Roma to face Lazio without Pellegrini, Konè, and Venturino in derby

Matías Soulé made his senior debut for Argentina in a friendly against Burkina Faso, a moment the Roma forward said he had been waiting for a long time. Santiago Castro also made his first appearance for the national team in the same match. Soulé will return to Trigoria ahead of Roma's fixtures against Como and Real Madrid. The 21-year-old has impressed during his time at Roma and earned his call-up as a reward for his performances. He spoke of the significance of finally representing his country at senior level, describing it as a dream realised with his family present for the occasion. At the end of the match, Soulé told Tyc Sports: "Yes, today it arrived. The truth is it's a dream. My whole family is here and it's an enormous emotion, I was waiting for this moment for a long time." On his form at Roma, he said: "Yes, obviously. I always gave everything to be able to be here. It's a dream to be here, it's a unique sensation. I was talking with some team-mates: being here is something magical. I'm really very happy, my whole family is here and now I want to enjoy this moment that I was waiting for a long time." On advice from team-mates, Soulé explained: "I always talk with him. Paulo told me to stay calm, like Molina who stayed in Rome together with Paulo. They obviously know the national team very well, I always listen to their advice."

Matías Soulé made his official Argentina debut on the night of 3 October 2026 in the match against Burkina Faso, speaking afterwards of his emotions and the advice he received from Roma teammates Paulo Dybala and Nahuel Molina ahead of the fixture. Soulé, who has had a strong season with Roma, described the occasion as a lifelong aspiration realised. The winger has worked consistently to earn his Argentina call-up and spoke of the magical feeling of representing his country, with his family present to witness the milestone. Both Dybala and Molina, who remained at Roma together, offered counsel before the match, drawing on their own extensive experience with the national team. Speaking to Tyc Sports, Soulé said: "Yes, it has arrived today. The truth is that it is a dream. My whole family is here and it is a huge emotion. I have been waiting for this moment for such a long time." On his Roma form, he reflected: "Yes, obviously. I have always given everything to be able to be here. It is a dream to be here, it is a unique sensation. I was talking about it with some teammates: being here is something magical. I am really very happy, my whole family is here and now I want to enjoy this moment that I have been waiting for such a long time." Asked about Dybala's counsel, Soulé explained: "I always talk with him. Paulo told me to stay calm, as Molina did—he stayed at Roma together with Paulo. They obviously know the national team very well, and I always listen to their advice."

Matías Soulé made his Argentina debut on 3 October 2026 alongside Santiago Castro, a milestone that has drawn unwanted attention from Fabián Berlanga, president of Velez Sarsfield, the club where Soulé grew up before leaving for Juventus at age 16. Berlanga has called for severe sanctions against the Roma forward, saying: "Soulé as Argentina's new number 10 after Messi? No, he should instead face an exemplary punishment. For example, permanent exclusion from the possibility of ever wearing that shirt number, or from wearing the captain's armband. He is not a good example. We don't like when young players leave on a free transfer, but we know it's a battle to fight against agents, who sometimes act in bad faith." The animosity stems from 2019, when Soulé, then a teenager, exploited a legal provision for underage footballers to break his Velez contract and depart on a free transfer. Berlanga's grievance centres on how the player, his family and his representatives used the regulation to circumvent the club's interests. The comments represent a reopening of old tensions surrounding Soulé's youth-level exit from Argentina.

Roman radio commentators debated Endrick's future and Roma's midfield depth in their daily round-up of opinion from the Rome airwaves. Agresti reported that Real Madrid want to loan out Endrick, and that despite Roma remaining in the picture and able to offer Champions League football, the forward is currently more inclined toward Milan. He has played only 4 minutes for Madrid this season. Mourinho had blocked his departure in the summer, but Endrick wants to showcase himself, and Milan are ready to give him playing time. The club from the San Siro have close relationships with Endrick's agents and had already tried to advance the matter over the summer; they are now reassessing in light of his minimal usage at Madrid. "Tutto dipende da Mourinho e dal fatto che lasci andare il giocatore" — everything depends on Mourinho and whether he lets the player leave, Agresti said. Pugliese suggested Mourinho's intervention in blocking the deal last summer reflected poor relations with the Friedkin ownership. He noted that Cardinale has a close relationship with Roc Nation, and Rodrygo will return to the Real Madrid fold in December, creating crowded options: Díaz, Yoro, Bernardo Silva, Mbappé, Vinicius, Diomande — too many players for too few places. If Mourinho wants to help someone, Pugliese said, "Penso che Mou se vuole dare una mano potrebbe darla Amorim, non a Gasperini" — he thinks Mou could lend it to Amorim, not Gasperini. On Roma's midfield, Pruzzo said young players must be given chances despite the errors they will make. He praised Bryan Cristante for playing every match and providing equilibrium and security to the squad and to Gasperini. "Nel momento in cui ti viene meno, devi avere un'alternativa a centrocampo: la Roma ha i giocatori contati, e questo può essere un problema" — the moment he becomes unavailable, you need an alternative in midfield, and Roma's options are limited, which could be a problem. Pugliese added that Portugal are pushing for Rodrigo Mora to play for the national team in the position left by Cristiano Ronaldo; Mora is a recognizable technical talent and should grow athletically. At Como, if Pellegrini is fit, he will play ahead of Mora.

Roma's international break will conclude this weekend, with the Serie A campaign resuming on Sunday 11 October at Como (12:30 CET, Stadio Sinigaglia). The Giallorossi arrive on the back of a 2–2 draw against Inter, a result that underlined their strong start to the season and their ability to compete with title contenders. The timing of the break is awkward—Roma must immediately shift mental gears for a relentless schedule that will see them play nine times in 27 days, a fixture run that will define their seasonal ambitions under Gasperini. The stretch begins at Como and continues without respite. Three days after the Lombard trip, on Wednesday 14 October, the Champions League returns to the Olimpico after seven years; Real Madrid, managed by José Mourinho, are the visitors. Saturday 17 brings Genoa to Rome, followed by Slovan Bratislava at home on Tuesday 20 in the Champions League league phase. Roma then travel to Napoli on Saturday 24 October, a fixture described as capable of revealing much about the Giallorossi's capacity to compete. There is no time to celebrate or recover: Tuesday 27 sees Cagliari at home in a midweek fixture. Saturday 31 brings a trip to Udinese, followed by a journey to England on 3 November to face Manchester United. The run concludes on 7 November with Sassuolo at home, the ninth and final match of the month-long cycle before the second international break of the season. The injury to Bryan Cristante is poorly timed, depriving the midfield of one of its key equilibrating figures at the start of this critical period. However, his absence opens a tactical opportunity: Marten de Roon is primed to take over the midfield and make his Roma debut from the start, likely already at Como. De Roon brings his customary aggression, solidity and experience. Niccolò Pisilli will offer freshness and enthusiasm, though he is more likely to deputise for Manu Koné than for Cristante. Lorenzo Pellegrini's return, even in a different role—more attacking midfielder than central midfielder in a two-man midfield—is the best possible news for Gasperini. The coach has made clear that there are no hierarchies at Trigoria: "those who are in better form play, for Roma's benefit." Roma's squad training resumes on Tuesday afternoon before the Como trip. The fixture list over the next month presents no respite and no room for fluctuation, with injury risk a constant concern as the team aims to navigate this pivotal stretch.

Lorenzo Pellegrini is ready to reclaim a leading role at Roma after 184 days out. The midfielder has recovered from a long injury, signed a contract renewal on 8 August, and is now pushing for a starting place when Roma face Como. He returns with leadership, technical quality and work completed during the international break at Trigoria. A social media post — "True happiness is being at peace with the people around you" — reflects the calm with which he approaches his comeback after a previous season that yielded seven goals and four assists. Pellegrini's injury began on 10 April. Despite Gasperini assigning the captaincy based on appearances, Pellegrini remains the natural reference point in the dressing room, confirmed by his contract extension and his choice to stay despite several offers from Italian and foreign clubs. His lengthy absence and dedicated rehabilitation put him in fresher condition than squad-mates returning from international duty, including Soulé and Mora. In Gasperini's 3–4–1–2 system, Pellegrini can operate on the attacking midfield line behind Dybala and Malen, providing quality in the final third and pressing intensity. Gasperini is seriously considering starting him, with Pellegrini estimated to have an autonomy of around sixty minutes but ready to begin the match and definitively reclaim his place.

Gasperini's tactical gamble paid off as Roma came from behind to beat Atalanta, with five substitutions made by the 21st minute of the second half transforming a match the club was losing 1–0 after Ederson's goal. With Ndicka and Mancini struggling against Atalanta's counter-attacks, Gasperini brought on Molina, Soulé, Castro, Ghilardi and Balerdi in rapid succession. The changes proved decisive: Ghilardi and Balerdi immediately steadied the defence and neutralised Atalanta's transitions, while Castro came close with efforts that hit the post and crossbar. Soulé delivered the most telling contribution, providing an assist and scoring a goal in the 93rd minute—an impact matching what he produced in Roma's match at Lecce. Gasperini had stated before the match: "Titolari and riserve ormai non contano più, si gioca in sedici"—effectively that first-team status and substitutes no longer matter, the game is played by sixteen—and the field immediately vindicated him. The depth demonstrated reflects substantial improvement from the previous season. In a match such as Parma last May, the bench contained only Venturino and Vaz; Gasperini now has access to a squad rich with genuine alternatives capable of reshaping a match. The quality of those replacements gives him the tactical weapons to win even when games turn against Roma mid-contest.

Neil El Aynaoui is poised to leave Roma after just one season, with Crystal Palace having tabled an opening offer structured as a loan with a right of purchase that would convert to an obligation under certain conditions. Roma value the midfielder at €30–35 million and are seeking either a permanent sale or a guaranteed obligation to buy, neither of which Crystal Palace's initial proposal meets. Bayer Leverkusen has also shown interest, while Saudi Arabian clubs registered prior enquiries. El Aynaoui's potential departure would mark the near-complete dismantling of the squad built last summer by director of football Frédéric Massara under the supervision of head coach Gian Piero Gasperini. Bought from Lens a year ago for €23 million plus €2 million in bonuses, El Aynaoui was among Massara's primary investments in summer 2025 and arrived following protracted negotiations for Richard Rios, whom Gasperini had identified as a target midfielder. Yet twelve months on, he has failed to establish himself as a central figure in Roma's project. Of the eight main signings Massara made that summer—El Aynaoui, Wesley, Ghilardi, Evan Ferguson, Bailey, Jan Ziółkowski, Vasquez and Zelezny, plus further arrivals during the season including Robinio Vaz and Donyell Malen in January—almost none remain integrated into the first-team plan. Bailey departed in January; Ferguson and Kostas Tsimikas have returned to their parent clubs; Zaragoza, Venturino and Zelezny have left; Ziółkowski is bound for Monza; and Robinio Vaz is joining Hull City on a paid loan with a purchase option. Only Wesley and Malen have endured as meaningful squad members—notably, both were explicitly endorsed by Gasperini himself. The wholesale reversal reflects a fundamental disconnect between Massara's construction and Gasperini's tactical requirements. The head coach arrived with precise ideas about player profiles: intensity, one-on-one strength, athletic capability, aggression, willingness to defend in open play, and specific positional characteristics. Much of Massara's market activity, the article suggests, proceeded on different criteria. El Aynaoui, aged 25 with international appeal and genuine quality—hardly a failed signing on financial grounds—has attracted bids from Champions League and Bundesliga clubs yet appears expendable to Roma's current thinking. A sale at €30–35 million would recoup the initial investment while generating profit useful for UEFA financial compliance, and would free capital to invest in a midfielder Roma believes better suited to Gasperini's system alongside an attacking winger the head coach has requested for weeks. Roma has already absorbed a year of transfer misalignment and is now attempting correction. Should El Aynaoui depart, Wesley and Malen will stand as the last substantial survivors of Massara's legacy—both players explicitly favoured by Gasperini. The club cannot afford further directional error; Tony D'Amico must construct a roster that is recognisable, coherent and durable, avoiding a return to similar discussions in August 2027 regarding the summer 2026 window.

Roma's final weeks of the summer transfer window will see not only the completion of Gian Piero Gasperini's squad but also a profound transformation of the group built in previous sessions—a wholesale dismantling of the roster assembled under former sporting director Florent Ghisolfi and Ricky Massara. Defender Jan Ziółkowski is poised to leave. The Polish centre-back has opened talks over a move to Monza, who are ready to pay approximately €1.2 million for a paid loan. Details of the buyout clause remain to be finalised, though one proposal links the cost of the loan to Ziółkowski's appearances—the more he plays, the lower the fee for Monza. Roma will not greenlight his departure until a replacement arrives. The primary target is Morato, a Brazilian centre-back at Nottingham Forest, with negotiations centred on a loan formula, though no agreement has yet been reached between the clubs. Thilo Kehrer of Monaco has also been evaluated as an alternative, as has Nayef Aguerd, the 1996-born Moroccan defender at Marseille, in a potential loan deal. More delicate is the situation of Neil El Aynaoui. The Moroccan midfielder has failed to build the tactical understanding with Gasperini required to become a cornerstone of the project, and Roma are ready to let him go after just one season if the right offer arrives. However, proposals from Germany so far have been structured only as loans with buyout clauses, while Trigoria prefers an outright sale. El Aynaoui's departure would force Roma to return to the market. Gasperini had identified Franck Kessié as his target, but the Ivorian is now close to joining Juventus, leaving Roma to find an alternative quickly. Ziółkowski and El Aynaoui could join a lengthy list of players who arrived under Ghisolfi and Massara but have since exited the project: Bailey, Ferguson, Tsimikas, Venturino and Zaragoza are cited, while Robinio Vaz is close to Hull City, with an agreement between the clubs pending the player's approval. The transformation reflects Gasperini's tactical preferences and the new sporting direction's priorities.

Andrea Stramaccioni, now a DAZN commentator, has analysed Roma's position after their match against Inter, arguing that the gap between the two clubs has narrowed significantly despite Inter remaining the stronger side overall. Speaking on Teleradiostereo, he attributed the improvement to a shift in mentality rather than marquee recruitment, pointing to Gasperini's second season at the club as the turning point. "It's not that a champion arrived who changes your eleven, but we're already in Gasperini's second year and you can see it," Stramaccioni said. "The way you recovered the match against Atalanta is a fundamental leap forward, but also how you managed the Turin game. You've increased your resources, found a fourth starting defender in Balerdi. In this I see the gap reduced." Stramaccioni explained that Gasperini struggles specifically against Inter's 3-5-2 formation because of how Inter's attacking shape is structured. "I'm not speaking in general—I'm talking about Inter's 3-5-2," he said. "Usually he inverts the attacking fulcrum in these cases, probably one player will deal with Zielinski and he could do it with Soulé or Mora. But also by advancing Pisilli. Usually Gasperini suffers in Inter's attacking quadrilateral. Because if you lose track of those four, they hurt you." He cited last season's away match where Ndicka struggled marking opposition players and was caught out for a goal. On Roma's own strengths, Stramaccioni identified their low build-up play as a potential weapon. "The biggest problem for Chivu is in Roma's construction from the back, because Inter rarely uses three players to press. The structure of Gasp's construction can cause more problems to a team like Inter than to Como," he explained. "If Dybala starts to move well across the pitch you take away a centre-back like Bastoni. Gasperini won't change his approach—he'll play it open-faced. If you have a chance you take it with maximum intensity. The important thing is not to come away empty because Inter's strikers don't forgive mistakes." Stramaccioni also assessed Rodrigo Mora's potential at the club. "Gasperini wants someone with a low centre of gravity like Papu Gomez was, he tried it with Zaragoza but it went very badly. He exalts him because he sees those characteristics he needs," he said. "He hasn't had the impact Malen has, but he's also 19. There have been other short players who strengthened the physical bulk—Di Natale and Sneijder. He'll improve too; he has enormous room for growth." Finally, Stramaccioni identified Roma's lack of a ball-carrier in midfield as a key weakness. "This is Gasperini's great frustration. Roma is missing a player who in moments of tiredness attacks the depth—that player the coach expected from the transfer market. There's no one who breaks lines; they're all players you have to feed the ball to. Then you'll have to become more speculative in that sense."

Roma and Inter will meet on the pitch this Saturday as the Serie A leaders, but behind the fixture lies a stark contrast in how their respective owners build and sustain their projects. Gian Piero Gasperini's Roma have invested €211 million in player acquisitions since his arrival, while Cristian Chivu's Inter have spent €186 million—a gap of €25 million that illustrates the Friedkin Group's commitment to backing the sporting project despite UEFA financial fair play constraints. By contrast, Inter's ownership under Oaktree has prioritised economic and financial stability. The €211 million Roma figure spans the campaigns that began with Gasperini's appointment. In the 2025–26 season, Roma spent €86.5 million, with Wesley arriving for €25 million and Neil El Aynaoui for €23 million, alongside Robinio Vaz (€20 million), Jan Ziółkowski (€6.5 million), and several expensive loans including Donyell Malen, Bailey, Evan Ferguson, Daniele Ghilardi and Zaragoza. The acceleration came this summer: the Friedkin Group approved €124.5 million for 2026–27, comprising Santiago Castro (€35 million), Rodrigo Mora (€25 million), Malen's permanent transfer (€25 million), Konstantinos Koulierakis (€16.5 million), Nahuel Molina (€13 million), Ghilardi's purchase (€8 million), Marten de Roon (€1 million) and Leonardo Balerdi's loan (€1 million). The Porto agreement for Mora includes a further €25 million for 2027 or 50 per cent of any future sale. The contrast deepens when examining the wider impact on club finances. Since summer 2025, Roma's squad costs—including salaries, depreciation and loan fees—have risen by approximately €15 million, while Inter's have fallen by approximately €10 million. The Friedkin Group has covered losses through fresh capital injections, accepting red accounts to sustain sporting growth; Roma has not closed a profitable financial year since their 2020 arrival, with 2025–26 expected to end in loss. Oaktree delivered a €35 million profit in its first Inter season and is preparing to close the next year in the black. Both approaches remain valid: Chivu inherited a structured squad already competing at the highest level, while Gasperini was tasked with rebuilding after Roma's seven-year absence from the Champions League. Saturday's direct clash will test both strategies on the pitch. One club has chosen acceleration to close the gap; the other is maintaining competitiveness while reducing the squad's economic burden.

As Roma and Inter prepare to meet this week, the two clubs' transfer philosophies have diverged sharply over the past two years. The Friedkin Group has committed €211m in investment across two seasons under Gian Piero Gasperini, while Inter's owners Oaktree have adopted a more cautious strategy, spending €186m under Cristian Chivu with an emphasis on youth development and financial stability. In Gasperini's first season at Roma (2025-26), the club invested €86.5m across the transfer window and January. Summer arrivals included Wesley (€25m) and El Aynaoui (€23m), followed by Robinio Vaz (€20m) in January and a costly loan deal for Donyell Malen (€2m). The squad was further bolstered by acquisitions and loans involving Ziolkowski, Bailey, Ferguson, Ghilardi and Zaragoza. The current 2026-27 campaign has seen Roma spend €124.5m, with major moves including the permanent purchase of Malen (€25m), Santiago Castro (€35m), Rodrigo Mora (€25m), Konstantinos Koulierakis (€16.5m), Nahuel Molina (€13m) and Marten de Roon (€1m), plus the redemption of Ghilardi (€8m) and the loan of Leonardo Balerdi (€1m). Over two years, these investments have increased the squad's salary and amortisation costs by approximately €15m. Inter's approach under Oaktree reflects cost containment and team development. During Chivu's first season they acquired younger talent including Luis Henrique (€24.5m), Bonny (€23m), Diouf (€20m) and Sucic (€15.5m), plus Akanji on loan (€1m), totalling €84m. The 2026-27 window has seen just €102m committed to signings, bringing cumulative Chivu-era spending to €186m. Unlike Roma, Inter has cut squad costs by approximately €10m over the same period, inheriting a competitive core that required less overhaul.