Roma’s season has opened with an unexpected figure on the flank: Lulli, a young player who appeared close to leaving the club in the summer and has instead become part of Gian Piero Gasperini’s immediate plans. His rise has altered both the discussion around his contract and the coach’s work on a right-footed group of wing-backs asked to cover both sides of the pitch.
The coach and the club
Lulli’s current Roma agreement runs until 30 June 2027, yet the club are now working on an extension after a summer in which his path seemed to point elsewhere. At the end of July, Avellino were pursuing a season-long loan and wanted at least an option to buy included in the deal.
That route was familiar within Roma’s youth set-up. Cherubini, also approaching the end of his deal, joined Benevento on loan after extending his contract. Lulli, however, changed the picture through his performances on the training ground and during the two pre-season camps at Trigoria and Cardiff.
In Roma’s first internal match against the Primavera on 19 July, the Palestrina-born player impressed Gasperini in his duel with Angeliño. The coach told assistant Tullio Gritti that the youngster was running “like a train”, and Lulli was kept in the first-team group rather than sent out on loan.
His representatives, who also work with Lorenzo Pellegrini, have reopened talks with sporting director D’Amico. The financial basis is now higher than it was in July, while remaining tied to the player’s age and Roma’s need for sustainability. There is confidence that an agreement can be reached.
The situation has also prompted reflection at Trigoria. Lulli had been highly regarded inside the club a year ago, but planning for his future was not settled early enough. Roma have had similar regrets over Romano, who is seen as having left too soon as the club sought capital gains.
A squad built around right-footed wing-backs
Lulli is the youngest of Roma’s four principal full-backs and the only one to leave Trigoria during the international break, having joined Baldini’s Italy Under-21 squad.
Wesley, Rensch and Molina have remained with Gasperini for specialised work. The coach has four players for two wide roles, but each is naturally right-footed. It is an imbalance created by the departures of Tsimikas, Angeliño and Salah-Eddine, none of whom were replaced.
Roma considered several alternatives, including Moreira, Luis Henrique, Cacciamani, Carlos Augusto and, most notably, Oosterwolde. The latter arrived in Rome but returned to Istanbul after failing his medical examinations.
Across the first six matches, Gasperini has already used four pairings:
- Lulli and Wesley
- Lulli and Molina
- Rensch and Wesley
- Wesley and Molina
Playing inverted wingers has become commonplace, but using right-footed wing-backs on the left is a more unusual challenge. It recalls an earlier era, particularly the 1960s and 1970s, when naturally left-footed players were less available, rather than a current tactical fashion.
Gasperini’s work on the flanks
The coach has concentrated on body position, recovery runs and marking responsibilities, aiming to make his wing-backs dependable defenders as well as wide midfield options. The attacking work has followed the same logic of adaptation.
Roma have generally looked to reach the byline from the right, where the available players are more naturally inclined to drive forward on the outside. On the left, particularly with Wesley and Molina, the emphasis has been on moving inside and arriving in the penalty area.
Those inward movements allow technical players such as Wesley and Molina to combine in central spaces, create passing lanes and open room for the wide forward, most often Soulé. The trade-off is clear: Roma can lack an outlet along the touchline, while the repeated move back onto the right foot can become easier for opponents to anticipate.
For Gasperini, then, the task is not simply choosing between four players. It is shaping a balanced pair of flanks from a group with the same dominant foot, while Lulli’s unexpected emergence gives Roma one more reason to settle his future before the next chapter of the season arrives.
