Roma’s season is beginning to show the breadth of its attacking work. Ten matches have produced goals from 11 different players, a spread no other Italian side can match, while Donyell Malen has set the pace with nine. Now, with Lorenzo Pellegrini and Paulo Dybala expected to miss at least three or four games, Gian Piero Gasperini will look to a younger group that has been prepared for precisely this moment.
A younger attacking chapter for Gasperini
Roma have invested heavily in under-23 talent over recent transfer windows, while continuing to draw from a productive academy. The absence of Pellegrini and Dybala may alter the immediate pecking order, but it also gives a number of younger forwards and attacking midfielders a clearer route into the side.
- Malen remains Roma’s most prolific scorer, with nine goals.
- The team have had 11 different scorers across their first 10 matches.
- Pellegrini and Dybala are set for a spell out of at least three to four fixtures.
- Roma can now call upon academy graduates and recent young signings alongside more established players.
Matias Soulé, 23, has become the clearest example of that development. The Argentine has made his senior international debut and impressed in Champions League meetings with Real Madrid and Slovan Bratislava. In Serie A, he has contributed two goals and three assists.
His tactical progress has also made him increasingly difficult for Gasperini to leave out. The former Juventus player has answered many of the doubts that surrounded him during the summer and, in Turin, there is growing regret over his departure.
Soulé and Castro offer a new connection
Soulé’s close friend Santiago Castro is only a year younger and has also reached the Argentina set-up. Their understanding away from football has begun to appear on the pitch, most notably in the match against Genoa.
Castro arrived after a €30 million deal, matching the fee paid for Soulé. The former Bologna striker knows that Malen stands ahead of him, but the upcoming matches offer a chance to establish his place, potentially in a front line with the Dutchman and Soulé operating in support.
He comes into that opportunity after a spectacular goal and praise from Francesco Totti, who had recommended him to Gasperini during the summer.
The Portuguese prospect still has time
Roma also have a 19-year-old Portuguese talent whose adaptation has not been entirely smooth. The club’s overall valuation is €50 million, with €25 million already paid and another €25 million required to secure full ownership from Porto.
He began brightly against Fiorentina, Atalanta and Lecce, before a slight dip in form and an unconvincing display against Slovan Bratislava. Gasperini has nevertheless consistently underlined the player’s potential.
“We have a responsibility to help him develop,” the coach said. “Very few players in the world have those qualities at his age.”
With Dybala and Pellegrini unavailable, the former Porto youngster will have further opportunities to respond.
The academy waiting behind them
The age profile drops even further in Roma’s youth ranks. An Italian-Australian forward, still only 17, scored his first senior goal against Torino in last season’s Coppa Italia when he was 16. His mark came just 103 days later in life than Amedeo Amadei’s long-standing record as Roma’s youngest scorer.
Signed from Pescara, he combines physical strength with movement in behind, link play and a willingness to attack the penalty area. Gasperini has repeatedly included him in senior squads, and another first-team opportunity appears likely.
Paratici, born in 2008 and the son of Fiorentina sporting director Fabio, has also enjoyed a strong spell. He struck a Youth League hat-trick against Slovan Bratislava before receiving his first-team call-up for the Genoa match.
Gasperini has admired him since the summer of 2025, when he scored three times in a friendly against Roma City and earned applause from his idol Dybala. Roma are preparing to exercise an option to buy him from Sampdoria, who still hold his registration.
- Camara, an attacking wide player who cites Vinicius as an inspiration, recorded 11 goals and nine assists in 30 Primavera appearances last season.
- Strong in one-versus-one situations and dribbling, Camara was among the substitutes against Genoa as Gasperini works on his next step.
- Alessandro Di Nunzio was also on the bench for that game and made his senior debut.
- Di Nunzio is a midfielder from the CT 10 stable and has developed under the guidance of Francesco Totti.
Under youth director Margiotta and coach Mattia Scala, Roma’s academy is supplying a growing list of options. The coming weeks will test the depth of Gasperini’s squad, but they may also reveal which of its youngest players can turn promise into a lasting role in the season.
