Gasperini holds first press conference of 2026/27: “We want players who want to play for Roma.” | OneFootball

The wait is over; in two days, Roma will take to the field at the Olimpico. The Giallorossi’s first opponent of the season will be Fiorentina, who have undergone a revamped squad.

On the eve of the match against the Lilies, Gian Piero Gasperini held his first press conference of the season. In addition to the match presentation, the coach also addressed the transfer market.

The coach began by listing the players: “Numerically, something is missing. We don’t have the capacity to have 23 players on the squad, especially for the Champions League. We have two free slots. Four players have arrived; Molina is an important player coming off the World Cup final and has come in to replace Celik. Dovbyk left and was replaced by Castro. Koulierakis is an addition; we needed a backup for Hermoso. Finally, Rodrigo Mora arrived, but El Shaarawy, Venturino, and others have left.”

“Players with a great desire to join Roma have arrived; Castro took the train just to come. Salaries have been lowered to meet our needs. We have 10 days left, and we hope to complete everything.”

Roma, like Fiorentina, have chosen to focus on young players. The coach expressed his thoughts on this matter: “Often, focusing on young players is a necessary path, but it can have its advantages. As for Mora, he has a lot of experience despite his young age. He was an investment by the owners with a view to the future, but I can’t give him too much responsibility, being a 2007 player; he needs to follow certain steps. He has all the characteristics to emerge.”

Gasperini then explained that the club had to reduce its wage bill out of necessity: “We started the transfer market with very high profiles, but we struggled with keeping the wage bill within certain limits, and therefore you can’t reach certain players. I appreciated the attitude of Pellegrini and Dybala, who agreed to reduce their salaries.”

Regarding the upcoming season, the coach said: “Every year we start from scratch. We have to look at our path, but there are teams behind us who haven’t reached the Champions League, like Fiorentina. We have players with a great desire to play for Roma who will do well.”

Then the Grugliasco-born coach returned to the FFP: “Fair Play is a limiting situation; perhaps we’re the only ones in Italy with it. It’s caused by previous mistakes for which we don’t feel responsible. We have the passion, something few others have.” Regarding the players who could fill the two missing positions, Gasp said: “We don’t have to add too much just to do it, we need useful players who want to play for Roma.”

Gasperini then commented on the reason why Roma changed their strategy midway through the season: “The targets have changed because communications change midway through the season. There are complex targets we have to comply with. I thought the Champions League situation was resolved: that’s not the case, and it forces us into this type of transfer market. I’m satisfied with what’s being done; it’s a creative transfer market, perhaps far from what we could have imagined with the Champions League, but good. We’ll be ready to perform well right away; we’ll go strong even with these issues. These guys are ready for a great season.”

The coach spoke about Dybala’s condition: “Dybala seems fine to me; he’s never had such a preparation. He seems more muscularly toned; he was unlucky last year. He no longer has the speed he had when he was younger, but he’s improved in other areas. Today, at 32, you’re still strong and at the height of your maturity; I think he’ll have a great season.”

The coach then focused on Soulé: “Soulé had a great first half of the season, but then he developed pubalgia. He tried to get treatment and arrived at the training camp quite overweight and still in recovery. He did very well in this preparation, and now he’s in excellent condition. He did well in preseason and has recovered both physically and athletically.”

He then took stock of the players’ condition: “Wesley is doing well. Ndicka, also due to his physical structure, is quickly returning to form. Malen suffered psychologically during the World Cup. He can regain his best form in Rome. El Aynaoui is a cross between Ndicka and Koné; like Molina, he’ll recover quickly.”

Finally, he spoke about the young Lulli and the rumors of Koné’s departure: “Lulli is very young and will be part of the squad. He’ll also follow his own path; he’s shown me he has the right qualities to be in the first team. There have been no concrete negotiations for Koné, but I think he’s happy here. No one has sold their top players.”