Roma’s planning is beginning to run on two tracks: the established figures carrying the present and a younger group being assembled for the next phase. Darryl Bakola, Sassuolo’s 18-year-old French midfielder, has moved firmly into that second category after a rapid introduction to Serie A.
The player from Clichy has attracted attention beyond Emilia-Romagna, with Juventus already watching him and Roma now treating him as a priority profile for the future. This is not viewed as a distant project, however, with contacts expected to remain active ahead of both the January and summer windows.
Quick facts
- Darryl Bakola is an 18-year-old French midfielder playing for Sassuolo.
- He has made close to 300 minutes of Serie A appearances.
- Bakola supplied Bowie for Sassuolo’s temporary 2-1 lead against Juventus.
- Sassuolo paid €10 million for him in January, in a deal completed by Giovanni Carnevali before his move to Juventus.
- At Marseille, he made eight league appearances and assisted Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in a Champions League start.
Bakola’s appeal lies in a type of midfielder that is increasingly prized: a player able to cover ground, progress the ball and arrive in advanced areas without losing his contribution in defensive duels. His passing and running power have stood out during his first months in Italy, while his game is also developing in ball recoveries and transitions.
Roma’s technical staff see elements of a potential modern all-action midfielder. The comparison is not with a finished player, but with the path taken by Manu Koné and, in terms of profile, the version of Ederson developed at Atalanta: attacking instincts combined with increasing influence away from the ball.
Koné’s recent double against Inter in the Scudetto meeting at the Olimpico offered a timely example of the impact Roma want from their midfield. Bakola began as a more attacking player and is now adding the harder elements of central play, with the possibility of turning recoveries into forward moves and eventually producing goals himself.
Roma had received an early recommendation on Bakola last season from Mehdi Benatia, the former Giallorossi player and Marseille sporting director. Sassuolo then acted in January, when Carnevali secured the teenager for €10 million shortly before taking up his Juventus role.
His rise had already begun in France. At Marseille, Bakola reached the first team quickly, collecting eight Ligue 1 appearances and starting a Champions League fixture in which he set up Aubameyang. His technical quality and athletic frame suggested a player ready to move through the levels quickly.
That progression has continued under Sassuolo’s changing coaching staff. Fabio Grosso first worked with the midfielder, while Alberto Aquilani has made regular use of him and received encouraging returns from the decision.
For Roma, the interest fits a broader squad plan. Gian Piero Gasperini can still rely on senior names such as Gianluca Mancini, Bryan Cristante, Lorenzo Pellegrini, Mario Hermoso and Paulo Dybala, but the club are also looking to lower the age profile around that core.
The arrivals of Mora, Castro and Koulierakis, together with the development of Niccolò Pisilli and Daniele Ghilardi, form part of that direction. Bakola would represent another investment in a player whose ceiling may be higher than his current role.
Roma are also maintaining their interest in Frosinone’s Giorgi Kvernadze. In Bakola’s case, the attraction is clear: a young midfielder with Serie A evidence already on the board, and a profile that could suit the demanding environment Gasperini is building in the capital.
