Roma roundup: Dybala's return, a possible January Friedkin visit and injury updates

Roma head coach Gian Piero Gasperini wants to bring in two attacking players, with a striker of pace and thrust the clear priority. Tony D'Amico publicly acknowledged last Saturday that finding such a forward is the aim, a quality the current squad palpably lacks and which was exposed in high-level matches against Manchester, Real and Inter. Endrick is seen as the ideal profile for his technical and athletic qualities. He was deployed in support of the main striker at Lyon a year ago, when Fonseca, who now wants him at Sporting, used him in that role. He has scored 8 goals and provided 8 assists in a few months, a sign of enormous potential that is still largely unexplored. Gasperini would pair him with Malen, with a playmaker behind the front line such as Mora, in a 1-2 attack, and would add a second attacking player alongside him. That second player would be a left-footed winger who can operate as a wide midfielder or a winger, with a profile similar to Moreira: versatile and able to be used in several roles or positions during a match. The alternative would be an attacking midfielder in the mould of Pasalic or Pellegrini, who could come in as part of the rotations. The target is not a deep-lying or central midfielder.

Roma's priorities have shifted: a backup for Wesley is no longer a priority, and the club are now focused on strengthening their attack ahead of the winter window. The January market opens early this year, on 28 December, between Christmas and New Year, and head coach Gian Piero Gasperini is reportedly hoping for at least two signings, both in attacking roles. The forward line is short of numbers, and reinforcing it is the absolute priority. Lorenzo Pellegrini will not return until 2027, while Paulo Dybala remains a question mark over his physical condition. Gasperini wants two attacking players. Compared with the summer, the priorities have changed. In the final days of the summer window Roma had also looked at a backup for Wesley, but that is no longer a priority. The coach is willing to keep his group of four wide players, largely thanks to the emergence of Lulli. The 2007-born player has quickly become a fixed point for the Giallorossi and sits ahead of Rensch in the pecking order on the right, often putting pressure on Molina. Balde was recently offered for that role, with his agent the same as Mora's, but all talks are currently frozen. Part of the reason is that a proper transfer summit has yet to take place, and part is that Roma will hunt for forwards to strengthen the attacking unit. Endrick is at the top of the list, but Gittens, van Bommel and Leweling are also under close watch. Kvernadze is considered more difficult to land.

Roma sporting director Tony D'Amico is already working on January moves, with the winter window opening early on 28 December and the aim of adding two attacking players. The club's priority is to strengthen the attack while keeping to the owners' sustainable line, with wage demands not exceeding 4 million euros a season, and while monitoring a UEFA ruling expected between late November and early December. The top name on the list remains Endrick, who has been pursued for months and returned to the spotlight after comments at the Brazil national team camp, where the forward stressed his need for more playing time. He has played only 141 minutes so far across La Liga and the Champions League with Real Madrid, including a goal and an assist against Roma. Talks between officials ahead of the European fixture reportedly included Roberto Carlos for the Madrid side, and the player is keen to leave, although José Mourinho prefers to keep him. Milan, who are in the Premier League in the article's wording, and Sporting CP, coached by former Roma boss Paulo Fonseca, are also reportedly moving for the 2006-born striker. Beyond the Brazilian, Trigoria's list includes several wide attacking options and left-sided players. Jamie Gittens of Chelsea is among them; he was a summer target who slipped away in the final hours of the window and is currently out of Xabi Alonso's plans. Other names include van Bommel of PSV Eindhoven and Leweling, whose move to Roma was reportedly close before repeated second thoughts. For the left flank, Balde of Barcelona has been offered, although that lead is currently frozen. In Germany, Stuttgart would reportedly demand no less than 30 million for Kvernadze, a player being tracked but not seen as a January priority. Gasperini expects two signings up front and is willing to give up a backup for Wesley in the summer by blocking the sale of Rensch, who remains as the fourth winger in the squad. Training resumes at Trigoria this afternoon, with Paulo Dybala among those most eagerly awaited as he shakes off a knock and aims for the trip to Parma. Mile Svilar has a medical check to have the protective boot removed from his right foot after a fifth-finger injury that forced him to miss the last match and a national team call-up. His availability for Parma remains in doubt, with a definitive verdict due in the coming days. Ticket sales for the Tardini trip are temporarily suspended pending decisions from the authorities.

Radio Manà Manà pundit Filippo Biafora has questioned whether Endrick would play every match under Gian Piero Gasperini. Biafora said: "The question for Endrick is only one: he must play a lot. I wonder whether with Gasperini he would play every match. I'm not sure. He would certainly get more game time than he does today at Real Madrid. I believe the coach from Grugliasco would see him on the centre-right." Biafora's view came in a round of opinions from Rome's radio stations. Piero Torri of Radio Manà Manà (90.9) said: "We need to ask a series of questions about Endrick. I consider him a striker. In my opinion he is not the player Roma are looking for in terms of characteristics." Lorenzo Pes of Teleradiostereo (92.7) turned the focus to Paulo Dybala's deployment. Pes said: "The way Dybala is being managed intrigues me. The best setup could be the one seen against Real Madrid, with Soulé on the right and Paulo on the left. With Dybala, Malen performs at his best, but the attacking output has not decreased." He added: "The best player at the start of this season is Hermoso."

Former Roma defender Vincent Candela believes Gian Piero Gasperini can lead the club to the Scudetto, saying the coach is "special" and that the side can go all the way in the title race against Inter. Speaking to La Repubblica, Candela backed Roma's ambitions at a time when Gasperini has made clear the club is not content with second place, stating: "La Roma non firma per il secondo posto in campionato" ("Roma do not settle for second place in the league"). Candela said Gasperini "is a special coach" and that he is convinced the Giallorossi can bring the Scudetto back to Trigoria, adding that the title race with Inter will be fought out until the end. He acknowledged that Inter remain a stronger and better-balanced side than Roma. On Roma's struggles in Europe, and their recurring problems with late collapses, Candela pointed to the need to widen the squad, in line with what the coach himself has said. He considers it natural that Roma lost to Real Madrid and Manchester United, and believes the club is not yet ready to face Europe's elite on equal terms. Asked which current player stirs memories of his own playing days, Candela named Paulo Dybala without hesitation: "Ogni volta che Dybala tocca il pallone mi batte il cuore e ringiovanisco. Paulo andrebbe proclamato patrimonio mondiale del calcio" ("Every time Dybala touches the ball my heart beats faster and I feel younger. Paulo should be proclaimed a world football treasure"). Candela's comments capture Roma's dual position: competitive enough to chase the Scudetto, yet still needing greater depth to match Europe's major powers.

Roma's priorities have shifted: a backup for Wesley is no longer a priority, and the club are now focused on strengthening their attack ahead of the winter window. The January market opens early this year, on 28 December, between Christmas and New Year, and head coach Gian Piero Gasperini is reportedly hoping for at least two signings, both in attacking roles. The forward line is short of numbers, and reinforcing it is the absolute priority. Lorenzo Pellegrini will not return until 2027, while Paulo Dybala remains a question mark over his physical condition. Gasperini wants two attacking players. Compared with the summer, the priorities have changed. In the final days of the summer window Roma had also looked at a backup for Wesley, but that is no longer a priority. The coach is willing to keep his group of four wide players, largely thanks to the emergence of Lulli. The 2007-born player has quickly become a fixed point for the Giallorossi and sits ahead of Rensch in the pecking order on the right, often putting pressure on Molina. Balde was recently offered for that role, with his agent the same as Mora's, but all talks are currently frozen. Part of the reason is that a proper transfer summit has yet to take place, and part is that Roma will hunt for forwards to strengthen the attacking unit. Endrick is at the top of the list, but Gittens, van Bommel and Leweling are also under close watch. Kvernadze is considered more difficult to land.

Roma head coach Gian Piero Gasperini wants to bring in two attacking players, with a striker of pace and thrust the clear priority. Tony D'Amico publicly acknowledged last Saturday that finding such a forward is the aim, a quality the current squad palpably lacks and which was exposed in high-level matches against Manchester, Real and Inter. Endrick is seen as the ideal profile for his technical and athletic qualities. He was deployed in support of the main striker at Lyon a year ago, when Fonseca, who now wants him at Sporting, used him in that role. He has scored 8 goals and provided 8 assists in a few months, a sign of enormous potential that is still largely unexplored. Gasperini would pair him with Malen, with a playmaker behind the front line such as Mora, in a 1-2 attack, and would add a second attacking player alongside him. That second player would be a left-footed winger who can operate as a wide midfielder or a winger, with a profile similar to Moreira: versatile and able to be used in several roles or positions during a match. The alternative would be an attacking midfielder in the mould of Pasalic or Pellegrini, who could come in as part of the rotations. The target is not a deep-lying or central midfielder.

Roma's priorities have shifted: a backup for Wesley is no longer a priority, and the club are now focused on strengthening their attack ahead of the winter window. The January market opens early this year, on 28 December, between Christmas and New Year, and head coach Gian Piero Gasperini is reportedly hoping for at least two signings, both in attacking roles. The forward line is short of numbers, and reinforcing it is the absolute priority. Lorenzo Pellegrini will not return until 2027, while Paulo Dybala remains a question mark over his physical condition. Gasperini wants two attacking players. Compared with the summer, the priorities have changed. In the final days of the summer window Roma had also looked at a backup for Wesley, but that is no longer a priority. The coach is willing to keep his group of four wide players, largely thanks to the emergence of Lulli. The 2007-born player has quickly become a fixed point for the Giallorossi and sits ahead of Rensch in the pecking order on the right, often putting pressure on Molina. Balde was recently offered for that role, with his agent the same as Mora's, but all talks are currently frozen. Part of the reason is that a proper transfer summit has yet to take place, and part is that Roma will hunt for forwards to strengthen the attacking unit. Endrick is at the top of the list, but Gittens, van Bommel and Leweling are also under close watch. Kvernadze is considered more difficult to land.

Gian Piero Gasperini regards Paulo Dybala as Roma's strongest player, saying: "Paulo è la chiave per puntare più in alto" — Paulo is the key to aiming higher. The coach added that at 32 the Argentine is in the prime of his maturity and is among the very best, if not the best, in Serie A today. Yet Dybala's involvement has been shrinking. He has made 6 Serie A appearances out of 11 this season, against 22 last season and 24 two seasons ago. The minutes tell the same story. Dybala played 1,417 Serie A minutes in 2024-25 (the equivalent of 15.7 matches), 1,354 minutes last season (15 matches), and 492 minutes so far this season (5.4 matches). Writing in Il Messaggero, Stefano Carina notes that for the first time in four years Roma no longer depend on the Joya in attack. Without Paulo, the team have scored 23 goals in 7 matches, including cup games, against 16 in 8 with him. Dybala's last goal came on 18 January. The absence has given more room to Rodrigo Mora. The Portuguese plays regularly on the left, with Matías Soulé on the right. He first came on as a substitute against Real and Genoa, and has now started against Manchester and Sassuolo. He already has 4 Serie A goals. Carina says the comparison with Dybala is both unfair and unavoidable, but the numbers can cut both ways. In just six matches Dybala has become the league's top player for expected assists (3.42), second for big chances created (8) and third for key passes (4).

Roma sporting director Tony D'Amico is already working on January moves, with the winter window opening early on 28 December and the aim of adding two attacking players. The club's priority is to strengthen the attack while keeping to the owners' sustainable line, with wage demands not exceeding 4 million euros a season, and while monitoring a UEFA ruling expected between late November and early December. The top name on the list remains Endrick, who has been pursued for months and returned to the spotlight after comments at the Brazil national team camp, where the forward stressed his need for more playing time. He has played only 141 minutes so far across La Liga and the Champions League with Real Madrid, including a goal and an assist against Roma. Talks between officials ahead of the European fixture reportedly included Roberto Carlos for the Madrid side, and the player is keen to leave, although José Mourinho prefers to keep him. Milan, who are in the Premier League in the article's wording, and Sporting CP, coached by former Roma boss Paulo Fonseca, are also reportedly moving for the 2006-born striker. Beyond the Brazilian, Trigoria's list includes several wide attacking options and left-sided players. Jamie Gittens of Chelsea is among them; he was a summer target who slipped away in the final hours of the window and is currently out of Xabi Alonso's plans. Other names include van Bommel of PSV Eindhoven and Leweling, whose move to Roma was reportedly close before repeated second thoughts. For the left flank, Balde of Barcelona has been offered, although that lead is currently frozen. In Germany, Stuttgart would reportedly demand no less than 30 million for Kvernadze, a player being tracked but not seen as a January priority. Gasperini expects two signings up front and is willing to give up a backup for Wesley in the summer by blocking the sale of Rensch, who remains as the fourth winger in the squad. Training resumes at Trigoria this afternoon, with Paulo Dybala among those most eagerly awaited as he shakes off a knock and aims for the trip to Parma. Mile Svilar has a medical check to have the protective boot removed from his right foot after a fifth-finger injury that forced him to miss the last match and a national team call-up. His availability for Parma remains in doubt, with a definitive verdict due in the coming days. Ticket sales for the Tardini trip are temporarily suspended pending decisions from the authorities.

Paulo Dybala is pushing to be available for Roma's trip to Parma, but his return to full group training will be gradual. Roma resume training this afternoon at Trigoria after three days of rest granted by Gasperini, and the squad is without its 13 players on international duty. Dybala has recovered from the calf injury that kept him out of action from the Roma-Real Madrid match onwards. Mile Svilar is due to undergo fresh checks in the coming hours, which should clear the way for his return to play and the removal of the boot on his right foot. Marcus Mancini's recovery from a right hamstring strain is considered a formality, while Devyne Rensch is still recovering from an adductor injury. The update was reported by Simone Valdarchi in Il Corriere della Sera.

Gian Piero Gasperini's Roma are scoring far more goals than a year ago, with 19 more in their first eleven matches of the season and 12 different scorers, compared with eight last season. The comparison, drawn during the international break, shows a clear improvement across the board. Last year at this stage Roma sat first in the table alongside Inter, but with fewer points: 24 then, against 27 today. The attack has changed most noticeably, moving from the pairing of Dovbyk and Ferguson to Malen and Castro. Roma are also creating more. They are taking 19.4 shots per game against 13.2 last season, with 6.5 on target against 4.7, and they are getting into the opposition box more often, with 37.2 touches per game against 26.2. Their expected goals (xG) have nearly doubled, rising from 1.32 to 2.38 per match. The one negative is goals conceded, which have risen from 5 to 10. Gasperini is willing to accept that cost. The figure is also affected by the absences of Svilar and Koné. When both are on the pitch, Roma's average is lower than it was a year ago. The numbers point to a team that is both more potent and more consistent than the one that finished last season, with the new attacking set-up at the heart of the gains.