Roma Coach Demands New Strikers to Save Champions League Push
No interviews, no filters. Gasperini meets Friedkin and lays it out: Roma need strikers now, or the Champions League dream could slip away.
Andrea Locorotondo
Updated on 08 January 2026
Gasperini–Friedkin Meeting at Trigoria: The Message Is Clear
The long chat in Trigoria with Ryan Friedkin made things clear: Gian Piero Gasperini wants new strikers, and the club’s going to stick to Financial Fair Play rules while meeting this demand.
The much-anticipated meeting between Gian Piero Gasperini and Ryan Friedkin went ahead yesterday in Trigoria, and it went really well. It was a necessary summit after the coach decided not to give interviews after the win against Lecce: a deliberate choice that forced the club to step in and get the team back on track.
The meeting was held in the president’s office at the training centre. Ryan Friedkin, Gasperini and Claudio Ranieri were there for about an hour. They covered everything: the present, the future, strategies and, most importantly, the transfer market. One thing that did catch people’s attention was that sporting director Massara wasn’t there. He was in Milan, trying to speed up the Raspadori and Zirkzee situations. But it’s only natural that his failure to attend the summit led to rumours and questions outside Trigoria. It’s also because everyone knows Gasperini and Massara don’t get on.
Vinciamo noi! 💛❤️
Battiamo il Lecce al Via del Mare grazie ai gol di Ferguson e Dovbyk ⚽️⚽️#LecceRoma pic.twitter.com/8n6eXUSdnd
— AS Roma (@OfficialASRoma) January 6, 2026
Roma Transfer Market: Strikers Needed, FFP Still Rules, Gasperini hopes
Gasperini didn’t hold back. The message to Friedkin was clear: without some new players to strengthen the team, there’s a risk of messing up the Champions League goal, which this season, also because of the rules in the settlement agreement, is almost as important as winning the trophy.
So the outgoing market will be just as important as the incoming one. Svilar is still in demand in the Premier League, but Roma are unlikely to let go of what is currently the best goalkeeper in Serie A, especially since he’s just renewed his contract until 2030. At the same time, Wesley’s amazing talent has caught the eye of a bunch of English clubs, like Tottenham, Newcastle and Manchester City.
Andrea Locorotondo
Andrea Locorotondo is an Italian sports journalist. He has been living in the UK since 2015 and he is accredited by the SJA and AIPS. In addition to his role as contributor for FootItalia, he has demonstrated his ability to effectively cover a range of positions in sports journalism. Former Sportitalia TV journalist back in 2014, he is currently employed as a data journalist for Opta and Sportsdata. He is the team leader of Italian commentators at GBVision. He collaborates with EA Sports and frequently appears as a guest on Italian radio and television shows, including RDS Serie A TV and La Fiera del Calcio, where he shares his insights as a Premier League expert.
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