Roma begins the 2025/26 season with a new look, one that is centered around youth, tactical consistency, and high energy. The appointment of Gian Piero Gasperini in June 2025 marks a daring reconciliation—combining elements of ruthless effectiveness in the style of Atalanta with Roma’s ambition to become elite again.
Tactical Renovation Under Gasperini
Right from the start, Gasperini made it clear that he wanted to turn Roma into a proactive, high-pressing team. To achieve this goal, he immediately started buying young players who he believed were technically adept, which shows how fast he planned to make this shift. Giving new signing Daniele Ghilardi a place in the defensive core alongside Gianluca Mancini and Evan Ndicka, Roma has a strong back-three that can quickly make a transition into offense.
20-year-old Irish striker Evan Ferguson was a revelation during pre-season, and he may be the new big striker in Serie A. His combination of athleticism, finishing, and a liking for Gasperini’s coaching style has already generated some excitement amongst fans and offshore sportsbooks.
Artem Dovbyk was the team’s leading scorer last season, but Roma’s management is now looking to move him for an amount of €30 million to aid in the overall squad construction and financial management.
Youth Meets Financial Smarts
Roma’s summer signings suggest a careful administration of funds while enjoying potential upside at a fair price. They signed Wesley, who is coming from Flamengo for €25 million, and Devyne Rensch, who they bought for €5 million from Ajax. Both players provide positional flexibility, potential for resale, and fit the profile used in Gasperini’s footballing blueprint.
This approach has arisen from necessity. Roma are under UEFA’s Financial Fair Play provisions, which limit spending until 2026/27, including strict wage-to-turnover ratios and a total limit on losses.
Generating capital is a necessity, and if they can generate revenue from sales, it can hold the key to success along with internal development.
In fact, they have key, long-term assets to develop, like Niccolò Pisilli, and are trying to retain their best performers, like goalkeeper Mile Svilar, by negotiating a new contract.
Academy and Youth Integration
Roma continue to focus heavily on academy integration. Rising stars like Tommaso Baldanzi—who’d already made 40+ first-team appearances—and Antonio Arena, a 16-year-old record-breaking forward, demonstrate this change happening now. Arena was recently called “the new hope for Italian attacking football,” and comparisons were drawn to the best strikers due to his movement and finishing.
Roma is looking into establishing an Under-23 “B” team to help better align the Primavera and first team. While promising, the idea is more likely to be realised in the 2026/27 season, with logistical issues and finances restraining the team.
Strategic Transfers – Filling Gaps Smartly
Roma has turned its focus to the outgoings and incomings of players. The potential departure of Leandro Paredes back to Boca Juniors has sparked interest in bringing in midfield reinforcements. Neil El Aynaoui (Lens) and Richard Ríos (Palmeiras) have been noted as good options, with both players offering different attributes and certainly different scenarios for transfer.
In the defensive dimension, Roma has made a bid for Polish U20 center-back, Jan Ziółkowski (Widzeł). A transfer had been planned through the initial fee option, although Kent Dinamo and Polonia Warszawa were also in the running for Ziółkowski.
The loan of Manchester City’s Claudio Echeverri is also on the table for discussion. As always, Manchester City wants a loan without a buy option, but Roma would like an option to buy, considering that this effectively gives Roma a developed player versus a player without transfer value after a loan.
Realistic 2025/26 Projections
Although Roma is chomping at the bit to propel into the top 4 and compete for Champions League spots under Gasperini, it is an excellent initial investment with the new tactical framework, new youthful momentum, and addition of strategic signings. According to the most reputable offshore sportsbooks, this may still be an ambitious undertaking to compete for the Scudetto this season, as there is still work to do to challenge on a consistent basis—especially in the midfield.
It looks like we will participate in the Europa League or Conference League. Given the attacking philosophy, young players gaining confidence, relative financial stability, Roma can become a dark horse in continental competition. As they play more matches together, they can build upon their earned success and improve from there.
If the academy continues producing prospects and the B-team project comes to fruition, Roma could have a self-sustaining talent cycle. By this time, based on Gasperini’s free-flowing attacking system, with strategic investments taking place through smart sales, Roma could become a consistent Top-4 team in Serie A.
