Roma Fans Concerned Over Summer Signing After Gian Piero Gasperini Criticizes Brazilian For Pre-Season Performances

Roma fans have shown their concern over new summer signing, Wesley, after Gian Piero Gasperini criticized the Brazilian’s performance in pre-season.

What Did Gian Piero Gasperini Say About Wesley?

Roma continued their pre-season tour with a trip to the United Kingdom, as the Italian side faced Unai Emery’s Aston Villa on August 6th – but it was a day to forget for the Giallorossi.

Three goals in the opening 40 minutes from Emiliano Buendia, Jacob Ramsey and Ollie Watkins left the visitors stunned and Donyell Malen added a fourth with 10 minutes to play, clinching a 4-0 victory for the Villains.

Despite the disappointing result, Gian Piero Gasperini was relatively relaxed in his post-match press conference and claimed it was too early to be ‘depressed or excited’.

He said: “Our commitment was commendable, there’s nothing more to say. We always tried to play as hard as we could. At times, we did some good things, but we weren’t incisive.

“However, we played well and won the ball. Unfortunately, we conceded goals where we were given a defensive break, but credit must be given to our opponents, who are one or two steps ahead. In August, you shouldn’t get excited when you win, but you shouldn’t get depressed when you lose either. We have to do better.”

However, one player that put in an underwhelming display is Brazilian full-back, Wesley, who joined the Italian sign from Flamengo for around $30 million in July.

The 21-year-old has appeared in Roma’s last three pre-season encounters and is yet to make his mark on the team, failing to show signs of the player that caught Europe’s attention in Brazil.

Reinforcements to the squad are still a priority for Gasperini, however, the veteran manager will be looking for some specific profiles and was not shy to comment Wesley and his recent performances for Roma.

Gasperini said: “Wesley? He did not play well, he made a mistake on the technical level. He’s a lad with a good engine, you can see it.”

Who Will Roma Face In Serie A Gameweek One?

The 2024/25 campaign was not exactly memorable from a Roma perspective, as the Giallorossi finished fifth in Serie A once again and were eliminated in the Europa League Ro16.

Such a mediocre performance meant that the club needed to change something and the decision was made to bring in Gian Piero Gasperini, after the Italian’s successful spell with Atalanta.

Since then, the veteran has brought in some key names like Evan Ferguson from Brighton, albeit on loan, and is hoping to end Roma’s 24-year wait for the Scudetto.

Winning the league title is a fantasy for Roma at this moment in time, with offshore sportsbooks pricing the Giallorossi as huge outsiders to win the Serie A this season.

Dislodging the likes of Napoli, Inter, Atalanta and Juventus from the top of Italian soccer will be no easy feat, and the Serie A side have one more pre-season clash against Everton before the league campaign gets underway.

Roma will take on Bologna in the Italian capital on August 23rd, which is a fixture that has caused the Giallorossi trouble in recent years – failing to win in their last five meetings.