Vélez president attacks Soulé over departure from Argentine club

Santiago Castro made his Argentina debut in a friendly against Burkina Faso last night, hitting the crossbar in the 92nd minute with a powerful right-foot strike from inside the box. The forward remains without a goal this season for both Roma and his national team, having struck the post and bar against Atalanta in Serie A. Castro has come agonisingly close to breaking his drought on multiple occasions. Speaking after the match, he said: "I was nervous before the game, but once you get on the pitch you just have to play and be yourself. Honestly, it makes me really happy—I feel so many emotions. After everything I've been through and all this time, I'm truly happy. But the goal got away: the ball hit the crossbar. Lately I've hit quite a few crossbars and posts (laughs), but anyway I'm really happy and I just need to keep going like this."

Roman radio commentators debated Endrick's future and Roma's midfield depth in their daily round-up of opinion from the Rome airwaves. Agresti reported that Real Madrid want to loan out Endrick, and that despite Roma remaining in the picture and able to offer Champions League football, the forward is currently more inclined toward Milan. He has played only 4 minutes for Madrid this season. Mourinho had blocked his departure in the summer, but Endrick wants to showcase himself, and Milan are ready to give him playing time. The club from the San Siro have close relationships with Endrick's agents and had already tried to advance the matter over the summer; they are now reassessing in light of his minimal usage at Madrid. "Tutto dipende da Mourinho e dal fatto che lasci andare il giocatore" — everything depends on Mourinho and whether he lets the player leave, Agresti said. Pugliese suggested Mourinho's intervention in blocking the deal last summer reflected poor relations with the Friedkin ownership. He noted that Cardinale has a close relationship with Roc Nation, and Rodrygo will return to the Real Madrid fold in December, creating crowded options: Díaz, Yoro, Bernardo Silva, Mbappé, Vinicius, Diomande — too many players for too few places. If Mourinho wants to help someone, Pugliese said, "Penso che Mou se vuole dare una mano potrebbe darla Amorim, non a Gasperini" — he thinks Mou could lend it to Amorim, not Gasperini. On Roma's midfield, Pruzzo said young players must be given chances despite the errors they will make. He praised Bryan Cristante for playing every match and providing equilibrium and security to the squad and to Gasperini. "Nel momento in cui ti viene meno, devi avere un'alternativa a centrocampo: la Roma ha i giocatori contati, e questo può essere un problema" — the moment he becomes unavailable, you need an alternative in midfield, and Roma's options are limited, which could be a problem. Pugliese added that Portugal are pushing for Rodrigo Mora to play for the national team in the position left by Cristiano Ronaldo; Mora is a recognizable technical talent and should grow athletically. At Como, if Pellegrini is fit, he will play ahead of Mora.

Fabián Berlanga, president of Velez Sarsfield, launched a fresh attack on Matías Soulé on the occasion of the Roma forward's debut for Argentina. Speaking from the Monumental stadium to Cadena 3, Berlanga argued that Soulé should face exemplary punishment rather than be rewarded with a place in the Argentina squad. "Soulé as Argentina's new number 10? No, he should instead face exemplary punishment," Berlanga said. "For example, permanent exclusion from the possibility of ever wearing Messi's shirt, or from wearing the captain's armband. He is not a good example." Soulé left Velez as a 16-year-old in 2019 using a legal mechanism called 'Patria Potestas', which allows parents or legal guardians of a player to terminate a club contract if the player has not signed a professional deal. The move saw Velez receive only 108,000 euros in compensation, a figure that continues to rankle the club's leadership. Berlanga's resentment centres on players departing on free transfers and what he views as unethical conduct by agents. "We don't like when young players leave on free transfers, but we know it's a battle to fight against agents who sometimes act in bad faith," he added. Berlanga has previously criticised Soulé on the international stage. Two years ago, when Soulé was called up to the Argentina squad without playing, Berlanga said: "I was at River's stadium for the Argentina-Chile match; I went to greet Flaco Gareca and, deep down, I prayed that Soulé wouldn't come on. All this makes me angry." Berlanga also referenced his own decision to respect club protocol, noting that in January he had the chance to activate a release clause for a goalkeeper but chose not to pursue it out of respect. "You have to be able to look people in the eye," he said. "I don't do those kinds of things."