Roma Secure Dybala Contract Extension and Confirm Çelik

AS Roma are already planning reinforcements ahead of the January transfer window, with head coach Gasperini keen to add a forward to strengthen the squad. The primary target remains Endrick of Real Madrid, the Brazilian who was in Roma's sights last summer and continues to struggle for minutes under Mourinho, having played only four minutes so far. Real Madrid are open to allowing him to leave, even on loan. Milan are also interested, but Aston Villa have emerged as serious contenders. According to Cadena SER, the Birmingham club have moved to the front of the queue and hold an advantage over both Italian sides. Endrick's lack of playing time at the Bernabéu has made him available for a potential move away from Spain.

Roma have renewed their interest in Issa Doumbia following his maiden start for Italy against Turkey on Sunday, which the Giallorossi won 3–1. The 22-year-old Sporting CP midfielder impressed Roma and Juventus during the match, according to Turkish journalist Ekrem Konur. Doumbia played the full 90 minutes and was involved in the build-up to Italy's first and third goals, a display that has brought fresh attention to a player Roma were already monitoring during the summer transfer window. Doumbia moved from Venezia to Sporting in June and signed a contract until 2031 with the Portuguese club. His agreement includes a €80 million release clause, officially confirmed by Sporting at the time of his transfer. That figure does not necessarily represent Sporting's asking price for any negotiation, but demonstrates the club's confidence in the player and the difficulty of engineering a move in the near term. For now, Roma's stance appears to be one of interest and observation rather than active pursuit. The midfielder's performance in the Stadio Olimpico victory gave him a significant platform at international level. His involvement in two of Italy's goals under Roberto Mancini underlined the quality that has drawn Roma's eye previously, and the display has intensified Italian clubs' focus on a prospect already known to the Giallorossi.

Maurizio Sarri, the current Atalanta manager and former Lazio head coach, addressed Marten De Roon's departure to Roma in an interview with Corriere di Bergamo. The transfer sparked controversy among Atalanta supporters, who displayed a banner during the Atalanta–Cagliari match reading: 'You chose to pass through our history but not to belong to it… Goodbye'. Gian Piero Gasperini defended De Roon in his press conference, saying: 'What was he supposed to do? The old shoe.' Sarri offered his own perspective on the midfielder's exit, stating: 'With me he never spoke; he dealt directly with the club.'

Como–Roma will feature a clash between Paulo Dybala and Nico Paz, two Argentine stars of Serie A. The match pits the experienced Dybala against the younger Paz in a contest that extends beyond the pitch itself, representing a generational encounter between the two playmakers.

Radio pundits across Rome's major stations offered contrasting views on Roma's immediate prospects and Serie A title race as Gian Piero Gasperini's side prepares for a difficult run of fixtures. The central debate centred on Roma's chances against Como in the coming days and their broader credentials this season, with several voices backing the team to succeed despite midfield concerns. Lorenzo Pes argued that Roma has the tools to win both the Como match and later the Real Madrid fixture, though he cautioned against rushing Lorenzo Pellegrini back too soon. "I don't really expect Pellegrini to start, even though the Como match calls more for a trequartista," Pes said. "But putting a player who hasn't played since mid-April into a match that will be very intense doesn't seem wise." Mario Corsi framed Gasperini's anxiety around injury prevention as evidence of the manager's belief in the squad's potential. "Gasperini has a terror of losing players to injury," Corsi explained, "because he is convinced that this Roma with all its full complement can do something frightening. The injury to Cristante is not a tragedy; the tragedies would be injuries to Malen, Dybala or Svilar." Other contributors highlighted the volatility of post-international-break football. Fabio Petruzzi noted that both Como and Roma had individual duels to determine the outcome: "Where is the mismatch? Perhaps the head, how you prepare psychologically. I see Gasperini calm. He is a pain in the neck, in the good sense of the term, but he transmits tranquility to me; he seems like someone who knows he has something important in his hands." Alessio Nardo recalled Roma's poor record returning from breaks, citing defeats to Torino (0–1 in September), Inter (0–1 in October) and a 5–2 loss at San Siro in March of the previous season. On the title race, Roberto Pruzzo held firm to the view that Inter held a structural advantage despite a compressed table. "Despite the league being very tight at the moment, I still think Inter has 10 points of advantage over the others, but then it must put those points together and that isn't easy." Nando Orsi disagreed sharply, countering that Roma had nearly closed the gap and positioning the two teams as the likeliest contenders for the championship, with Como as a dark horse.

Rafa Benítez has identified Roma and Como as the two teams best equipped to remain competitive with Serie A's defending champions this season. Writing for Gazzetta.it, the Spanish manager analysed the upcoming Como-Roma fixture and the wider title race, highlighting the challenges both clubs face after the international break. Benítez recognised Roma as the embodiment of Gian Piero Gasperini's tactical vision, praising the key players driving their campaign. He said: "Roma is the expression of Gasp, his all-field pressing, high re-aggression, immediate long balls; an attacker like Malen exalted by the schemes and devastating, Dybala who has returned to his levels; Koné in midfield who demolishes and pushes, Rodrigo Mora who comes in and breaks things. When they are playing well, you struggle to hold them." Benítez also commended Como's setup under Cesc Fabregas, describing him as "special for the way and timing in which he is establishing himself" and highlighting young talents including Nico Paz, Baturina, Ramon (21 years old), and Da Cunha. Benítez expressed concern about the difficulty of restarting the campaign after an unusually long international break. "It seems unusual, therefore hard," he explained. "The last time championships stopped for such a long period mid-season – and even longer than this – was during the Qatar World Cup, and that time it was even necessary to bring squads back into retreat with different preparations. Three weeks turn you upside down, everyone had their players scattered around the World and few were left to train. I foresee problems."

Roma's full-backs have become a cornerstone of Gian Piero Gasperini's push to the top of Serie A, a marked shift from last season when they proved problematic. Wesley and Nahuel Molina are now among the club's key strengths, and both will start when Roma resume the league campaign against Como, where they will face manager Fabregas. The turnaround reflects Gasperini's tactical evolution since arriving at the club: in his first season, Wesley was the only defender fully convincing on the flanks, while Zeki Çelik had to make do elsewhere. Now the picture is entirely different. Gasperini has uncovered Emanuele Lulli in the course of the season, and Molina has gradually built his fitness, delivering quality and assists to Roma's attacking phase. For the Como fixture, Gasperini plans to deploy Molina on the right and Wesley on the left. The selection reflects not just Roma's attacking ambitions but also Gasperini's defensive strategy: by using two attacking full-backs, he aims to stretch Como's wide players—Baturina on one flank and Diao on the other—and occupy them throughout the match. Wesley, the more naturally offensive of the pair, will be tasked with driving forward and supporting the build-up play. Molina is likely to carry greater defensive responsibility, balancing his own contributions with the need to contain Como's threats on the wing.

Gian Piero Gasperini will deploy Nahuel Molina and Wesley as twin wingers in Roma's visit to Como, harnessing simultaneous attacking thrust down both flanks to counter Cesc Fabregas's side. With Molina fully recovered and Wesley in continued form, Roma will field two genuine wide operators capable of delivering width, high pressing and chances for the attacking midfielders. The tactical choice targets Como's possession-based play built around Baturina and Diao's unpredictability; Molina and Wesley are instructed to close down Como's wide references and attacking midfielders immediately, forcing them away from build-up play into long balls. In possession, the overlapping runs of Molina and Wesley will create lateral chains with Paulo Dybala and Matías Soulé, opening space for crosses and inside passes. Last season Roma's right wing relied solely on Wesley alongside the converted Zeki Çelik, but the club now possesses one of Serie A's strongest selections of wide midfielders. Gasperini's side has already created thirteen goalscoring actions from wide midfielders this season—second in the league behind Inter's fourteen. Wesley leads with seven goal contributions, followed by Molina on four and eighteen-year-old Emanuele Lulli, an academy product promoted to the first team, who has added two decisive contributions and demonstrates the depth of alternatives available on the flanks. A key feature of Gasperini's system is the tactical flexibility of both players. Wesley and Molina can interchange wings during matches without loss of effectiveness, alternating deep play and crosses with cuts inside on their stronger foot to link with the attacking midfielders. This constant switching prevents opposing defences from finding fixed reference points and allows Roma to vary attacking approaches throughout the game.

Zeki Çelik produced a costly error in Turkey's match against Italy in Bursa, clearing a corner kick directly to Alessandro Bastoni, who opened the scoring for the Azzurri. Italy dominated the fixture in a redemptive performance after losing to Belgium on Friday. Çelik's mistake was immediately seized upon by social media users, with Roma supporters among those criticising the defender's display. One Roma fan wrote: "La spazza Celik" (Çelik the sweeper), while others joked about whether a 'Çelik-cam' video would emerge—a reference to footage released by DAZN following Çelik's first friendly for Juventus. The Turkish international has endured a difficult start to his spell in Serie A, facing criticism not only from Roma fans but also from his country's supporters.

Lorenzo Pellegrini embraced a familiar figure at an encounter on 7 October. The Roma midfielder greeted Gattuso, the former Italy national team coach, in an emotional moment between the two. The article does not provide further detail about the specific circumstances of their meeting or what was discussed beyond the warm greeting captured in the headline.

Lorenzo Pellegrini expressed confidence in Roma's title ambitions while speaking at the twelfth edition of the Premio Giuseppe Colalucci. The midfielder said fans should dream of the Scudetto and stated he is ready for his return to action, though he cautioned that clarity on Roma's championship credentials will come in March. Pellegrini's comments underline his commitment as Roma continue their campaign this season. His readiness to feature again marks an important moment for the squad's depth and attacking options as the club pursues silverware.

Lorenzo Pellegrini was among 13 figures from journalism, sport, television, entertainment and public life honoured at the twelfth edition of the Premio Giuseppe Colalucci at Rome's Circolo Antico Tiro a Volo on 7 October. The award, created by Guido D'Ubaldo (current president of the Lazio Press Association), commemorates Giuseppe Colalucci, the historic founder of *Il Tifone*. Also recognised were former Roma defender Ubaldo Righetti and Lazio manager Gennaro Gattuso. Pellegrini spoke of his contentment at remaining with Roma and the unity within the squad. During a national-team break, he had used the time to build fitness ahead of the return to domestic action. The Roma midfielder and the Lazio boss shared a relaxed moment together at the ceremony, exchanging embraces and conversation before the formalities began. At his presentation, Pellegrini said: "At Roma we are a united, strong group that works and knows what our objective is. I am happy to have stayed at Roma." Speaking to Sky Sport before the event, he added: "I am well; during this international break I have been able to push harder and recover. I am very pleased and very fired up for this restart."