Summerville push enters decisive phase as Roma thrash Primavera 6–0

Atalanta sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli confirmed that Marten de Roon requested a move to Roma during the transfer window that has just closed. Speaking at a press conference to present Frank Kessié, Giuntoli said: "When a player asks to leave, you have to listen to him. He asked us to go to Roma and we threw ourselves at Kessié." De Roon joined Roma's squad this summer after spending the previous season with Atalanta. Giuntoli explained Atalanta's approach to the midfielder's departure: "We're sorry, but we have to turn the page and move forward. Kessié is a player with personality who can help us in this new Atalanta." The signing of Kessié was presented as the club's solution to replacing the departing midfielder.

Zeki Çelik's departure this summer has proven beneficial for Roma, with the Turkish defender struggling at his new club while the Giallorossi have found capable alternatives. Çelik, who had agreed a renewal with Roma before changing his mind to join another side, has posted uninspiring numbers in his opening matches. Against Milan yesterday he recorded zero successful crosses, matching the same figure across his previous two outings against Parma and Frosinone. Social media criticism has already mounted, with fans questioning the absence of a 'Çelik cam'—a reference to a video DAZN produced weeks earlier following his first friendly appearance. His exit has cleared the path for Emanuele Lulli, who has become integral to Gasperini's setup. Initially withdrawn from the transfer market, Lulli started in all three of Roma's opening matches and has impressed the coaching staff considerably. Equally significant is the emergence of Nahuel Molina, the Argentine fullback who is continuing to build his fitness following Argentina's run to the World Cup final. Against Atalanta, Molina made a decisive 36-minute appearance, creating multiple dangerous situations and setting up a header from Santiago Castro that struck the crossbar. He recorded 100 per cent of tackles won and 90 per cent pass accuracy. Roma's first Champions League fixture arrives Thursday against Feyenoord, with Molina and Lulli in direct competition for the fullback berth. Molina's experience in high-pressure stadiums should serve him well as Roma prepare for what the article describes as an extremely hostile environment.

Roma are prioritising the January transfer window over free-agent signings to strengthen their squad, with left-back Jayden Oosterwolde and forward Endrick among their targets. According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Roma had agreed a €17 million deal with Oosterwolde but pulled out after medicals revealed his injury was more severe than initially expected. However, if he recovers in the coming months, both parties are expected to resume negotiations. Roma are also pursuing attacking reinforcements alongside Oosterwolde, with Endrick and Luiz Henrique identified as priorities. Per Corriere dello Sport, the Real Madrid forward has reportedly told Wesley and Brazilian teammates that a move to Rome could materialise in January. Roma and AC Milan both attempted to persuade Real Madrid to loan out Endrick, but José Mourinho refused to release him. The situation could change if Endrick fails to secure regular playing time or underperforms, potentially opening the door in coming months. Milan subsequently signed Omari Hutchison after missing out on their own targets. Roma's continued focus on Oosterwolde despite their withdrawal suggests eventual acquisition remains likely. The club has free-agent left-back options available but shows no interest in pursuing them, indicating they are not desperate for defensive reinforcements. With Matías Soulé and Paulo Dybala performing well in attacking roles, Roma appear reluctant to add another left-footed forward at this stage.

Roma's radio stations have given their verdicts on Saturday's victory over Atalanta, with commentators split between praising the performance and assessing the squad's depth ahead of the Champions League debut on Thursday. Piero Torri of Radio Manà Manà said: "For now Roma are on full points alongside Inter, and these are certainly positive responses. From now until December it will all be a question of injuries: if Roma are not hit by injuries, their squad is sufficient. In any case, Pisilli and Rensch remained on the bench on Saturday, then Pellegrini will return. Without excessive problems, then, the squad is sufficient; in January you can possibly fine-tune something at a quantitative level. In any case, you have 21 players, and good ones too: if you put them on the pitch you don't have a collapse in quality." Torri added that when a team functions well, a player rated 6 can look like an 8. Francesco Balzani highlighted Balerdi's impact as a substitute, calling it "decisive" and praising the victory as "a win in the Mourinho style with Gasperini's football." Antonio Felici stressed that the win over Atalanta showed Roma can succeed even when facing difficulty in the 90 minutes, representing "the victory of self-awareness." Simone Valdarchi echoed the praise for Gasperini's tactical substitutions, saying Balerdi in particular "changed the inertia of the match" and allowed Roma to escape the difficulties created by Krstović and return to dominating play. Nando Orsi noted Roma have scored 10 goals so far and represent "a complete team where everyone can score," calling them underperformers on 9 points in the league table. Lorenzo Pes said Gasperini's next step is convincing Dybala he can score again, noting the striker will want to feature in Thursday's Champions League debut.

Roma's remarkable late comeback against Atalanta has impressed pundit Lele Adani, who analysed the performance on La Domenica Sportiva. Mario Hermoso equalised in the 89th minute before Roma scored again within three minutes, with Adani highlighting the intensity of the attack: Matías Soulé, Paulo Dybala and Santiago Castro all shot during that spell, firing once every 40 seconds in September heat at the Stadio Olimpico with the thermometer at 35 degrees. Adani drew parallels to Gasperini's Atalanta sides, describing Roma's display as an act of faith rather than conventional football. He was struck by Roma's persistence in creating chances even when the match appeared lost and the crowd's overwhelming support. The club completed 39 shots across the entire fixture, which Adani called epic football shaped by the team's determination to attack in the final minutes.

Roma claimed a dramatic late victory against Atalanta on Saturday, with goals from Mario Hermoso and Matías Soulé securing the win in the final moments despite playing in 35-degree heat at the third matchday of the season. Lele Adani praised head coach Gian Piero Gasperini's influence on the performance during La domenica sportiva, drawing comparisons to the Atalanta teams Gasperini previously managed. Adani highlighted Roma's attacking intensity in the decisive phase. "The Roma drew level in the 89th minute with Hermoso, then scored three minutes later," Adani said. "In those minutes they shot four times, so once every 40 seconds. They shot from Soulé, Dybala, Castro, and then Matías scored. Atalanta's Gasperini used to do this because his matches are acts of faith—it wasn't a football match but a piece of history, and then the Olimpico drowns you out. Roma had 39 shots; it was an epic match."

Santiago Castro entered Roma's match against Atalanta at the 62nd minute as an unlikely substitute, replacing the league's in-form forward Donyell Malen, yet the move proved to be the turning point in a game the hosts trailed. In his brief appearance, Castro struck the post and crossbar while providing two key passes, underscoring the quality of Roma's bench and prompting head coach Gian Piero Gasperini to praise his aggression. The Argentine's introduction illustrated the gulf between Roma's attacking depth now and the crisis that plagued them throughout the previous season. Last season Gasperini struggled with inadequate backup at centre-forward. Artem Dovbyk managed only 386 minutes in the league, while Evan Ferguson accumulated 776; injuries to both forced the coach into makeshift solutions, sometimes fielding a lone striker. Malen's January arrival from Dortmund transformed the dynamic, yet even then Gasperini was stretched thin managing the Dutchman's workload in a frenetic system that demands fresh energy. Castro's arrival this summer completes the picture. The forward combines goal-scoring instinct, the ability to run channels, ball retention and defensive work rate—qualities already evident in his early outings in red and gold. Gasperini's post-match verdict captured the shift: "The changes were good and that's what we were looking for—to complete this squad with substitutes who could give important help across matches. In finishing and in the forward area we were good, but we lacked intensity. We were sometimes too neat, aside from Castro's post and crossbar." Against Atalanta, Castro fired four shots—two on target and two off the woodwork—laying down a marker as a genuine alternative to Malen. Soulé scored, Molina offered fresh options on the flank and Balerdi commanded the defence like a squad veteran. Gasperini acknowledged the possibility of using both attackers together: "Castro and Malen together? It's an idea for the future. They can coexist, definitely. They can play together. We'll see; we're doing evaluations now. We'll have many matches so there will be chances for everyone and also to vary these systems." The contrast with previous seasons is stark. Roma's manager can now turn to a bench and find genuine competition for the starting eleven rather than, as José Mourinho once lamented, mere children. The scale of available rotation across the squad—particularly in attack and defence—represents a luxury rarely seen at Trigoria in recent years.

Artem Dovbyk scored for the first time in eight months, netting Bologna's equaliser against Sassuolo in the 91st minute. The Ukrainian striker, on loan from Roma with a purchase option, grabbed the ball and sprinted towards the corner flag in celebration, removing his shirt and earning a yellow card for the act. Dovbyk's goal came after a spell marked by injury and poor form since arriving at Bologna on loan this summer. The 2–2 draw represents a turning point for the forward, who was unable to find the net during a difficult period at Roma before departing.

Roma continue to monitor Oosterwolde with a view to January, despite the Dutch player undergoing surgical intervention on a muscle tear that has sidelined him for three months. Oosterwolde arrived in the capital towards the end of August but failed to pass his medical examination due to the injury, which required surgery performed in Finland by the same surgeon who has treated Paulo Dybala, Lorenzo Pellegrini and Artem Dovbyk in recent seasons. The setback disappointed Oosterwolde, who had not initially anticipated being absent for the next three months. Roma's interest remains active as they assess his recovery trajectory, with a potential window for integration into the squad opening in the new year.

Roma return to the Champions League for the first time in seven years on Thursday 10 September, travelling to Istanbul to face Fenerbahce in the League Phase's first matchday with a 18:45 kickoff. The match will be broadcast on Sky Sport and available to subscribers via Sky Go. Gasperini's side arrive in buoyant form after a 2–1 comeback win against Atalanta in Serie A, where Hermoso and Soulé scored in the closing stages, and have won their opening three league matches. Roma are expected to line up in a 3–4–2–1 formation with Svilar in goal, a back three of Mancini, N'Dicka and Hermoso, Wesley and Molina as full-backs, Cristante and Koné in midfield, and Dybala and Soulé supporting lone striker Malen. Molina and N'Dicka remain in contention with alternatives, and the squad picture will become clearer in training over the coming days. Lorenzo Pellegrini is almost certain to remain absent. Fenerbahce will be without Guendouzi, the former Lazio midfielder, who is serving a four-match suspension (two of which are conditional) following a fight during their qualifier against Lyon. The Turkish side reached the League Phase unbeaten through the preliminaries, eliminating Górnik Zabrze, Sturm Graz and Lyon, though they suffered a recent domestic setback when losing the derby to Besiktas after wins over Konyaspor and Samsunspor. In European competition they remain unbeaten across seven matches. Their probable lineup shows Ederson in goal, Semedo, Škriniar, Aké and Brown across the defence, Kanté and Yüksek in midfield, and Asensio, Aktürkoğlu and Nene behind striker Lukaku. This will be the first official meeting between the two clubs. Fenerbahce have won their last three home matches against Serie A sides without conceding, the most recent a 2–0 victory over Lazio in the 2012–13 Europa League quarter-finals. Official team lineups will be announced approximately one hour before kickoff, around 17:45 Italian time.

Roma secured a 2–1 home victory over Atalanta on 5 September 2026, their first win at the Olimpico against the Bergamo side since 5 March 2022. After falling behind through Ederson's goal in the second half, Roma fought back without capitulating as they had in previous seasons. Mario Hermoso equalised with a header from a corner on the left wing, meeting the ball with a delicate chip. Matías Soulé then settled the match at the 93rd minute, cutting inside with his right foot before crossing with his left to find the far post and beat Carnesecchi. The performance at Trigoria on the morning after the match drew praise, with staff noting the return to form of Soulé. Gasperini's side demonstrated growing resilience as the season progresses, refusing to surrender despite going behind. The comeback underlined a shift in mentality compared to the previous campaign. Hermoso's involvement from set-piece defence and Soulé's match-winning intervention were highlights of Roma's recovery, with the latter's impact immediately evident upon his introduction. Press ratings reflected the quality on display. Hermoso earned marks ranging from 6.5 to 7.5 across outlets, with one publication rating him 7.5 for his performance. Soulé, brought on in the 54th minute, received ratings between 7.5 and 8.5. Paulo Dybala was marked between 6 and 8, while Bryan Cristante and Manu Koné drew ratings of 5.5 to 7.5 and 6.5 to 7.5 respectively. Manager Gasperini received ratings between 7 and 8 from the newspapers assessed.

Roma delivered a dramatic comeback at the start of matchday three to beat Atalanta, with Matías Soulé scoring at the 93rd minute to seal the three points. The Argentine forward, who also provided an assist, was the standout performer in what the Italian press dubbed a statement win for the Giallorossi this season. Mario Hermoso proved instrumental in reigniting the match when it appeared lost, while head coach Gian Piero Gasperini earned widespread praise for his tactical management. The victory is being framed as Roma's first authentic championship display of the campaign, with the comeback signalling a bold statement to the league's other top clubs. Soulé's performance drew particular attention from Italy's major sports newspapers, with the 54th-minute substitute recapturing the form that impressed observers last season. Hermoso's contribution, meanwhile, was credited with turning the tide when the match seemed to be slipping away. Across ratings from Corriere dello Sport, Gazzetta dello Sport, Il Messaggero, Corriere della Sera, La Repubblica, and Il Tempo, Soulé received the highest individual marks, with Corriere dello Sport awarding him 8.5 out of 10 for his performance off the bench. Hermoso's ratings ranged from 6.5 to 7.5, while Gasperini received marks between 7 and 8 across the publications. Bryan Cristante and Manu Koné were also highlighted for their midfield contributions, with Cristante earning 7.5 from Corriere dello Sport. Paulo Dybala received marks ranging from 6 to 8. The match formation was recorded as 3-4-1-2, with substitutions bringing on Daniele Ghilardi, Leonardo Balerdi, Nahuel Molina, and Santiago Castro during the course of play.