World Cup penalties: the Roma curse strikes El Aynaoui and others

Roma's UEFA Champions League 2026–27 phase opponents were confirmed in the draw from Monte Carlo. The club faces Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain as headline tests, but also encounters Manchester United, Fenerbahce, Sporting CP, Lille, AEK Athens and Slovan Bratislava. Under Gian Piero Gasperini, Roma's path offers both elite challenges and winnable fixtures—a sorteggio that is neither soft nor prohibitive. Real Madrid, managed by José Mourinho, remains a heavyweight. Their front line includes Mbappé, Vinicius, Rodrygo and Endrick; deeper lie Bellingham, Valverde, Tchouaméni and Arda Güler. The club added Konaté, Dumfries, Cucurella, Bernardo and Yan Diomande over the summer. A convincing start to La Liga has seen Mbappé make immediate impact, though a substantially remodelled squad must still fully integrate its new equilibrium—yet remains one of Europe's highest mountains. Paris Saint-Germain defend their European crown for a second consecutive season under Luis Enrique. Their depth is impressive: Dembélé, Kvaratskhelia, Désiré Doué, Ferran Torres, Akliouche, Vitinha, João Neves, Hakimi and Nuno Mendes are merely some names available. Summer arrivals included Ferran Torres, Maghnes Akliouche, Lucas Digne and Mika Godts. The Parisians have not hit full throttle domestically and are still finding rhythm after an extended off-season; a Roma performance approaching near-perfection will be required in the French capital. Spotting CP, managed by Rui Borges, remain a technical, pacy squad familiar with the Champions League, but have shed heavyweight reference points: Morten Hjulmand moved to Atlético Madrid, Francisco Trincão to Al Ahli and Ousmane Diomande departed Lisbon. Quality persists with Pedro Gonçalves, Gonçalo Inácio, Geny Catamo, Fotis Ioannidis and Luis Suárez, plus summer signings Rodrigo Zalazar and Nestory Irankunda. The Portuguese have begun their league campaign scoring freely yet conceding occasionally; a fixture at the Stadio Olimpico is difficult but absolutely within Roma's compass. Manchester United, under Michael Carrick, have invested heavily in a completely reinforced midfield: Carlos Baleba, Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos. Bruno Fernandes—recently named PFA Player of the Year—remains the star. In attack Carrick selects from Šeško, Matheus Cunha, Mbeumo, Amad and Rashford. Quality is highest, but a season opener defeat at Hull City (0–2) signals visible cracks; formidable on paper, still in construction. Lille, managed by Davide Ancelotti, opened Ligue 1 with a 2–0 win at Angers and retain engaging players: Olivier Giroud's experience leads, with Hákon Haraldsson, Tiago Santos, Nabil Bentaleb and Matias Fernandez-Pardo noteworthy. The club recently sold Ayyoub Bouaddi to Manchester City, partly offset by Dilane Bakwa's arrival. An organised, physical side; Roma hold the edge at the Olimpico. Fenerbahce's name may deceive—their squad carries elite quality. The Turks have just knocked Lyon from playoff contention and field Mason Greenwood, Romelu Lukaku, Marco Asensio, Talisca, N'Golo Kanté, Matteo Guendouzi, Nathan Aké, Milan Škriniar and Ederson under İsmail Kartal. European experience and talent abound; Istanbul's atmosphere in the Champions League can turn incendiary. Perhaps lacking established automatism of the very greatest, individual quality makes it one of the Roma campaign's riskiest away trips. Slovan Bratislava, coached by Yaya Touré, reached the league phase via a lengthy preliminary path, defeating Celje only in extra time. Recognisable names include ex-Sporting Andraž Šporar, Tigran Barseghyan, Kevin Wimmer and Kenan Bajrić. A battling squad not to take lightly, yet technical separation is evident: victory at the Olimpico counts as near-mandatory. AEK Athens, managed by Marko Nikolić, just secured qualification by crushing Levski Sofia 4–0 and possess more quality than their fourth seeding suggests. Luka Jović and Barnabás Varga lead attack; midfield highlights Lovro Majer, Răzvan Marin and Kaan Kairinen; Thomas Strakosha minds goal. Majer and Kairinen arrived this summer, raising technical standard. Roma remain favourites, though Athens demands avoiding a careless evening. The draw cuts two ways. Real Madrid and PSG represent the ceiling; trips to Manchester United and Fenerbahce heighten difficulty further. Conversely, Roma host Sporting, Lille and especially Slovan Bratislava, plus the Athens away fixture against AEK. Hardly a soft draw, but not prohibitive either: if Roma discharge duties in the four most accessible matches, they can build significant league-phase standing. Then come the great nights absent for seven years—Real Madrid at the Olimpico and PSG in Paris.

Giancarlo Antognoni, Fiorentina legend, has praised Paulo Dybala as the best attacking midfielder in Serie A and the player capable of driving Roma towards the title under Gian Piero Gasperini. Speaking to Corriere della Sera, Antognoni analysed Roma's recent victory and Dybala's role in it, singling out the Argentine's quality on the ball as decisive. "Dybala is one of the strongest in the league, the best in his position," Antognoni said. "If he continues like this, Gasperini will be able to fight for the Scudetto. With the ball he does what he wants: pure spectacle. Fiorentina gave him too much freedom, but if bad luck leaves him in peace, Gasperini has an ace in his hand." Antognoni also highlighted Dybala's impact on Roma's opening goal, noting how he "jumped past half the team before setting up Malen." Antognoni reflected on the rarity of the number 10 role in modern football, observing that Italy has few players of such quality. "Football has become too tactical and physical," he explained. "The number 10 still exists in youth academies, but at club level results come first and fear of losing stifles imagination. So the number 10s have to adapt: Calhanoglu became a regista, Dembélé is a ten disguised as a nine, Yildiz starts wide but moves inside the pitch." He detected signs of revival, citing Nico Paz at Como, Liberali, and Mastantuono as promising talents, and suggested that talented players in midfield positions—like Lautaro at Inter—can make their teams unpredictable. Antognoni also praised Rodrigo Mora, describing him as another talented signing Roma has brought in who "seems already almost ready."

Donyell Malen has been nothing short of extraordinary in Serie A since January, scoring 17 goals at an average of one every 91 minutes. According to Opta, among players with at least ten Serie A goals, only Malen holds a better conversion rate than Cristiano Ronaldo (one every 105 minutes) and Ronaldo (one every 117 minutes). The Dutch forward has bounced back from World Cup disappointment and returned to the form he showed before. Malen has now scored his second hat-trick in a Roma shirt, matching his achievement from last year against Pisa, when he was the only player in Serie A to achieve that feat throughout the entire season. The winger shows no sign of slowing down and is eyeing the Capocannoniere title.

Roma are actively pursuing both Aurélien Fofana and Franck Kessié in the final days of the transfer window, according to multiple commentators on Roman radio on 27 August. Mario Corsi stated: "The situation is this: in these hours people are talking about Fofana and Kessié, Roma is absolutely trying to take them. I'm telling you that Roma is absolutely trying, and something will definitely come out. Then maybe it could be other names, but they'll do something good." Corsi added that if Roma sign both players, there is no reason not to discuss a title challenge, noting: "The only team that has four strong strikers is Inter. I have terrible tension in these last four days because it changes the thinking on the shield." The Fofana deal appears structured as a loan with an obligation to buy triggered by a set number of appearances, rather than an outright €35 million plus bonuses transfer from Lyon. Francesca Ferrazza explained: "Fofana has an important history of injuries, and for this reason they are working on the formula: a loan that then becomes an obligation to buy at a certain number of matches. With players who have this history of injuries you have to be cautious, and for this reason the operation is complicated." She urged swift decisions from the ownership: "Let's hope the Friedkins are quick to give answers to D'Amico and Gasperini to green-light the operations." On Jayden Oosterwolde, Checco Oddo Casano reported: "The situation has been clear since yesterday, but Roma still hasn't decided. The medical staff has expressed their doubts saying: 'Are you really sure you want to take this risk?' I honestly wouldn't take this risk, but then you have to see if you have an alternative ready, because today is 27 August and there is little time." Lorenzo Pes suggested negotiations with Fenerbahçe were ongoing to adjust terms: contacts have resumed "to change the cost of the loan, which will not be expensive but free, and on the number of appearances for the obligation to buy." Separately, speculation around Neil El Aynaoui's future prompted comment. Piero Torri stated: "I'm trying to understand something about El Aynaoui, because the story is building that he could leave Roma. The agent says quite decisively that he stays at Roma. There has been talk of Saudi Arabia and Crystal Palace, but I haven't found evidence." Ilario Di Giovambattista weighed in on Roma's overall strength: "Roma has shown they have a crazy defence—I don't see a better one in Italy. The attack is the best in Serie A along with Inter. Even like this Roma can fight for the title."

Radio pundits gathered to assess Roma's transfer activity and title ambitions on the opening day of the Champions League league-phase campaign. The debate centred on whether the squad can challenge for the Serie A title, with most speakers expressing optimism contingent on further additions before the window closes. Sabatini offered the strongest endorsement, saying: "If Roma had Dybala for 38 matches as he played against Fiorentina, the club could compete for the scudetto. What we saw from Dybala—I haven't seen him like that in ten years." Other analysts echoed the view that the squad has the foundation to compete. Di Giovambattista noted that Roma's defence is the best in Italy and, with recent reinforcements, the team can fight for the title. Orsi added that a Fofana signing would complete the squad, and that Gasperini did not engineer these changes merely to compete in the Champions League—"he wants to win the scudetto." Roma's transfer focus remains on midfield. Carina reported at Radio Radio: "There is this negotiation with Ziolkowski going to Monza. El Aynaoui is on the market, but there isn't a queue for him: if an offer arrives, Roma evaluates it, otherwise El Aynaoui stays. In this final part of the market many names will come out, there are clubs with surplus players, but Roma's market is outlined. You have to understand how it will end with Fofana: I am optimistic, because if you have an agreement with the club and the player, you find a formula to close it. Roma must compete for the scudetto: it is behind Inter, but it can play for it." Pes, reporting on Oosterwolde, said Roma has resumed contact with Fenerbahce and the formula is now a free loan with a right of purchase that can become an obligation once the player reaches 20 appearances. Torri noted that Lyon must sell Fofana regardless, facing a requirement to raise €100 million over the next year, and that selling El Aynaoui for €30 million would ease funds for further Fofana negotiations. He added that Roma is structured to compete for the top four and that "with Malen, Dybala and Fofana, that is a lot of quality." The window's final phase will determine whether Fofana and a left-sided player arrive. Lyon's financial crisis and Champions League status remain central to negotiations, with Roma and the French club still seeking agreement on terms.

Roma have made a concrete move for Ivorian midfielder Franck Kessié, with the club presenting a contract proposal to his agent on 25 August in an attempt to pre-empt Juventus. The approach marks a significant escalation beyond exploratory contact, as Roma seek to reunite Kessié with head coach Gian Piero Gasperini, who worked with him at Atalanta. However, no agreement has been reached; Juventus retains the advantage in Kessié's preferences and has intensified talks following Roma's bid. The midfielder, a former Atalanta and Milan player, would strengthen Roma's midfield without requiring a transfer fee. Director Tony D'Amico has moved to establish whether the conditions exist to bring Kessié back to Serie A. The contract terms and Kessié's final response remain undisclosed. Roma remain in contention but currently trail Juventus in the player's calculations. A potential Kessié arrival could trigger a cascade of further market activity. According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the signing might alter the status of Neil El Aynaoui, the Moroccan winger who could become available if an economically significant offer materialises. Should El Aynaoui depart, the proceeds would fund Roma's final major attacking objective at a moment when UEFA settlement restrictions are constraining the club's investment capacity. Neither an offer for El Aynaoui nor a definitive Roma decision on his future has been formally tabled. D'Amico's strategy aims to complete Gasperini's requested squad by assembling a free agent midfielder, potentially monetising an attacking player, and reinvesting the funds on an offensive flank—a sequence designed to navigate UEFA's economic controls without collision. The pathway hinges on convincing Kessié to choose Roma over Juventus.