Sarri on De Roon's Roma move: 'He never spoke to me'

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.

Marten de Roon's summer transfer to Roma from Atalanta caused significant controversy in the final days of the transfer window, complete with offensive banners from his former supporters. De Roon, who is expected to start for Roma at Como for the first time, has already explained the split as a result of his marginal role in Atalanta's project. However, new Atalanta manager Maurizio Sarri told Corriere di Bergamo that de Roon never discussed the move with him directly: "With me de Roon never spoke; he went straight to the club." Sarri's comments suggest the departure was driven by club leadership, specifically Percassi and Giuntoli. Former Atalanta manager Gian Piero Gasperini defended the Dutch midfielder's decision, saying: "What was he supposed to do, wear an old shoe?"

Agent and intermediary Giuseppe Cionci has re-entered Roma's transfer dealings after a prolonged absence from the club's operations. Cionci played a role in two transfers completed within recent months: in January, he was among intermediaries involved in Donyell Malen's move from Aston Villa, and in summer he facilitated Konstantinos Koulierakis's arrival from Wolfsburg for €16.5 million. His return marks a notable shift at Trigoria, as the last time Cionci featured prominently in Roma business was in 2018, when he helped bring Ante Coric from Dinamo Zagreb for over €6 million. Cionci's re-emergence carries added significance given the contested history of that 2018 deal. According to reports, Pietro Leonardi, a former Parma director with long-standing ties to Cionci and a friend of head coach Gian Piero Gasperini, may have played a role in reconnecting Cionci to Roma operations. Gasperini described Leonardi as "a great friend outside football". The recent dual involvement is undeniable—Malen first, then Koulierakis—though a legal dispute stemming from the original Coric transaction remains active. In January 2024, Rome's tribunal annulled an injunction of €216,550 previously obtained by Corner Sport Management, declaring the representation contract null and ordering the company to return €800,000 already received. Corner subsequently appealed, and the Court of Appeal suspended the ruling's executive effect. The proceedings remain open, with a final hearing scheduled for 13 November.

Marten de Roon's summer transfer to Roma from Atalanta caused significant controversy in the final days of the transfer window, complete with offensive banners from his former supporters. De Roon, who is expected to start for Roma at Como for the first time, has already explained the split as a result of his marginal role in Atalanta's project. However, new Atalanta manager Maurizio Sarri told Corriere di Bergamo that de Roon never discussed the move with him directly: "With me de Roon never spoke; he went straight to the club." Sarri's comments suggest the departure was driven by club leadership, specifically Percassi and Giuntoli. Former Atalanta manager Gian Piero Gasperini defended the Dutch midfielder's decision, saying: "What was he supposed to do, wear an old shoe?"

Gian Piero Gasperini is preparing Roma for Sunday's trip to Como, kickoff 12:30 at the Sinigaglia, with three key selection dilemmas to resolve. The primary question concerns who will partner Paulo Dybala and Donyell Malen in attack, with Lorenzo Pellegrini reportedly in front-runner status against Matías Soulé and Rodrigo Mora. Pellegrini has completed his recovery and trained encouragingly on Saturday; crucially, he is the only one of the three who worked at Trigoria throughout the international break without travelling for his national team. Soulé will return from Argentina only in the coming days after participating in the Albiceleste's fixtures and Messi farewell celebrations, meaning Gasperini will not have him available until Friday—just 48 hours before kickoff. Rodrigo Mora, engaged with Portugal Under-21, will also return during the week. Pellegrini's case is strengthened not only by continuity of preparation but by defensive contribution: without the injured Bryan Cristante, Gasperini may need the attacking midfielder to provide additional midfield cover and pressing against Como's possession-based approach under Fabregas, helping to compress spaces between the lines. In midfield, Marten de Roon is the leading candidate to replace Cristante, whose knee problem makes his availability in Como highly unlikely. Gasperini will not take risks and can draw on his knowledge of the Dutch midfielder from their Atalanta days. Manu Koné, expected at Trigoria today after France duty, will partner him, tasked with ball recovery, pressing support and rapid transition from defence to attack. At the back, Evan N'Dicka and Leonardo Balerdi are competing for a place, with N'Dicka potentially returning to the starting eleven after international football. N'Dicka has already returned to Trigoria; Balerdi faces the long journey from Argentina and is not expected to train with the group until Friday. Energy management may therefore influence Gasperini's choices. More positive news arrives from Donyell Malen and Wesley, both of whom took part in Saturday's session and are expected to be available for Sunday barring late problems. Malen's return would allow Gasperini to maintain his primary attacking reference, while Wesley provides important resources for pressing Como's wide areas. The Sinigaglia trip opens a particularly intense phase of the season. After Como, Roma will host Real Madrid in the Champions League, followed by a fixture against Genoa. Three close-fixture demands will force Gasperini to think beyond Sunday's starting eleven and into energy distribution across all three matches. For that reason, Soulé, Mora and Pellegrini may all find minutes in the coming fixtures regardless of who starts against Como.

Manu Koné and Gian Piero Gasperini have formed a strong partnership that will continue through this season, with the midfielder having resisted moves away from Roma in both the current and previous transfer windows. Koné played in three of four matches for Zinedine Zidane's France, starting as central midfielder in the 1–0 victory in Turkey, where he drew praise from the manager. At Como, Gasperini will deploy him in a different role, asking him to accompany play, win possession and convert defensive situations into attacking ones, with Marten de Roon expected to provide balance in midfield in place of Bryan Cristante. The relationship between Koné and Gasperini developed gradually. Two summers ago, when Gasperini was willing to sacrifice the French midfielder to fund a move for Sancho, the connection was far from certain. Gasperini remains convinced that something in Koné's engine is not yet working as it should. The hope, clearly, is that he will return soon to the form he showed earlier.