Sabatini: Roma is my life, but I would have clashed with Gasperini

Alessandro Romano has been sold to Cagliari for €5 million plus bonuses potentially rising to €6.5 million, but the move has reignited debate about Roma's pattern of disposing of young talent at underdeveloped stages. Signed from Winterthur in 2022 for approximately €70,000, Romano had been viewed at Trigoria as a prospect with significant potential and was developed into a Serie A-standard midfielder within a few years. From a financial standpoint, the transaction is defensible: the enormous profit relative to the initial outlay is straightforward. The deeper question, however, is whether Roma will later regret the sale. The club is not alone in facing pressure to generate revenue from youth players—academies exist partly to produce economic value, and no organization can retain all its talents indefinitely while waiting to identify which ones will flourish. Roma's position has been complicated by UEFA settlement agreement obligations in recent years, making the academy a significant revenue source; since 2022, youth departures have generated tens of millions. Yet a pattern has emerged. Davide Frattesi developed into an internationally competitive midfielder away from Rome; Riccardo Calafiori represents probably Roma's greatest regret. Romano's career trajectory will determine whether Roma sold him at the right moment or too early. The concern is not that he is currently ready to displace Manu Koné or Bryan Cristante, but that a talent still developing is precisely the type a club should attempt to maintain some form of control over when possible. The issue becomes more acute when considering Emanuele Lulli, who came close to joining Avellino during the summer in a deal that could have included a loan with an option to buy. The principle remains constant: when market conditions force a club to seek resources, young players become one of the easiest paths. Romano was sold in a summer when Roma needed to generate plusvalenzas and protect players deemed central to the first team. Romano will reveal through his career whether Roma timed the sale correctly or sold too soon. The lesson from Frattesi and Calafiori should be clear: while some young talent will inevitably escape, when Trigoria develops a player with something extra, maintaining some link to his future may ultimately be worth far more than immediate profit.

Emanuele Lulli will face Torino's Nicolò Cacciamani on Sunday 13 September in what shapes as a duel between two 2007-born Italians, with incoming national team coach Roberto Mancini expected in the stands to observe them both. Roma had targeted Cacciamani during the summer transfer window, offering up to €12 million, but Torino demanded at least €20 million. Lulli remained at Trigoria after Gasperini blocked a potential loan departure and deployed him immediately as a starter. In a separate development, the Salah-Eddine saga has concluded. The Moroccan defender has accepted a transfer to Panathinaikos on a loan deal with a €5 million buy option plus bonuses, with no conditions that would trigger an automatic obligation. His exit follows exclusion from the club's UEFA list and Gasperini's comments ahead of the Atalanta fixture. Roma's women's team will contest the Serie A Women's Cup semi-final against Sassuolo at Stadio Ricci at 12:00, live on Sky Sport. The Giallorosse seek revenge after losing 0–1 to Sassuolo at Tre Fontane in late August. Baldi returns in goal and Oladipo has been called up; Lukasova and Pilgrim are absent, the latter sidelined by knee inflammation.

Christian Vieri has declared Roma contenders for the Serie A title, citing the impact of coach Gian Piero Gasperini as the decisive factor. Speaking at the World Legends Padel Tour on 11 September, the Inter legend and former Italy international told Il Messaggero that while Roma's Scudetto is not guaranteed, the club now has the credentials to fight for it. "This doesn't mean they will win it, but that they will participate in the battle thanks to Gasperini's arrival," Vieri said. Vieri ranked the coach alongside football's elite. "He is at the level of the big names worldwide: from Mourinho to Luis Enrique, from Guardiola to De La Fuente. Wherever Gasperini goes, teams change and grow. And now there is not only him, but also a great striker." He highlighted Donyell Malen's firepower as a transformative addition, noting the forward arrived from his previous club in January and has scored 19 goals. "He is a big player, like Lautaro or Hojlund. The Dutchman scores and not everyone can do that," Vieri said, dismissing criticism that Malen's goals come mainly against weaker opponents. "Goals are goals; numbers count. He can win the capocannoniere." He also singled out Paulo Dybala, saying: "I don't stop here. I want to add Dybala, who seems reborn. He impacts matches like no one else in Italy, perhaps in Europe. He may score less, but he invents football: he creates goals for others."

Roma face Torino in Serie A on 14 September at 18:30, four days after their Champions League return, with head coach Gian Piero Gasperini managing squad rotation following the trip to Istanbul. The starting XI appears largely settled, though midfield and the right flank remain open questions. Svilar will start in goal, with the familiar trio of Mancini, Ndicka and Hermoso in defence; Ghilardi is the alternative. Wesley is expected to hold the left-back spot, while the right side is contested between Lulli and Rensch, with Lulli marginally favoured, though Gasperini indicated in his press conference that his condition would need to be assessed before the match. The main shift could come in midfield. Manu Koné picked up a knee problem against Fenerbahçe, opening the door for Nicolò Pisilli to partner Bryan Cristante; Koné has attempted recovery and remains an option. Dybala and Donyell Malen are set pieces in attack, with Matías Soulé the likely choice to complete the forward line, while Rodrigo Mora stands ready either from the start or as an in-match solution. The probable Roma formation is 3-4-2-1: Svilar; Mancini, Ndicka, Hermoso; Lulli, Cristante, Pisilli, Wesley; Soulé, Dybala; Malen.

Roma travel to Turin on 14 September with their full squad available and Lorenzo Pellegrini in the matchday group for the first time this season after a lengthy absence. The squad selection remains fluid ahead of the fixture: the defence is expected to feature Gianluca Mancini, Evan N'Dicka and Mario Hermoso, but uncertainty persists across the flanks, midfield and attack. Emanuele Lulli, Devyne Rensch and Nahuel Molina are competing for a starting place on the right, while Niccolò Pisilli and Manu Koné are in contention alongside Bryan Cristante in the middle. Up front, Matías Soulé and Rodrigo Mora are head-to-head for selection, though Paulo Dybala and Donyell Malen are guaranteed starting positions. Roma carry an open run of eight consecutive Serie A victories into the match—five secured in the closing stages of last season and three in the opening rounds of the current campaign. Gian Piero Gasperini's side will pursue a ninth straight win to reclaim the league lead. The head coach faces a contrasting duel with opposing manager Ignazio Abate: Gasperini has 640 Serie A matches on his bench, placing him fifth in the all-time standings and closing in on Nils Liedholm's tally of 644. Abate, by contrast, is appearing in only his fourth Serie A match in charge. Roma Primavera, meanwhile, play at home today: at 15:00 they face Como at the Agostino Di Bartolomei ground in Trigoria, with coverage on Sportitalia. The youth side aim to remain unbeaten in the fourth matchday following a comeback victory in the Youth League against Fenerbahce. A starting confirmation is expected for Paratici with Morucci in attack, while Cama is highlighted among young players to watch closely.

Roma travel to Torino on Monday 14 September—exactly one year after Torino beat Roma 1–0 at the Olimpico on the same date in 2025, when Giovanni Simeone scored in the 59th minute. The story has reversed since: Roma won 2–0 at the Grande Torino on 18 January this year through goals from Donyell Malen and Paulo Dybala, a return to the scene with the roles inverted. Torino has become a hunting ground for the Giallorossi. Roma have scored in all of their last 16 away matches at the Grande Torino, amassing 23 goals across those fixtures. To find Roma's last goalless away trip to Turin requires going back to a 0–0 draw on 16 December 2007. In the last five Serie A meetings between the clubs, Torino have managed only one goal—Zapata's strike in a 1–1 draw in September 2023. The all-time head-to-head record in 91 official meetings still favours the hosts: 38 Torino wins, 32 draws and 21 Roma victories. Torino remain Roma's most-played opponent in Serie A with 162 fixtures, yet Roma have recorded more wins against them than any other side—72 victories. Gasperini's Roma arrive with attacking numbers unprecedented in the modern era. They have scored 10 goals in their opening three league matches, a new record in the three-points-for-a-win era. The previous best was nine goals, achieved in 2000–01, 2003–04, 2016–17 and 2021–22. Nine points from nine in the first three games has not been matched since 2021–22 and represents only the sixth time Roma have taken maximum points from their first three matches since 2000–01. Malen has been central to that form: in the 2026 calendar year, the Dutch forward is Serie A's leading goalscorer with 19 goals in 20 appearances, averaging a goal every 92 minutes across 1,754 minutes played. He scored in that January victory at Torino. In the dugout, Ignazio Abate and Gian Piero Gasperini face each other in an official match for the first time as managers.