Tommasi on Roma's Champions League return: structure and squad depth essential

Gian Piero Gasperini has become the driving force behind Roma's transfer strategy and squad planning, with director D'Amico and ownership The Friedkin Group now following his tactical blueprint. At 68, Gasperini has adopted a markedly different public approach than his previous style—eschewing confrontation for behind-the-scenes pressure in operational meetings at Trigoria. Where José Mourinho relied on provocative gestures, Gasperini works directly and methodically to impose his vision. The clearest example is Gasperini's influence over contract renewals. Though The Friedkin Group initially resisted extending Paulo Dybala and Lorenzo Pellegrini, Gasperini's growing credibility—bolstered by Roma's Champions League qualification—allowed him to secure one-year renewals for both players. He achieved this through relentless advocacy in closed-door talks, pushing his case whenever the opportunity arose. The renewals came only after sustained pressure, with ownership finally conceding limited terms rather than outright refusals. Gasperini's next test, and the true measure of his market influence, centres on recruiting a left-sided winger capable of playing with his right foot. The success or failure of this signing will define how far his authority now extends at Roma.

Paulo Dybala continues to be the cornerstone of Roma's squad as the club enters the final stretch of the transfer window. Four years into his tenure at the Giallorossi, Dybala remains the highest technical level player in the squad. Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini is forced to rely on him heavily with 17 days until the season begins. However, the club recognises the risk of depending solely on Dybala to alter matches single-handedly and has identified the need for at least one more attacking arrival to complete the squad as planned. The primary target is Antonio Nusa, the Norwegian winger, though Arsenal are reportedly entering the race following their unsuccessful pursuit of Vinícius Júnior. That pursuit now appears unlikely to succeed. Roma's alternative is Malick Fofana, a 21-year-old Belgian from Lyon. Fofana has struggled with injury, playing only 15 minutes in his most recent outing against Sparta Prague three days ago following a serious ankle injury and subsequent surgery. His last full appearance came on 26 October of last year. Roma attempted to negotiate a loan deal with a conditional obligation to buy, but the offer was rejected.

Gian Piero Gasperini has established himself as the central figure at AS Roma, wielding influence comparable to José Mourinho but achieved through private persuasion rather than public provocation. At 68, he maintains his core methods while adopting a more measured media approach, operating behind closed doors to advance his vision. A year ago he favoured public confrontation; now he works quietly in internal meetings at Trigoria to win his battles. The Friedkin Group ownership initially resisted contract renewals for Paulo Dybala and Lorenzo Pellegrini, but Gasperini applied consistent pressure during operational meetings and leveraged his growing credibility with the owners—built on Roma's Champions League qualification—to secure extended deals. Though Ryan and Dan Friedkin held firm and agreed to one-year renewals for both players, Gasperini ultimately prevailed. His enhanced standing within the club reflects a shift in the power dynamic. The next test of his authority centres on Roma's pursuit of a left-sided attacking player with a right foot, an area Gasperini has identified as critical. How the market moves on this position will define the summer's overall assessment of Roma's transfer strategy and the strength of Gasperini's influence over recruitment decisions.

Roma spent the penultimate day of their United Kingdom pre-season tour in transit to Brighton on 7 August, departing Vale Resort after a final training session in the morning before flying to London at 18:00 and travelling by coach to the south coast. Brighton's official social media channels welcomed the Giallorossi with a video set to Lando Fiorini's 'Forza Roma', the club's anthem. Paulo Dybala and his teammates arrived at the Maldron Hotel in the evening, where they stayed overnight ahead of tomorrow's friendly. The fixture against Brighton takes place at the Amex Stadium at 16:00 Italian time on 8 August, marking the first meeting between the sides since their Europa League encounter two years ago. Roma will return to the capital immediately after the match, with training resuming on Tuesday. The club's pre-season schedule concludes with a final test against Borussia Dortmund on 15 August before the Serie A season opener on 24 August against Fiorentina at the Olimpico.

Lorenzo Pellegrini has signed a contract extension with Roma through 30 June 2027, ending speculation from Premier League clubs and Juventus. An official announcement is expected in the coming hours. The move secures the club's number 7 and caps weeks of negotiation. Mile Svilar reinforced his commitment to the club in a radio interview, saying: "I am happy here, my family is happy here. I want to stay at Roma." He outlined the squad's objectives: progressing in the Champions League, starting strongly in Serie A, and maintaining competitive intensity. Bryan Cristante, speaking from the pre-season camp, expressed enthusiasm for Gian Piero Gasperini's work and confirmed the group is eager to reunite with Pellegrini. Cristante also dismissed reports of lingering tension with Paulo Dybala: "Everything was cleared up immediately, with no lasting issues." Ticket sales for Roma's home opener against Fiorentina on Monday 24 August at 20:45 began today, generating immediate demand with over 3,000 supporters queuing online. The 40,000 season-ticket allocation was exhausted long ago. Separately, Marash Kumbulla's departure to Rayo Vallecano on a loan with a right of redemption was confirmed, ending his Roma tenure after 68 appearances, 4 goals, and the 2022 Conference League triumph.

Luca Gotti, the former Udinese coach who developed Nahuel Molina, has backed Roma's pursuit of the Argentina international as an ideal recruit for Giampiero Gasperini's system. Speaking on Radio Manà Manà, Gotti praised Molina's trajectory since arriving in Italy in 2020 as an unknown quantity from Boca Juniors: "His path at Udine was so devastating that in his first year Argentina observers like Scaloni and Walter Samuel would often attend our matches to watch De Paul and Musso. They noticed Molina and convoked him in March to the national team. From there his career turned: today we speak of a World Champion, two-time Copa América winner, with important baggage matured in Madrid." Gotti believes Molina's pace, reactivity and high tempo suit Gasperini's demands perfectly, particularly in a five-defender setup that will unleash his attacking instincts. With Wesley and Devyne Rensch also competing for the right-back role, Gotti expects Wesley to shift to the left flank if needed, positioning Molina as the primary option on the right. Molina's understanding with Paulo Dybala should develop naturally given his experience linking play at international level. On character, Gotti described him as "a fantastic lad, calm and very sunny." However, he identified one area for refinement: "If there's a defect, it's that he can sometimes be lightweight or superficial inside his own penalty area. He still lacks a touch of attention in preventive reading inside the final sixteen metres. Yet Molina possesses the hardest qualities to teach already; attention and care in the defensive phase are aspects that, with daily work and experience, a master like Gasperini will easily complete."

Roma's attacking department has been decimated ahead of the 2026–27 season, with coach Gian Piero Gasperini now overseeing just five senior forwards for the role — down from ten options at the end of January. The remaining quartet consists of Donyell Malen, Paulo Dybala, Matías Soulé, and Robinio Vaz, with young prospect Arena also available. The collapse mirrors Gasperini's repeated public calls for investment in attack. Speaking exactly a year ago on 4 August 2025 at the English national team's St. George Park facility in Burton Upon Trent, Gasperini outlined his philosophy: "It concerns all clubs that spend large sums on attackers. The offensive department is the most sought after and most expensive. Teams with strong attacking players are more competitive." That same summer, Roma pursued Fabio Silva and Jadon Sancho without success, settling on a loan move for Romain Bailey as a last-minute solution. By the end of 2025, Roma had assembled eight attacking options — Dybala, Artem Dovbyk, Evan Ferguson, Bailey, Soulé, Baldanzi, Stephan El Shaarawy, and Lorenzo Pellegrini — to fill three positions in Gasperini's preferred 3-4-2-1 formation. The winter transfer window swelled that number to ten through the departures of Bailey and Baldanzi and the arrivals of Malen, Vaz, Bryan Zaragoza, and Lorenzo Venturino. However, only Malen performed consistently. With just twenty days until the league campaign begins, Roma faces a critical shortage. The club is reportedly making another approach for Nusa and preparing a move for Fofana to bolster the depleted ranks.

Roma find themselves in unexpected stasis on the transfer market one month before their Serie A opener against Fiorentina, hampered by slow planning, a complex summer constrained by Settlement Agreement rules, and difficulty delivering the reinforcements Gian Piero Gasperini has requested. As of late July, Roma had completed zero signings and just one minor departure, leaving six players from last season's squad still to be replaced: El Shaarawy, Ferguson, Tsimikas, Celik, Venturino, and Zaragoza. The club also has several players ready to depart—Salah-Eddine, Kumbulla, and Dovbyk among them—while others including Soulé and Koné remain uncertain. Contract complications surround Dybala, and Pellegrini's position requires clarification. Delays stem from structural issues worsened by Tony D'Amico's late arrival as sporting director, who became operational only in the final ten days of June following a dispute with Atalanta, compounded by World Cup scheduling and Settlement Agreement restrictions. Gasperini intends to compete at the highest level while preserving the squad's core and adding only a few elite signings. Roma pursued Mason Greenwood and Luis Summerville at length, becoming committed to the Dutch player beyond their budgeted limits before the deal collapsed entirely.

AS Roma are closing in on Crysencio Summerville, with head coach Gian Piero Gasperini expecting a resolution in the coming days. The club has raised their bid to €50 million to persuade West Ham to sell the Dutch international and fend off competition from Aston Villa. Gasperini will have final say once Roma and Summerville's agents reach an agreement on personal terms. Despite publicly casting doubt on the transfer during Saturday's press conference—a tactical move to maintain negotiating leverage—Gasperini is eager to bring the winger to Rome. The breakthrough hinges on agreeing contract details with Summerville's representatives, the final hurdle before the deal can be completed. Roma's willingness to climb to the €50 million mark signals their determination to secure one of their priority targets this window. The next 24 to 48 hours are viewed as critical to the outcome. Summerville, who would join a squad already including attackers such as Paulo Dybala, Artem Dovbyk, and Stephan El Shaarawy, represents a significant investment in Gasperini's vision for the team.

Lorenzo Pellegrini has signed a contract extension with Roma through 30 June 2027, ending speculation from Premier League clubs and Juventus. An official announcement is expected in the coming hours. The move secures the club's number 7 and caps weeks of negotiation. Mile Svilar reinforced his commitment to the club in a radio interview, saying: "I am happy here, my family is happy here. I want to stay at Roma." He outlined the squad's objectives: progressing in the Champions League, starting strongly in Serie A, and maintaining competitive intensity. Bryan Cristante, speaking from the pre-season camp, expressed enthusiasm for Gian Piero Gasperini's work and confirmed the group is eager to reunite with Pellegrini. Cristante also dismissed reports of lingering tension with Paulo Dybala: "Everything was cleared up immediately, with no lasting issues." Ticket sales for Roma's home opener against Fiorentina on Monday 24 August at 20:45 began today, generating immediate demand with over 3,000 supporters queuing online. The 40,000 season-ticket allocation was exhausted long ago. Separately, Marash Kumbulla's departure to Rayo Vallecano on a loan with a right of redemption was confirmed, ending his Roma tenure after 68 appearances, 4 goals, and the 2022 Conference League triumph.

Nearly a year after requesting a left-sided attacking winger with a right foot, Gian Piero Gasperini remains without the reinforcement he wants. A meeting between Gasperini and Roma's ownership on the evening of 6 August ended without satisfaction; the coach is frustrated by the slowness of closing deals, with Greenwood and Summerville cited as examples. Roma face Brighton tomorrow at 15:00 local time in the final pre-season friendly of their UK tour before returning to Rome. The hunt for a left winger continues to complicate Roma's transfer agenda. Nusa of Leipzig remains the top target but the German club is demanding €60 million—too high for the Friedkin Group's budget for that role. Roma hope to negotiate the price down. Fofana of Lyon is an alternative, though doubts exist over his physical attributes. The delay is compounded by the need to offload Matías Soulé and Manu Koné first; neither has received concrete offers despite interest. Soulé's agent made a trip to Wales followed by Spain, but no news has emerged. Gasperini fears that if negotiations drag on, Roma may be forced to turn to backup targets. Lorenzo Pellegrini has signed a contract extension until 2027 and will undergo medical examinations at the Campus tomorrow. The Brighton match concludes the tour; Gasperini will then grant two days' rest before a final test against Borussia Dortmund on 15 August ahead of the Serie A opener against Fiorentina on 24 August. Molina is expected to arrive between Sunday and Tuesday, with no doubts over that deal's completion.

Roma captain Bryan Cristante spoke to Sky Sport from the club's pre-season camp in Wales, ahead of a friendly at Brighton tomorrow that concludes the week's matches overseas. Cristante expressed pride at Roma's return to the Champions League after a prolonged absence. "We've been wanting to play in the Champions, we'd been close a few times, we're proud to play it," he said. "It's important to have the society's presence, which gives an extra gear even in the market; we talk about it daily." Cristante highlighted his desire to face Real Madrid in Europe and revealed that Lorenzo Pellegrini, expected to rejoin the squad soon, remains a key part of the project. "I'd like to play at the Bernabéu in the Champions, it would be nice to play in the new stadium and see Mourinho again," he added. The midfielder also confirmed he and Paulo Dybala had resolved a disagreement that arose during Roma's pre-season match in Cardiff. "We cleared it up straight away, it was a small disagreement that happened on the pitch and ended there," Cristante explained. On domestic ambitions, Cristante acknowledged the Serie A title as Roma's dream objective but cautioned about the campaign's difficulty. "The Scudetto is the dream but it's still early, the league is difficult and very competitive. We want to have a good Champions, we hope to be in the fight in January to try to play for the championship." Cristante also reflected positively on his experiences under Italy manager Mancini, saying the goal is to "be reborn and return to where we belong."