Viviano: Gasperini is a phenomenon – I would not be surprised to see Roma champions

Francesco Totti has declared Roma capable of challenging for the Serie A title this season, though he stopped short of picking the Giallorossi as favourites. Speaking to Sky Sport on 1 September while in Florence for a Fiorentina centenary match scheduled for 2 September, Totti said: "From a fan's perspective I won't answer that, but they've made a good start. We're at the beginning, the transfer window has just closed and now the real league campaign begins. I hope Roma can have a great run alongside Inter, Napoli and Juve—these are the teams I believe can fight until the end. Given how they've started there's a possibility, but let's not say anything yet." Totti praised the management of Manu Koné, who remained at the club during the summer window, and offered his assessment of the partnership between Donyell Malen and Paulo Dybala. "Koné stayed? When you're fortunate enough to have a manager who wants you there's a desire to prove yourself and do well," Totti explained. "We had a fantastic group and saw each other even after training sessions. We had one single objective: to achieve a unique result. And we managed it. The Malen–Dybala pairing reminds you of Batistuta–Totti? It's easy at Roma to be carried to the stars or to the stables. They're a strong couple showing their value. They're two extraordinary players. If they continue like this they can change the fans' photos, although Malen doesn't have Batistuta's hair and Dybala, on the other hand, is similar to me. It could work, honestly." Totti also reflected on broader football matters, including Lionel Messi's recent retirement from international football with Argentina. "There's always a beginning and an end, but when an extraterrestrial leaves it's a particular moment," Totti said. "At the World Cup he did something incredible; his gift makes him different from everyone else. He can play as long as he wants—it's always a pleasure to watch him, he's an icon of football."

Roma's summer transfer window has shut with a sense of missed opportunity, despite significant investment and a refusal by ownership to sell any key players. Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini has gone without the attacking winger he identified as his primary objective from the moment of his arrival—a player capable of operating from the left, beating opponents one-on-one, attacking space and destabilising defences. That position remains vacant after two transfer windows and an entire summer of pursuit, leaving the club's offensive department with an evident structural limitation. Despite clear improvement across the squad, the absence feels particularly acute because it was never a last-minute target or a late opportunity. Gasperini made the request for a left-sided winger his top technical priority. Financial constraints imposed by UEFA's settlement agreement complicated the sporting director Tony D'Amico's work, often forcing Roma to pursue unconventional formulas and abandon deals when demands proved unsustainable. Ownership did maintain the core: Mile Svilar, Evan N'Dicka, Wesley, Donyell Malen and other central project players remained. The squad's overall quality has grown—new players arrived, alternatives were added, and experience, physicality and talent were introduced. Rodrigo Mora, in particular, appears to be a shrewd acquisition: he possesses technique, imagination and the capacity to ignite a match with invention. Yet Mora is a trequartista, a creative force, not the external winger profile Gasperini sought. A true winger was needed—a player of pace and power, quick and capable of dribbling and attacking depth; someone to alternate with Mora rather than perform the same functions as the Portuguese midfielder. Roma faces a long season across the league, Champions League and Coppa Italia. Proceeding without that solution leaves Gasperini with a clear constraint in building the attacking unit. Uncertainty remains elsewhere too: Paulo Dybala transforms the team's level when fit, yet expecting him to complete an entire season without physical problems would be unrealistic. Lorenzo Pellegrini has returned as a first alternative in the left attack zone but is not a pure attacking winger and has endured complicated months from a physical standpoint. A player with completely different characteristics would have been not merely useful but necessary. The position of vice-Wesley—a left-back offering an alternative solution on that flank—also went unfilled. Roma gives the sensation of being very close to achieving a genuine quality leap. Early season displays have already hinted at this: the squad is stronger, more solid, more physical and possesses greater quality than before. The Friedkins invested, D'Amico changed much and Gasperini has a squad capable of competing at a high level. But when only the final puzzle piece seemed to be missing, that piece never arrived. The overall quality of the squad has grown and the market cannot be dismissed as negative; yet the most obvious shortfall cannot be hidden. The winger Gasperini awaited has not arrived. After an entire summer pursuing him, Roma closes the market with the unavoidable sense that this team could be even better.

Roma radio commentators have aired concerns over the club's transfer strategy and player welfare in early September. Enrico Camelio suggested that had Roma sold Manu Koné, they could have signed both Rios and Gittens, but stated that Gasperini wants an attacking winger and is "quite angry" about the situation. Ilario di Giovambattista warned that Roma risks missing out on an attacking winger entirely. Meanwhile, Alessandro Vocalelli expressed worry about Paulo Dybala's physical condition, saying: "I don't trust Dybala's fitness. I hope the Argentine can hold up as long as possible." Angelo Mangiante highlighted a contrast in medical procedures, noting that Fenerbahce claimed Oosterwolde could play a match within two weeks, while Roma wanted to conduct medical examinations immediately.