Six seasons of Serie A debuts: how Roma's summer signings have started their campaigns

Roma have made a formal approach for Chelsea winger Jamie Gittens on loan with an option to buy, according to Alfredo Pedulla. Gittens joined Chelsea from Borussia Dortmund for £48.5 million last summer but struggled in his first Premier League season, failing to score in 16 league appearances. He made just five top-flight starts in 2025–26, adding three more in the UEFA Champions League, with former manager Liam Rosenior showing limited faith in the English forward. His contract at Chelsea runs until 2032. Gasperini remains active in the transfer market for attacking reinforcements despite the recent completion of Rodrigo Mora's signing from Porto. The search intensifies because Matías Soulé could still depart Roma, with Milan reportedly pursuing the Argentine winger. Roma have already explored other targets this summer: their pursuit of Diego Moreira fell short, and they attempted to sign Gabriel Martinelli before Arsenal's asking price proved prohibitive. Chelsea may be willing to allow Gittens to move on loan in order for him to gain regular playing time, though they will not accept a nominal fee. Gittens impressed during his final season at Dortmund before his big-money move to England. A transfer to Roma could provide him with the platform to rediscover that form while giving Gasperini another attacking option on the wing.

Gasperini is pursuing Oosterwolde as a defensive upgrade with rare positional flexibility. The 25-year-old can operate as a left-back across the full width of the pitch, as a centre-back in a three-man defence, or push forward on the left flank — a true utility player willing to play wherever needed. Standing 1.89 metres tall with pace and physical presence, he is difficult to beat and dangerous in transition, precisely the profile Gasperini seeks in his players. Oosterwolde is regarded as a superior version of Roma's Çelik with the same versatility but greater quality overall. His injury record appears clean: a cruciate ligament injury two years ago remains his only significant setback, and he has otherwise maintained consistent availability without long absences from play. At 25, he has the scope to develop further under Gasperini's coaching. Roma await his arrival.

Oosterwolde has set his sights on Roma and is pushing hard to join the club. Roma is attempting to close the deal as soon as today through sporting director D'Amico, with negotiations structured around a loan fee of €1 million plus €15 million for a mandatory purchase option. The Dutch player is currently sidelined by injury sustained in early August and will need approximately three more weeks to recover. Roma has already checked on his physical condition and shows no sign of stepping back from the pursuit. Oosterwolde is doing his part to force the move. He has turned down two other offers and made his ambition clear: he wants Roma. He has even asked Fenerbahce to release him, reportedly telling the Turkish club he wants the capital, wants Gasperini, and is done with Turkey. The club remains attentive to his recovery timeline despite the injury setback.

Roma's opening fixture of the 2026–27 season against Fiorentina on 24 August at 20:45 will mark the competitive debuts of several new arrivals, including Mora, Molina, Castro and Koulierakis. The club has a recent tradition of fielding multiple debutants in the season's first match since the Friedkin Group took control. The pattern is well established. In 2021–22, José Mourinho's first season, Roma faced Fiorentina in Round 1 and started four debutants: Rui Patricio, Viña and Abraham from the kick-off, with Shomurodov introduced from the bench. The following year, Dybala, Matic and Wijnaldum debuted against Salernitana, while the 2023–24 campaign saw Aouar, Kristensen, Paredes and Renato Sanches make their first appearances in the same fixture. In 2024–25, under Daniele De Rossi, Artem Dovbyk, Matías Soulé and Enzo Le Fée began their Roma careers at Cagliari. Last season marked Gian Piero Gasperini's debut as head coach, when Evan Ferguson and Wesley also featured for the first time against Bologna. The club now awaits further additions from the current transfer window, with hopes that this summer's new signings will produce memorable debuts of their own in the coming days.

Robinio Vaz will remain at Roma through the closing of the transfer window, with the club rejecting any sale of the French striker acquired eight months ago from Olympique Marseille for €25 million. A proposed move to Bologna fell through during negotiations involving Castro and Dovbyk. Vaz has used recent friendlies to impress new head coach Gian Piero Gasperini and demonstrate his value to the squad. With the centre-forward role occupied by Malen and Castro, Vaz is being positioned as a creative attacking midfielder, a role that could leverage his distinctive qualities. Gasperini's tactical system offers intriguing prospects for the French talent, who possesses pace and physical strength unmatched by other options in that position—Dybala, Pellegrini, Mora and Soulé. Last season, his intervention proved decisive in a closely fought match against Lecce after an initial adaptation period in Italian football. Vaz suffered a first-degree medial collateral ligament injury to his right knee while training, an injury sustained in unusual circumstances: he explained to the club he was injured while skiing in summer. After overcoming the setback within just over a week, he has recovered fully and is ready to compete for Gasperini's confidence.

AS Roma close their pre-season programme against Borussia Dortmund at Signal Iduna Park on 15 August, with head coach Gian Piero Gasperini using the fixture as a final dress rehearsal before the league campaign begins. The international-standard test comes just days before Roma's competitive debut and offers Gasperini a last chance to assess squad fitness, run through tactical ideas, and resolve outstanding questions ahead of the official start. Roma line up in a 3-4-2-1 formation, with Mile Svilar in goal, a back three of Gianluca Mancini, Evan N'Dicka, and Mario Hermoso, and Neil El Aynaoui, Bryan Cristante, Devyne Rensch, and Matías Soulé across midfield and wing positions. Paulo Dybala and Donyell Malen support Artem Dovbyk in attack. After weeks of preparation at Trigoria and at the summer training base, the clash against the Germans represents a significant opportunity to measure the team's progress and condition. Borussia Dortmund start in a 3-4-1-2 shape under manager Niko Kovac. Following this encounter, Roma's focus shifts entirely to the start of Serie A.

Matías Soulé is under pressure to secure his place in Gian Piero Gasperini's lineup for Monday's Serie A opener against Fiorentina at the Olimpico, with fellow Argentine Rodrigo Mora having impressed in early training sessions at Trigoria. The 2003-born forward is competing for a role in the attacking three behind the Dybala-Malen pairing, though Gasperini's system remains flexible enough to deploy a dual attacking midfielder setup. Soulé has shed excess weight recorded during a mid-July training camp and regained optimal fitness, though he is still refining the movements required by his manager's tactical approach. Transfer speculation has intensified in the final days of the summer window, with AC Milan reportedly considering a move, but Roma have received no concrete offers and a departure appears unlikely at present. The player himself has shown no desire to leave, according to reports, and the prospect of a fresh start under Gasperini combined with the presence of fellow Argentine teammates is driving his commitment to establish himself as a key figure in the Giallorossi project.

Matías Soulé is fighting for a starting place in Roma's opening Serie A match against Fiorentina on 24 August, with competition from Rodrigo Mora for the attacking midfield role behind Paulo Dybala and Donyell Malen. Mora has impressed the coaching staff in early training and is challenging Soulé for the position, which does not perfectly suit the Argentine's playing style but which he must learn to interpret effectively. Soulé has regained fitness during pre-season after arriving at Trigoria carrying extra weight in mid-July, and his enthusiasm has been boosted by the arrival of two other Argentine players. However, transfer speculation has continued to shadow the final weeks of the summer window. Milan have been linked with a move, though no concrete offers have materialised and a departure appears unlikely at this stage. Soulé does not wish to leave the club and remains motivated to carve out his role in Gasperini's squad.

Roma's recruitment drive continues with three months to go before the start of the new campaign, as Gian Piero Gasperini's squad still requires reinforcement despite the imminent league opener against Fiorentina. The club's hierarchy is working to deliver two additional arrivals before the close of the transfer window: a midfielder and a winger. The arrival of Rodrigo Mora — deployed as a backup to Paulo Dybala on the left — falls short of addressing Gasperini's need for a dynamic wide player capable of breaking matches open with pace and technical ability. These acquisitions are contingent on outgoings; should players like Matías Soulé or Jan Ziółkowski depart, the number of incoming deals could rise to three. Among the targets on sporting director D'Amico's radar is Chelsea's Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, an Elite Project client who has dropped out of the Blues' plans. If Chelsea confirm their willingness to negotiate a loan deal, the operation could accelerate significantly. Roma are also evaluating at least three attacking options while maintaining interest in Youssouf Fofana as a midfield candidate.