Verdone on Roma's perfect start: 'We didn't need the international break'

Former Roma forward Antonio Cassano has heaped praise on Rodrigo Mora, while predicting the Portuguese youngster will eventually move on to bigger clubs. Speaking on the latest episode of Viva El Futbol, Cassano said he sees a strong resemblance to the early Joao Felix, the Benfica version, adding: "He is a wonderful player, stratospheric, there are few like him around now." He was particularly impressed by Mora's technical quality and his ability to take on defenders. The former number 10 also praised the player's attitude, while raising concerns about how he is being managed. Cassano said: "Mora really pleases me, he still has to grow in structure. I would ask Gasperini why he is managed this way, given that he often substitutes him. He is devastating, in one-on-one situations he always gets past his man. From Trigoria they tell me he is also a great worker, a workaholic." His most striking comment concerned the player's future. Cassano believes Mora has everything needed to establish himself among the world's great talents and could make headlines for the next 15-16 years, provided he stays out of trouble. He said: "If he does not get himself into trouble, I think he could make the world talk about him for the next 15-16 years, and with all my affection for Roma, he will be destined to take other paths with teams of a certain level. He has a disproportionate talent." The praise comes at a strong moment for Mora's young Roma career. The Portuguese has scored in each of the last three league matches and has also earned a call-up to the senior national team. Cassano views this progress as merely the start of what could be an extraordinary path. Asked to compare him with Kerim Alajbegovic, another emerging talent in Serie A, Cassano replied without hesitation: "I'll take Mora for life. He is much stronger." The remarks are likely to be welcomed by Roma supporters, even if the prediction of a future away from the club may not. Cassano's comments also add to the debate over Gasperini's handling of the young forward.

Porto's finance director, José Pedro Pereira da Costa, has clarified the economics of Rodrigo Mora's move to Roma, which was one of the club's biggest investments in the latest summer transfer window. Speaking to the Portuguese outlet ECO, he said Porto's sale of Mora is an overall operation worth €50 million, even though the initial transfer was structured at a lower figure. Pereira da Costa set out the wider summer picture. "Overall, in summer 2026/27 we invested 37 million euros, compared with around 110 million the previous summer. And we made sales worth 78 million euros, including Rodrigo Mora for 50 million." He explained the structure of the deal, which he said was set at €25 million for 50%. Porto, however, holds an option that depends exclusively on its own decision, which is why the club views the transaction as a €50 million operation. For Roma, the detail matters because Mora is part of the current squad and his transfer terms are now being spelled out publicly. The explanation shows that the figure initially reported was only part of the financial picture, with the option giving Porto a further route to the full valuation. In his own words: "It was 25 million euros for 50%, but we have an option that depends exclusively on our will. For us it is a 50 million euro operation." The comments offer a rare insight into how Porto have accounted for the deal across the summer, with the €37 million invested and €78 million in sales giving a clear view of the club's transfer balance.

Porto's finance director has revealed that the club values the sale of Rodrigo Mora at €50 million, citing a clause in last summer's agreement that allows the Portuguese side to demand a further €25 million from Roma. Roma bought Mora outright for €25 million plus €2 million in bonuses, but Porto kept the right to 50% of any future resale. José Pedro Pereira da Costa, Porto's financial director, spoke to the Portuguese economic daily ECO. Roma can remove that 50% share by paying another €25 million. The agreement also gives Porto an option: once the agreed terms have matured, the Portuguese club can decide to sell the economic stake it still holds, obliging Roma to buy it. In practical terms, Porto could collect €50 million in total, plus any bonuses. Mora is not still a co-owned player. He belongs entirely to Roma on the pitch, while Porto retains an economic percentage of his future sale, and it is that percentage that the options in the agreement govern. Pereira da Costa said: "We have made sales worth 78 million euros, considering Rodrigo Mora as a 50 million operation." The figure includes the part of the agreement the Portuguese club has not yet collected. On the terms of the transfer he added: "It was 25 million for 50%, but we have an option that depends exclusively on our will. For us it is a 50 million operation." He also stressed the financial side of the deal: "I am not a sporting director, for me it is a financial sale." Porto invested a total of 37 million in the last summer window, compared with around 110 million the year before, while still keeping the most used players from last season. For Roma, the cost of Mora could become considerably higher than the initial €25 million. How much depends on how the options in the agreement are handled, but Porto has structured the deal to retain strong bargaining power even after the player's sale.

Thirteen Roma players have left Trigoria for the November international break, a squad-wide exodus that will see the club's men return to Rome only a few days before the match against Parma. Only Inter, Frosinone and Torino have had more players called up by their national teams (14), while Roma sit level with Milan and Como. The number could have been higher, given the less than ideal condition of Mancini and Koné. Daily work at Trigoria under Gasperini was the reason Koné said no to France. Cristante is also out, as explained by Italy coach Mancini: "I didn't need to test him because I know him." Molina will not be going to Argentina; the full-back had been called up at the last minute by coach Scaloni, but Roma and Gasperini opposed the move. Malen is among the most anticipated players, and on his role with the Netherlands, Xavi was clear: "I see him as a centre-forward." The mood around Trigoria is different, with Gasperini wanting to get all his starters back to fight for the Champions League and the derby. The headline also carries a comment from Francesco Totti on the Scudetto: "Something is missing to win the Scudetto." The break brings a mix of departures and returns for Roma, with the squad's fitness and availability becoming the main focus before the next fixture against Parma.

Roma are working on a contract extension for Mario Hermoso, with talks reportedly already under way for a deal running to 2029 with an option for 2030, according to Angelo Mangiante. Three goals this season and increasingly convincing performances have accelerated the process under Gian Piero Gasperini, with the Spaniard described as a pillar of the side. Elsewhere, Paulo Dybala's future may lie in the United States. Piero Torri reports that Inter Miami have already made contact with the Argentinian's entourage, while New York City are reportedly weighing up an offer. No agreement has been reached, but Dybala's contract, which expires in 2027, is fuelling the speculation. Roma are also looking to the January window, with Gasperini hoping for reinforcements. The club's strategy is to target a quick attacking winger, possibly on loan in the mould of Donyell Malen, while Endrick and Gittens remain under observation and Højbjerg has returned as an option for midfield. On the injury front, Mile Svilar and Dybala are aiming to return for the trip to Parma on 21 November, with Gasperini expected to regain two key players during the international break. Bryan Cristante and Gianluca Mancini are also in good shape, while Devyne Rensch remains in doubt. Lorenzo Pellegrini has decided against surgery on his tendon and will continue with conservative therapy, with his return not expected before January. Roma's Argentina international Nahuel Molina has been kept at Trigoria: the club refused Argentina's call-up after his FIFA suspension was reduced, with the invitation arriving only on Saturday during the Roma-Sassuolo match, too late for a long trip for what could be a single friendly. Lorenzo Dattilo, a left-back born in 2010, has signed a three-year contract, turning down Atletico Madrid. The former Under-17 European champion with Italy is already playing for Roma's Under-18 side. In Serie A, Roma sit third, unbeaten in the league and two points behind leaders Lazio, having scored 31 goals and conceded just ten in eleven matchdays. At Frosinone, the club is preparing a move to keep winger Kvernadze, who is being followed by Roma. According to Tuttomercatoweb, a deal worth one million euros a season, five times his current salary, is ready. Behind it sits a four-million-euro release clause, activatable from next summer, which Frosinone could seek to change.

Roma have kept Mancini at Trigoria and decided not to send Nahuel Molina to Argentina, meaning Italy coach Mancini will be without the Roma defender for the matches against France and Belgium. Mancini returned to the club with problems after Italy's Nations League games in late September and early October, and Gasperini has never had him at full fitness. Before the Sassuolo match, Gasperini decided not to call him up, which left the Italy coach with no option but to forgo his presence against France and Belgium. Molina is still serving a suspension for one match, following the reduction of his ban from seven matchdays to four. Roma's decision on Molina came on Saturday evening. Sending him to Argentina would have meant a long journey for just one of two friendlies, with the first test on Friday in Buenos Aires against Uruguay and the second in Córdoba against Costa Rica. Molina would then have had a long, tiring trip back to Trigoria, due next Thursday, which the club judged unworkable. The Argentine FA accepted the decision and will rely on Balerdi, Soulé and Castro. The international break has long concerned club coaches, who are forced to accept few training sessions and plenty of injuries. Roma's approach reflects that problem: protecting fitness for the club's own schedule rather than releasing players for every national team request.