Villas-Boas: Mora sale timing cost Porto millions in losses

Porto president André Villas-Boas has said the club would have closed its 2025-26 accounts with a profit if Rodrigo Mora's transfer to Roma had been completed before 30 June. Speaking at a press conference where he presented the club's financial results, Villas-Boas noted that Porto instead posted a loss of approximately €21 million for the season. Mora moved to Roma for €25 million plus 50 per cent of any future resale fee, but the timing of the deal meant it fell outside the financial year that would have swung the balance into the black. The transfer underscores the importance of window deadlines in club accounting, with even major deals capable of shifting a significant deficit into profit territory when registered at the right moment.

The Friedkin Group has decided to put Everton up for sale, shifting the focus of their football operations entirely to AS Roma. The Texas-based owners, who took control of Roma in August 2020, have chosen to exit their English venture after several years of ownership. The move elevates Roma to the centerpiece of their global football portfolio. With Everton no longer part of their structure, the Friedkin Group can now concentrate fully on Roma's development and ambitions. The sale marks a clear strategic decision to consolidate resources around the Italian club rather than maintain dual major projects across European football. Roma now stands as the primary asset and focus for the American ownership group's football investments and long-term vision.

Roma are working on multiple transfer targets for the January window beyond Endrick, the Brazilian forward who has caught coach Gian Piero Gasperini's eye. While Endrick is a striker and left-footer who has shown he can operate in a secondary role at Lyon, his arrival may prove redundant given Paulo Dybala's elevated form and Matías Soulé's recent return to top condition — both players already operate in the centre-forward areas where the Brazilian would likely be deployed. Director Tony D'Amico is therefore pursuing alternative options, with initial contact already made on two specific players. The first is Georgian left-winger Kvernadze, a right-footed player with an imposing physical presence, pace and goalscoring ability who could compensate on that flank for the different profile offered by Rodrigo Mora. The second is Ruben van Bommel of PSV, son of the former Milan and Barcelona midfielder and current Belgium coach. Van Bommel, born 2004, was sidelined by a serious injury last season but has since recovered and is back at peak fitness. Van Bommel has scored 2 goals and provided 4 assists, and has already gained early Champions League experience. Roma's recruitment staff view both players as capable of strengthening the squad in areas where tactical balance is needed.

Porto president André Villas-Boas has said the club would have closed its 2025-26 accounts with a profit if Rodrigo Mora's transfer to Roma had been completed before 30 June. Speaking at a press conference where he presented the club's financial results, Villas-Boas noted that Porto instead posted a loss of approximately €21 million for the season. Mora moved to Roma for €25 million plus 50 per cent of any future resale fee, but the timing of the deal meant it fell outside the financial year that would have swung the balance into the black. The transfer underscores the importance of window deadlines in club accounting, with even major deals capable of shifting a significant deficit into profit territory when registered at the right moment.

Roma travel to Como on Sunday at 12:30 for a top-of-the-table clash, with the Giallorossi level on points with Inter and Lazio at the summit. Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini has opted to hand a starting place to Portuguese midfielder Rodrigo Mora, class of 2007, in what appears a tactical gamble to break one of Roma's most stubborn curses: the club has not won at the Como ground overlooking Lake Como since 30 April 1989, when Manfredonia headed home at the second minute. Nearly 38 years have passed since that day. The three subsequent visits to Lario have all ended in defeat, most recently when Donyell Malen converted a seventh-minute penalty to put Roma ahead, only for Wesley's red card to leave the ten-men Giallorossi vulnerable to a Cesc Fabregas comeback. Gasperini tested new tactical solutions in a friendly against Sorianese (20-0), settling on a 3-4-1-2 shape designed to counter Fabregas's four-man defence and contain the opposing full-backs' central positioning. Mora, operating as a midfielder, offers the crucial link between midfield and attack through his quality in the final pass and the threat of distance shooting—both weapons aimed at unlocking Como's defensive block. Roma must also overturn a troubling pattern after international breaks: across the last two seasons, they have managed only two wins, one draw and five defeats in eight matches following national-team pauses. In the 2024-25 campaign, after drawing 1-1 at Genoa and losing 1-0 at home to both Inter and Napoli, Roma found victory only in spring under Claudio Ranieri with a 1-0 win at Lecce. Under Gasperini this season, home losses to Torino (0-1) and Inter (0-1) were sandwiched around a 3-1 victory over Cremonese, followed by a heavy 5-2 defeat at San Siro in April—a setback later overcome during the final push to third place and Champions League qualification.

Santiago Castro, Matías Soulé and Leonardo Balerdi have returned to full training with Roma ahead of Sunday's Serie A fixture against Como, scheduled for 12:30 at the Sinigaglia stadium on 11 October. The three Argentine internationals had completed only a recovery session the previous day after their national team commitments but trained normally with the squad on 9 October. Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini now has nearly his entire roster available, with Bryan Cristante remaining the sole absentee and set to miss the Como match. Cristante's absence creates an opening in midfield, where Marten de Roon is increasingly favoured to start alongside Manu Koné. Two selection decisions remain unresolved. On the attacking midfield line, competition continues among Rodrigo Mora, Soulé and Lorenzo Pellegrini, with Mora currently holding a slight edge. At the back, Evan N'Dicka appears to have the advantage over Balerdi, partly because the Ivorian has been able to train consistently at Trigoria during the international break. Roma CEO John Galanic was present at the training session on 9 October. Gasperini will conduct the final preparation session on 10 October before making his final team selection ahead of the journey to Como. The club is now nearly at full strength following the extended international window.