Lorenzo Venturino

Roma face Genoa on Sunday aiming to bounce back from a 4-3 Champions League defeat to Real Madrid that ended their 14-game unbeaten run this season. Donyell Malen scored twice in the second half to give Roma a 3-1 lead against Real Madrid on Wednesday, but conceding three goals in seven minutes proved costly and cost Roma their perfect Serie A home record. Genoa arrive at the Olimpico in high spirits after beating Fiorentina 2-1 last weekend with two goals in the opening 15 minutes, securing their first league win of the season after one draw and four losses. De Rossi, who managed Roma from 2024 to 2025 and again in 2019, now leads Genoa, the club where he played before retiring. Genoa have suffered just one defeat in their last 40 Serie A home matches, but have not won at the Olimpico since 1990. Roma's defensive solidity will be under scrutiny after conceding multiple goals in two of their last three competitive outings. A victory would bring Roma to 17 points from seven Serie A rounds for the first time since 2014–15. The Giallorossi have not lost any of their last 15 league matches at home, with 11 wins and four draws, and have been historically dominant against Genoa on home turf, losing just once in their last 40 top-flight clashes at the Olimpico (33 wins, 6 draws). However, a 3-1 loss at the Marassi in their last Serie A meeting should serve as a warning. Malen's absence is significant: the Dutch forward has scored six of Roma's 14 league goals this season, accounting for nearly 43% of their total. Genoa summer signing Milutin Osmajic continued his strong start with a goal against Fiorentina, his third of the season, and has scored 60% of Genoa's Serie A goals in 2026–27. Former Roma forward Stephan El Shaarawy poses an additional threat. Genoa have conceded at least once in their last six top-flight encounters and failed to keep a clean sheet across their last three Serie A away trips, including a 2–1 defeat at Parma. Roma will be without Malen, who must serve a one-game suspension, goalkeeper Mile Svilar, and midfielder Manu Koné, who suffered a muscle strain against Real Madrid. Niccolò Pisilli, who replaced Koné in that match, could return to the starting lineup in place of Bryan Cristante. Paulo Dybala is also a doubt. Genoa must manage without Lorenzo Colombo, Djibril Sow, Elias Havel, Ethan Meichtry, and Lorenzo Venturino, though Junior Messias, who scored in last season's home win over Roma, will join Osmajic in attack after netting against Fiorentina. Roma are predicted to extend their proud home record and secure victory, though a universe exists in which De Rossi leads Genoa to their first Serie A win at the Olimpico since the early 1990s.

Gasperini's tactical gamble paid off as Roma came from behind to beat Atalanta, with five substitutions made by the 21st minute of the second half transforming a match the club was losing 1–0 after Ederson's goal. With Ndicka and Mancini struggling against Atalanta's counter-attacks, Gasperini brought on Molina, Soulé, Castro, Ghilardi and Balerdi in rapid succession. The changes proved decisive: Ghilardi and Balerdi immediately steadied the defence and neutralised Atalanta's transitions, while Castro came close with efforts that hit the post and crossbar. Soulé delivered the most telling contribution, providing an assist and scoring a goal in the 93rd minute—an impact matching what he produced in Roma's match at Lecce. Gasperini had stated before the match: "Titolari and riserve ormai non contano più, si gioca in sedici"—effectively that first-team status and substitutes no longer matter, the game is played by sixteen—and the field immediately vindicated him. The depth demonstrated reflects substantial improvement from the previous season. In a match such as Parma last May, the bench contained only Venturino and Vaz; Gasperini now has access to a squad rich with genuine alternatives capable of reshaping a match. The quality of those replacements gives him the tactical weapons to win even when games turn against Roma mid-contest.

Neil El Aynaoui is poised to leave Roma after just one season, with Crystal Palace having tabled an opening offer structured as a loan with a right of purchase that would convert to an obligation under certain conditions. Roma value the midfielder at €30–35 million and are seeking either a permanent sale or a guaranteed obligation to buy, neither of which Crystal Palace's initial proposal meets. Bayer Leverkusen has also shown interest, while Saudi Arabian clubs registered prior enquiries. El Aynaoui's potential departure would mark the near-complete dismantling of the squad built last summer by director of football Frédéric Massara under the supervision of head coach Gian Piero Gasperini. Bought from Lens a year ago for €23 million plus €2 million in bonuses, El Aynaoui was among Massara's primary investments in summer 2025 and arrived following protracted negotiations for Richard Rios, whom Gasperini had identified as a target midfielder. Yet twelve months on, he has failed to establish himself as a central figure in Roma's project. Of the eight main signings Massara made that summer—El Aynaoui, Wesley, Ghilardi, Evan Ferguson, Bailey, Jan Ziółkowski, Vasquez and Zelezny, plus further arrivals during the season including Robinio Vaz and Donyell Malen in January—almost none remain integrated into the first-team plan. Bailey departed in January; Ferguson and Kostas Tsimikas have returned to their parent clubs; Zaragoza, Venturino and Zelezny have left; Ziółkowski is bound for Monza; and Robinio Vaz is joining Hull City on a paid loan with a purchase option. Only Wesley and Malen have endured as meaningful squad members—notably, both were explicitly endorsed by Gasperini himself. The wholesale reversal reflects a fundamental disconnect between Massara's construction and Gasperini's tactical requirements. The head coach arrived with precise ideas about player profiles: intensity, one-on-one strength, athletic capability, aggression, willingness to defend in open play, and specific positional characteristics. Much of Massara's market activity, the article suggests, proceeded on different criteria. El Aynaoui, aged 25 with international appeal and genuine quality—hardly a failed signing on financial grounds—has attracted bids from Champions League and Bundesliga clubs yet appears expendable to Roma's current thinking. A sale at €30–35 million would recoup the initial investment while generating profit useful for UEFA financial compliance, and would free capital to invest in a midfielder Roma believes better suited to Gasperini's system alongside an attacking winger the head coach has requested for weeks. Roma has already absorbed a year of transfer misalignment and is now attempting correction. Should El Aynaoui depart, Wesley and Malen will stand as the last substantial survivors of Massara's legacy—both players explicitly favoured by Gasperini. The club cannot afford further directional error; Tony D'Amico must construct a roster that is recognisable, coherent and durable, avoiding a return to similar discussions in August 2027 regarding the summer 2026 window.

Roma's final weeks of the summer transfer window will see not only the completion of Gian Piero Gasperini's squad but also a profound transformation of the group built in previous sessions—a wholesale dismantling of the roster assembled under former sporting director Florent Ghisolfi and Ricky Massara. Defender Jan Ziółkowski is poised to leave. The Polish centre-back has opened talks over a move to Monza, who are ready to pay approximately €1.2 million for a paid loan. Details of the buyout clause remain to be finalised, though one proposal links the cost of the loan to Ziółkowski's appearances—the more he plays, the lower the fee for Monza. Roma will not greenlight his departure until a replacement arrives. The primary target is Morato, a Brazilian centre-back at Nottingham Forest, with negotiations centred on a loan formula, though no agreement has yet been reached between the clubs. Thilo Kehrer of Monaco has also been evaluated as an alternative, as has Nayef Aguerd, the 1996-born Moroccan defender at Marseille, in a potential loan deal. More delicate is the situation of Neil El Aynaoui. The Moroccan midfielder has failed to build the tactical understanding with Gasperini required to become a cornerstone of the project, and Roma are ready to let him go after just one season if the right offer arrives. However, proposals from Germany so far have been structured only as loans with buyout clauses, while Trigoria prefers an outright sale. El Aynaoui's departure would force Roma to return to the market. Gasperini had identified Franck Kessié as his target, but the Ivorian is now close to joining Juventus, leaving Roma to find an alternative quickly. Ziółkowski and El Aynaoui could join a lengthy list of players who arrived under Ghisolfi and Massara but have since exited the project: Bailey, Ferguson, Tsimikas, Venturino and Zaragoza are cited, while Robinio Vaz is close to Hull City, with an agreement between the clubs pending the player's approval. The transformation reflects Gasperini's tactical preferences and the new sporting direction's priorities.

Roma are preparing two formal departures—Robinio Vaz and Jan Ziółkowski—with Neil El Aynaoui a surprise third name potentially heading out if an offer meets the club's valuation. The Moroccan midfielder has fallen down Gasperini's midfield hierarchy and lacks rapport with the coach, making his exit increasingly likely. Vaz has attracted interest from Hull City on a loan deal worth 2 million euros with a 30 million euro purchase option; the next move rests with the player. Ziółkowski, the Polish academy graduate, has already signalled interest from Monza, who are prepared to pay 1.2 million euros for a loan. El Aynaoui has been placed on the market and Roma want a permanent exit. Should he depart, Gasperini had identified Frank Kessié as a replacement, though Kessié is increasingly close to joining Juventus. These departures follow the exits of Bailey (January 2025), Ferguson, Tsimikas, Venturino and Zaragoza from earlier recruitment. Among the signings of Massara's tenure, Ghilardi, Malen and Wesley are set to remain. The article notes that a number of players from recent market windows are being cleared out, with the club pursuing permanent deals where possible to address squad depth and create space for tactical adjustments.

Roma are accelerating departures among signings made under previous sporting director Massara, with Robinio Vaz poised to join Hull City on a loan deal worth €2 million plus a €30 million option to buy. The club has also fielded a loan offer from Monza for Jan Ziółkowski, reportedly valued at €1.2 million, though Roma's sporting hierarchy will not greenlight Ziółkowski's exit until a replacement arrives. One alternative being explored is Kehrer from Monaco. Neil El Aynaoui has unexpectedly been placed on the market after failing to build a working relationship with head coach Gian Piero Gasperini. Roma would prefer a permanent sale. Among Massara's acquisitions, only Daniele Ghilardi, Donyell Malen and Wesley are certain to remain. Evan Ferguson, Kostas Tsimikas, Venturino and Zaragoza have all been cleared for departure, following Bailey, who left in January. Claudio Aloisi reported in Il Messaggero that Monza is ready to pay €1.2 million for Ziółkowski's loan, with Morato from Nottingham lined up as a potential replacement, though El Aynaoui's exit remains the crucial precedent. Should El Aynaoui leave, Gasperini has identified Frank Kessié as a candidate to fill the void.