Scamacca hopes fade as Atalanta holds firm on price

Alessandro Romano, a Roma academy graduate who departed for Cagliari a few weeks ago, has impressed his new club sufficiently to earn a call-up to the Italy national team at the behest of coach Mancini. Cagliari manager Pisacane highlighted Romano's development after his side's victory over Udinese, drawing a comparison to a former Roma midfielder. Pisacane told Sky: "Romano? I don't think he even knows how strong he is himself. He's a complete player—if I have to give an example, he's a player like Strootman but with more physical impact. Perhaps Strootman had a more educated left foot, but he's a player who understands the game, has sacrifice, has dedication, knows how to play football. He's a complete player. He needs to play a lot, even if he makes mistakes: he surprised me—compared to Palestra, who made two or three mistakes at Udinese, he seems a player much more mature than his age would suggest."

Leonardo Balerdi has explained his departure from Olympique Marseille after six years and his desire to play for Roma. Speaking to DAZN France, the defender reflected on his move to Serie A and what drew him to the Giallorossi. Bareldi said of leaving Marseille: "It was a difficult moment to leave the OM. But I take everything that came with it: the beautiful things and the bad things." He acknowledged the mixed reception from supporters but used that experience as motivation. "I didn't remember being booed in the last match — sometimes people loved me, sometimes they didn't. I took the love they gave me as energy. I felt it was time to go. Six years at a club is a lot. But six years at Olympique de Marseille is something few players do. It was time to discover another league. I wanted to prove my value, try to do something different. I was very happy to leave." Bareldi joined Roma this summer as part of the club's defensive reinforcements for the 2026-27 season.

Leonardo Balerdi's loan deal from Marseille contains a complex purchase structure tied directly to his match appearances. If the Argentine defender plays in at least 55% of Roma's fixtures across all competitions for a minimum of 45 minutes, the buyout becomes mandatory at €14 million. Should his appearance rate fall between 40 and 55%, the obligation drops to €11 million. Marseille has secured a protection clause requiring Roma to pay a minimum €9 million if Balerdi accumulates just 20% of minutes played in the second half of the season. Balerdi will earn €1.5 million annually under the loan agreement—a significantly reduced figure relative to his market value—with a salary increase guaranteed if Roma exercise the permanent transfer option from next season onwards.

Roma drew 2–2 with Inter at the Olimpico, leaving the club joint leaders of Serie A alongside Inter and Lazio after four wins and a draw from five matches. The giallorossi led 2–0 at half-time through a Manu Koné double — first a right-footed finish inside the box, then a left-footed effort under the crossbar from close range — after what the article describes as probably the best 45 minutes of Gasperini's tenure. Lautaro Martinez pulled one back early in the second half from a Gianluca Mancini error on the opposition midfield, and the intensity drained from Roma's display as Inter found their rhythm. Donyell Malen had a chance to make it 3–1 when he turned sharply in the box and shot, but Martinez blocked the effort with his face. Martinez then equalised with another clinical finish typical of a top-class striker. The performance carried a message beyond the final scoreline. Roma's first-half intensity, aggression and quality suggested the club can genuinely compete with the Serie A champions — something that would not have been obvious at the start of the season. The article notes that Roma today is markedly stronger, deeper and more self-aware than last season. When Gasperini has all players fit, the squad contains match-winners: Malen has demonstrated that in recent weeks, Koné delivered it tonight, and Paulo Dybala continues to do so through his play and creativity. Dybala was again Roma's attacking brain, with every pass often creating danger through assists, openings and through-balls that turn routine moves into dangerous situations. He was one of the evening's most influential players but continues to lack goals at crucial moments — he had a couple of chances where his left foot could have settled the match definitively. The article states that for a player of his talent, the absence of goals is now the only real blemish in an otherwise extraordinary period. Leonardo Balerdi was among the best performers but was forced off with cramp. During the second half, Mancini and Mario Hermoso also departed, forcing Roma to change the entire defensive unit — a wholesale revolution that consumed substitutions that might have been deployed elsewhere to restore freshness and unpredictability to midfield and attack. Gasperini says results and objectives will take time to evaluate properly. Yet Roma have already answered one question: they can play on level terms with sides that have lived at the top for years. Three weeks follow before the next cycle begins, with Como, managed by Fabregas, arriving next — a team that has also impressed in this opening stretch of the season alongside Roma and Inter.

Gian Piero Gasperini delivered a nuanced assessment of Roma's performance against Inter the day after their direct clash, balancing disappointment at squandered opportunities against satisfaction at competing evenly with the defending champions. "There is some regret, and it is right that there should be," Gasperini said, "but the satisfaction at having played on equal terms with Inter is greater." The turning point came early in the second half when Lautaro Martinez scored after just one minute. Gasperini was critical of Roma's reaction: "The goal conceded at the start of the second half, after barely a minute, created anxiety and made us take a step back. We conceded it in a way that was a bit too superficial, even presumptuous. But we were always in the match, never giving up on playing. It's a shame, because we also had the chance to make it 3-1 with Malen." He also recalled a light moment with the Inter striker after the final whistle, saying: "I embraced him and told him to stop—he always scores against me. But he is a truly great champion." Gasperini praised Leonardo Balerdi's display before cramps forced the defender off: "Until that moment he played a tremendous match, full of recoveries, anticipation and physical battles with Thuram. Unfortunately he cramped up and couldn't move anymore; his substitution meant we lost that extra physical freshness." He was less satisfied with Manu Koné's showing, which he described as natural given the circumstances: "He was clearly tired; at this moment he doesn't yet have the stamina for ninety minutes. He remains a fundamental player for us, but his sharpness is not yet the same as the first half of last season." Despite the draw extending Gasperini's winless run against Inter since November 2018, Roma achieved an unprecedented milestone: for the first time in the club's history, they have scored at least two goals in ten consecutive Serie A matches. With a demanding fixture schedule ahead after the international break, Gasperini stressed the need for rotation: "The calendar will be terrible and we will need to rotate. We must be good at developing the whole squad and have the courage to throw in the new players from the start—we will play with twenty men."

Roma and Inter drew 2-2 at the Olimpico in a match that saw the visitors mount a third consecutive two-goal comeback. The Giallorossi dominated the first half and took a commanding lead through a brace from Manu Koné, but Inter responded decisively after the restart. Lautaro Martínez reduced the deficit early in the second half and then struck again with a volley past Mile Svilar to earn Inter a point, despite a Svilar touch on the shot. Inter's captain showed the difference in the final stages, and the match also featured a fine save from Inter's goalkeeper on Donyell Malen and a near-miss from Thuram in the closing minutes. Gasperini's side demonstrated they can compete with the defending champions and maintain a strong position in the title race, though there was evident frustration at conceding a two-goal advantage. For Inter, the result marked their third consecutive rematch from two goals down this season—this time without a win. The draw leaves both sides with evidence of their quality, though Roma will reflect on a performance that showed dominance in the first period before a notable second-half collapse.