The Roman Report — 3 August 2026 – 9 August 2026

There is something wonderfully chaotic about an AS Roma pre-season, and this week in Wales has delivered precisely that blend of promise and anxiety that every Giallorossi supporter knows so intimately. The most urgent business is the pursuit of Givairo Read from Feyenoord, where Roma have narrowed the gap to a whisker — €28 million on the table against a Dutch asking price of €30 million — with personal terms already agreed through to 2031. Alfredo Pedullà tells us another approach is imminent, and honestly, you sense this one is close. Close enough that the club is already thinking about what comes next on the left flank, which tells you Gasperini has made this position a genuine obsession heading into the new campaign. And rightly so. A Gasperini system without live, dynamic wide players is like a Ferrari without an engine. He knows it, the club knows it, and the transfer window will not be allowed to close without that problem being addressed.

Which brings us to the rather dizzying carousel of names being linked with the left wing at Trigoria. Antonio Nusa remains the primary objective, but at €60 million with Leipzig showing no signs of blinking, Roma are sensibly casting the net wider. Jamie Leweling of Stuttgart has emerged as a serious alternative — a two-footed, physically imposing 21-year-old who churned out consistent Bundesliga football last season without drama, which in itself feels like a qualification given some of Roma's recent winger experiences. Then there is Nico González, the Argentine who wants out of Juventus and whose previous loan at Atlético Madrid means the Spanish club have first claim, but if that deal collapses, Roma are ready to move. It is a lot of names, a lot of moving parts, and the radio pundits — never knowingly understated — have had a field day. Piero Torri on Manà Sport keeps pushing for Lyon's Malick Fofana, who admittedly has the profile to make you dream, though a recent ankle injury and the inevitable eye-watering cost give pause for thought. What cuts through the noise, though, is the genuine urgency behind Gasperini's request. He needs wide reinforcement, and he needs it before the season begins against Fiorentina in three weeks.

Meanwhile, Wales gave us something concrete and something concerning in equal measure. Koulierakis arrived straight from Wolfsburg, threw himself into training the very next day, and by all accounts could not hide his excitement — there is a refreshing, almost boyish enthusiasm about the Greek defender that immediately endears him to you. An €18.5 million centre-back who turns up beaming, ready to work under Gasperini, ready to soak in the warmth of the Roma fanbase — you will take that energy at any stage of pre-season, let alone now. Castro's arrival has similarly lifted the mood, and Gasperini has been clear about how he intends to use his forwards: Castro and Malen will rotate through the central striker role rather than play together regularly. It mirrors what he did with Zapata and Muriel at Atalanta, and it makes tactical sense given that Malen attacks space relentlessly while Castro drops deep to link and connect. Depth without compromise, and with European football on the horizon this season, that depth will matter enormously.

The concern, though, is Wesley, and it has been the concern all week. The Brazilian left-back came off after ten minutes against Cardiff, and while the club insists it was pre-planned with the medical staff — a minor ankle issue, nothing serious — you cannot watch Wesley leave a pitch early and feel entirely calm. His injury record over the past eighteen months is troubling: cruciate scares, muscle tears, adductor problems, the heartbreak of missing the World Cup. He is a wonderful player and an important one, but Gasperini cannot build his tactical architecture around someone this fragile. That is presumably why the club is quietly monitoring Alberto Cacciamani at Torino as a defensive alternative — though the opening bid of €7.5 million against Torino's €15 million valuation suggests that negotiation will take time. More acutely worrying is Muhammed Bah, the young 2007-born midfielder who has filled in admirably throughout pre-season precisely because Koné, El Aynaoui and Pisilli are all unavailable for various reasons. Bah came off against Cardiff with a knee sprain and underwent an MRI scan. Given that he suffered an eleven-month cruciate injury two years ago on the other knee, the wait for those results has been agonising for everyone at Trigoria.

There is reason for optimism beneath all the noise, and you would be a fool to ignore it. The structural decisions feel sound — Gasperini sitting down with new CEO Galantic at the Welsh training base this week signals genuine alignment between the technical and executive arms of the club. The squad is taking shape, even if the final pieces have not yet clicked into place. Roberto Pruzzo, rarely the most effusive man in any Roman radio studio, was nevertheless moved to say something that rang true: if Soulé reaches his potential level, it makes everything easier for everyone around him. That is the latent quality sitting inside this Roma group, waiting to be unlocked.

With Newport County next on Tuesday evening and then three more weeks until Fiorentina opens the league campaign, the tempo is about to rise sharply. The Read deal needs to close, Bah's scan results need to bring good news, and Gasperini needs to know — soon — whether Nusa or Leweling or someone else entirely will be wearing the Giallorossi shirt on the left side come late August. The pieces are moving. Roma supporters can feel it.