revealed a noteworthy exchange from a dinner with Gasperini in March. Totti said: "I advised him about an attacker who was Santiago Castro, a winger and a midfielder, all foreigners. He thought for a moment, then said: 'The winger costs a lot, I hadn't thought about the midfielder and he wouldn't be bad, I really like the attacker. I think we see football the same way, like you did years ago.' It's not about taste, boss. I based it on the philosophy of your squads, particularly how you had Atalanta play for so many years." The convergence of vision between Totti and Gasperini underscores Castro's tactical fit within Roma's system. Castro has been called up to the Argentina national team under Scaloni. With the fixture schedule becoming increasingly congested after the international break, his playing time is expected to increase considerably.

Lorenzo Pellegrini is primed to return to action for Roma after recovering from injury, with head coach Gian Piero Gasperini set to lean on him heavily during a congested fixture schedule. Pellegrini was included in the squad list for matches against Torino and Inter but will make his competitive return against Como. His last appearance came on 10 April against Pisa, a gap of nearly six months before Roma's big match at the Sinigaglia on 11 October. The summer transfer window failed to bring in the wide player or attacking reinforcement Gasperini sought, forcing the coach to rely on existing resources to manage the workload ahead. The Roma squad is stretched in attack, with Paulo Dybala and Matías Soulé occupying the playmaker positions on the trequarti, bolstered only by the addition of Rodrigo Mora. Pellegrini will have opportunities because of this shortage, particularly across October and November when Roma face a relentless sequence of Serie A and Champions League fixtures. He has shed the captain's armband over the past year but remains a squad leader. With Stephan El Shaarawy's departure, he is certain to serve as vice-captain to Bryan Cristante. Last season, despite some difficulties, Pellegrini was Roma's second-highest scorer with seven goals across Serie A and the Europa League, surpassed only by Donyell Malen, who netted 15 goals and has proved increasingly consistent in front of goal.

Andrea Stramaccioni has defended Bryan Cristante's importance to Gasperini's Roma system, calling the midfielder fundamental to the club's approach. Speaking on Radio Manà Manà Sport, Stramaccioni praised Cristante's dual role as a ball-winning midfielder, saying: "Cristante is fundamental for Gasperini because he succeeds in interpreting the role of the double midfielder with physical strength, presence, aerial play and defensive protection. He is a player who runs, covers countless dimensions and does it with intelligence. In this moment he is a precious player, key. He is well, knows the coach's ideas and is important in the dressing room." Stramaccioni assessed Roma's current season position, noting that while the club has shown strength, Inter remain the favourites. "Roma has shown it can absolutely compete with the top side, but the top side in my view remains Inter," he said. He highlighted the scale of the challenge ahead: "Sunday there is Como, Wednesday Real Madrid: this is Roma's great test. These are technical and tactical factors, but also very mental ones." Roma must learn to compete for 90 minutes without errors or lapses in concentration, particularly against elite opponents, he added. On the Matteo Romano situation, Stramaccioni acknowledged Roma's constraints while defending the decision to let the academy product leave. "It is difficult to predict how a young player might impact Serie A, but Romano is doing what he must do. Cagliari made a clever deal," he said. Regarding Roma's negotiating position, he noted: "Roma was probably also conditioned by financial fair play. These are things easy to comment on from outside and difficult to manage from inside. I would have kept a buy-back clause, as the big clubs do."

Roma's radio stations have weighed in on the club's decision to prevent Paulo Dybala and Nahuel Molina from travelling to Argentina for Lionel Messi's farewell match, with most voices backing Gian Piero Gasperini's stance but expressing sympathy for the players' position. The core issue centres on fixture congestion and recovery time. Gasperini has reportedly blocked the pair from making the intercontinental journey because they are needed for Roma's upcoming match against Como, with the travel and the nature of the trip—a farewell party as much as a football occasion—presenting a fatigue risk. Dybala and Molina played in last summer's Copa América with Argentina and featured in the same World Cup squad as Messi, making the event emotionally significant. Multiple commentators acknowledged the difficulty of saying no to a once-in-a-lifetime occasion, yet sided with the coach's reasoning. Francesco Balzani (Tele Radio Stereo) noted Roma face a potential UEFA fine in November that could affect the January transfer market, though there is no concern at the club's headquarters about European competition exclusion. Alessandro Fusco (Radio Radio Mattino) argued neither player should even request permission, stating they should prioritize the club paying their wages. Franco Ordine added that Roma has already faced criticism from the Dutch national coach over the Donyell Malen situation, where it remained unclear what physical issue kept him unavailable. Stefano Agresti supported Gasperini, pointing out that Wesley, Malen and Bryan Cristante had already missed international action due to fitness concerns. Nando Orsi dissented, calling it excessive to prevent them attending a one-off farewell. Roberto Pruzzo suggested common sense would ultimately prevail. Simone Valdarchi summarized Trigoria's three pending questions: whether friendlies will be scheduled, when injured players return, and whether Dybala and Molina will depart for Messi's match—with the unofficial answer leaning toward no. Piero Torri criticised the scale of praise surrounding Matteo Nicolò Messi's departure from Roma, stating: "It seems like an exaggerated level of excitement about Romano. Certainly Roma made a mistake in not securing a buy-back clause on this player—they didn't leave themselves a safety valve." The official word on Dybala and Molina's travel plans remained pending as of match day.

Emanuele Lulli is set to enter substantive negotiations over a contract extension with Roma in the coming days, with talks scheduled at the club's Trigoria training ground. The 19-year-old defender, who has emerged as a key option for head coach Gian Piero Gasperini this season after an eventful summer transfer window, will put pen to paper on a new deal that both player and club are keen to conclude. His current contract expires in June. Lulli's rise has come amid Roma's struggles to secure reinforcements on the flanks. The club pursued multiple targets to provide cover and competition at full-back—initially to replace Zeki Çelik, before Nahuel Molina arrived, and then to offer an alternative to Wesley—but settled instead on promoting the academy product into senior football. Gasperini's faith in the youngster has vindicated that decision. During the current international break, Lulli is on duty with Italy's under-21 squad under head coach Baldini. His agent and Roma's sporting director D'Amico have already begun preliminary discussions on the renewal, but the substantive negotiation phase will begin only in the coming days when the parties meet at Trigoria. A positive outcome is not in doubt, with both sides aligned on extending the relationship.

Wesley and Malen, two key players in Gian Piero Gasperini's Roma setup, enjoyed an evening together at a Michelin-starred restaurant overlooking the Colosseum. Both players were absent from their respective national team selections due to physical issues and are working to regain full fitness ahead of the resumption of Serie A. With Gasperini having granted the squad four days of rest, the two Roma players made use of the break to unwind together. The meal was documented and shared by ARoma Restaurant on Instagram.

Wesley and Malen made the most of a rest day granted by head coach Gian Piero Gasperini, enjoying an evening at L'AROMA, a Michelin-starred restaurant with a terrace facing the Colosseum. The pair took advantage of a cancelled training session to share a luxury dinner, with the Roman landmark providing a striking backdrop at night. They posed for a photograph with the restaurant staff, part of what the article describes as an evening marked by relaxation before returning to serious preparation. The outing reflects the strong camaraderie within Roma's squad, both on and off the pitch. Group harmony and positive morale are cited as key ingredients for optimal team performance. Training resumes on Tuesday, when both players will return to Gasperini's orders with a clear objective: to sustain what the article describes as an as-yet-unspoken dream.