Roma's international break gives Gasperini chance to assess Wesley's role

Argentina defeated Bolivia 4-0 in a friendly on 1 October 2026, with Leonardo Balerdi (Argentina) the only AS Roma player to take the field. Balerdi came on at the start of the second half, replacing Cristian Romero at the 45-minute mark. Matías Soulé and Santiago Castro remained unused on the bench throughout the 90 minutes, contrary to pre-match indications that Soulé might start. Argentina's next fixture is against Burkina Faso on Sunday at 02:00 Italian time. The Argentina squad will then prepare for a forthcoming match against Benin, which will serve as the backdrop to Lionel Messi's farewell celebration. Paulo Dybala and Nahuel Molina will not be available for that encounter.

Argentina defeated Bolivia 4–0 in a friendly, with Nico Paz of Como stealing the spotlight by scoring and assisting. The standout performance came from Paz, who has now positioned himself as a new face in the Argentina national team's future. Two Roma players remained unused: Matías Soulé, listed as a possible starter in pre-match reports, was benched throughout by manager Scaloni, though the coach signalled he would give the forward greater playing time in upcoming fixtures. Santiago Castro also saw no action across the full 90 minutes. Leonardo Balerdi was the sole Roma representative to feature, entering the pitch in the second half and helping to secure the clean sheet. His appearance capped a positive run in form that has also defined his performances with Roma in this early part of the season. Balerdi's contribution on the night reinforces the improvement he has shown since the campaign began. Argentina will face Burkina Faso next in another friendly fixture. The fixture will precede the eagerly anticipated clash against Benin, which will serve as the backdrop to Lionel Messi's farewell celebration. Paulo Dybala and Nahuel Molina will not participate in that match, though both will be present in spirit for what is set to become a historic evening in Argentine football.

Manu Koné has ended weeks of transfer speculation by confirming he will remain at Roma, rejecting concrete interest from Chelsea in the final days of the transfer window. The midfielder, speaking from France's national team camp ahead of a fixture against Italy, said his commitment to head coach Gian Piero Gasperini is total and that the transfer market is now behind him. Koné had become one of the summer's most discussed players after a prominent World Cup showing elevated his value above €50 million. Roma fielded enquiries from Premier League clubs including Arsenal and Manchester United, and also had to manage the situation carefully given Financial Fair Play constraints. Chelsea mounted a concrete assault late in the window as they dealt with the possible departure of Enzo Fernández, but both Roma and Gasperini rejected the approach. Gasperini views Koné as a cornerstone of his project, a position held previously by De Rossi and Ranieri. Inter had also attempted to sign him a year earlier. Koné has chosen to stay with enthusiasm, bolstered by supporter affection and evident growth—confirmed by a recent brace against Inter. He is now a starter for France under Zidane and is preparing to face Italy, the nation against which he made his debut two years ago, shortly after joining Roma. He has reiterated he has no distractions: the market is behind him, and his focus is entirely on Roma.

Wesley holds the key to Roma's next leap forward. The Brazilian left-back, already one of Serie A's standout performers last season alongside Dimarco and Palestra despite playing out of position, has been sidelined by injury setbacks that have disrupted his momentum. In a pre-World Cup friendly against Egypt, Wesley suffered an injury that derailed his plans heading into September. Just as he returned to action with Roma, a right thigh muscle strain forced him back to the sidelines when called up by Brazil again. Last season Wesley played in a role not naturally his own, yet his performances were so effective that he climbed the hierarchy of the Brazilian national team. His durability was remarkable—he reached 69 appearances in a single season before the injury against Egypt halted his run. His absence has been felt as Roma, currently top of the league with Paulo Dybala in fine form and Donyell Malen consistently finding the net, have otherwise tightened their defence with Mile Svilar's assured keeping and the emerging quality of Manu Koné, who is now earning recognition at international level with France. Wesley finally stopped after an exhausting campaign of constant availability. He now has three weeks to recover fully, reconnect his physical condition and rediscover his best self. The timing of his return could be crucial: Roma remain just one player away from their ideal setup, and Wesley represents that final piece of the puzzle.

Roma's training ground atmosphere remained positive on 30 September, with Paulo Dybala and Nahuel Molina among the smiling faces in footage released by the club. The pair had been withdrawn the previous day from an event organised in Argentina to mark Lionel Messi's retirement, a decision that appeared to cause no ill feeling based on the images distributed by the club. Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini maintains a calm environment despite ongoing absences. Wesley, Donyell Malen and Bryan Cristante have not yet returned to full group training and continue their recovery programmes, while international players remain away on duty with their national teams. Lorenzo Pellegrini is working hard to regain peak condition during the extended break and may feature in a friendly against the Primavera to build match fitness ahead of competitive action. Roma face Como in eleven days, providing Gasperini with adequate time to prepare for the Sinigaglia fixture and monitor the recovery of unavailable players. The objective is to have the largest possible squad available when the league campaign resumes.

Donyell Malen spent 29 September at La Nuova Pineta beach in Ostia, taking time to relax before returning to training at Trigoria. The move came after nine and a half months in Rome, during which the forward has fully settled into life at the club and in the city. Malen has integrated into Roma beyond his performances on the pitch, following earlier appearances around the capital including a spot filmed in Trastevere and dinner in front of the Colosseum alongside Wesley. The attacker made use of the fine weather at the end of September to unwind at the seaside facility, as documented in a photograph published on Facebook by Franco Petrini. Malen's target is to return to full availability for the match against Como, with his return to group training scheduled for the beginning of the following week.

Argentina defeated Bolivia 4-0 in a friendly on 1 October 2026, with Leonardo Balerdi (Argentina) the only AS Roma player to take the field. Balerdi came on at the start of the second half, replacing Cristian Romero at the 45-minute mark. Matías Soulé and Santiago Castro remained unused on the bench throughout the 90 minutes, contrary to pre-match indications that Soulé might start. Argentina's next fixture is against Burkina Faso on Sunday at 02:00 Italian time. The Argentina squad will then prepare for a forthcoming match against Benin, which will serve as the backdrop to Lionel Messi's farewell celebration. Paulo Dybala and Nahuel Molina will not be available for that encounter.

Argentina defeated Bolivia 4–0 in a friendly, with Nico Paz of Como stealing the spotlight by scoring and assisting. The standout performance came from Paz, who has now positioned himself as a new face in the Argentina national team's future. Two Roma players remained unused: Matías Soulé, listed as a possible starter in pre-match reports, was benched throughout by manager Scaloni, though the coach signalled he would give the forward greater playing time in upcoming fixtures. Santiago Castro also saw no action across the full 90 minutes. Leonardo Balerdi was the sole Roma representative to feature, entering the pitch in the second half and helping to secure the clean sheet. His appearance capped a positive run in form that has also defined his performances with Roma in this early part of the season. Balerdi's contribution on the night reinforces the improvement he has shown since the campaign began. Argentina will face Burkina Faso next in another friendly fixture. The fixture will precede the eagerly anticipated clash against Benin, which will serve as the backdrop to Lionel Messi's farewell celebration. Paulo Dybala and Nahuel Molina will not participate in that match, though both will be present in spirit for what is set to become a historic evening in Argentine football.

Wesley holds the key to Roma's next leap forward. The Brazilian left-back, already one of Serie A's standout performers last season alongside Dimarco and Palestra despite playing out of position, has been sidelined by injury setbacks that have disrupted his momentum. In a pre-World Cup friendly against Egypt, Wesley suffered an injury that derailed his plans heading into September. Just as he returned to action with Roma, a right thigh muscle strain forced him back to the sidelines when called up by Brazil again. Last season Wesley played in a role not naturally his own, yet his performances were so effective that he climbed the hierarchy of the Brazilian national team. His durability was remarkable—he reached 69 appearances in a single season before the injury against Egypt halted his run. His absence has been felt as Roma, currently top of the league with Paulo Dybala in fine form and Donyell Malen consistently finding the net, have otherwise tightened their defence with Mile Svilar's assured keeping and the emerging quality of Manu Koné, who is now earning recognition at international level with France. Wesley finally stopped after an exhausting campaign of constant availability. He now has three weeks to recover fully, reconnect his physical condition and rediscover his best self. The timing of his return could be crucial: Roma remain just one player away from their ideal setup, and Wesley represents that final piece of the puzzle.

Wesley holds the key to Roma's next leap forward. The Brazilian left-back, already one of Serie A's standout performers last season alongside Dimarco and Palestra despite playing out of position, has been sidelined by injury setbacks that have disrupted his momentum. In a pre-World Cup friendly against Egypt, Wesley suffered an injury that derailed his plans heading into September. Just as he returned to action with Roma, a right thigh muscle strain forced him back to the sidelines when called up by Brazil again. Last season Wesley played in a role not naturally his own, yet his performances were so effective that he climbed the hierarchy of the Brazilian national team. His durability was remarkable—he reached 69 appearances in a single season before the injury against Egypt halted his run. His absence has been felt as Roma, currently top of the league with Paulo Dybala in fine form and Donyell Malen consistently finding the net, have otherwise tightened their defence with Mile Svilar's assured keeping and the emerging quality of Manu Koné, who is now earning recognition at international level with France. Wesley finally stopped after an exhausting campaign of constant availability. He now has three weeks to recover fully, reconnect his physical condition and rediscover his best self. The timing of his return could be crucial: Roma remain just one player away from their ideal setup, and Wesley represents that final piece of the puzzle.

Donyell Malen has made a stronger start than Gonzalo Higuaín or Ciro Immobile at the same stage of their seasons, raising the prospect of a historic scoring run. After Roma's victory in Turin two weeks ago, Malen said: "I want to score many goals. I am focused on this, to help the team reach its objectives." He also acknowledged his interest in setting records, adding: "Totti's 6 goals in 4 games? I enjoy these records too." The benchmark in his sights is the 36 goals Higuaín scored in 2015–16 with Napoli and Immobile scored in 2019–20 with Lazio—the Serie A all-time record. Through the first five league matches, both Higuaín and Immobile had scored 4 goals each. Malen has bettered that tally, operating at a higher level than either of his predecessors at the same juncture. Malen remained at Trigoria during the international break, allowing him to manage a knock to his knee without risking unexpected injury or setback. He is expected to be available for Roma's next fixture at Como, a match that amounts to a direct contest for the league lead given Roma's current position at the summit of the table.

Donyell Malen has made a decisive start to the 2026–27 season, scoring six goals in Roma's first five matches—an average of 1.20 goals per game—and propelling the club to the top of Serie A. That scoring rate already exceeds the pace set by Gonzalo Higuaín and Ciro Immobile over their record-breaking campaigns, both of whom had managed four goals through the same stretch before finishing with 36 for the season. While keeping his focus on Roma's team objectives, Malen is not hiding his ambition to chase historic landmarks in Italian football. Beyond the league's all-time record, Malen has set his sights on Roma's own seasonal scoring leaderboard, currently led by Edin Džeko with 29 goals in 2016–17, followed by Volk, Guaita and Francesco Totti. Roma face Como in their next league match, looking to defend first place, though Malen is managing a minor knee injury at the club's training ground and taking precautions ahead of the resumption of fixtures. Off the pitch, Malen has demonstrated his attachment to Roma's fanbase. Together with his wife Delisha, he attended the Tre Fontane to watch Roma's women's team compete in the Champions League against Barcelona, where his presence generated enthusiasm and affection among supporters through photographs and autographs.