There is no debate about the abilities of the coach from Grugliasco; he has been one of the top three managers in Italian football for years. In fact, he began laying the foundations for something special even before his time in Bergamo, notably during his tenure at Genoa.
In Liguria, the aim was never to win trophies, but rather to discover talent, to build a system, and to help young players reach their full potential, ultimately turning them into valuable assets the club could sell for profit. Gasperini has consistently worked with emerging talents, helping clubs generate capital gains that could be reinvested.
Atalanta thrived through his work, alongside sporting director Giovanni Sartori. There are numerous players who flourished under Gasperini but struggled to replicate that form elsewhere. The first two names that come to mind are Gagliardini and Cristante, but the list is long.
Creating talent
Gasperini creates talent. Sometimes he shapes it, other times he builds it from scratch, and he does it through relentless hard work. In Bergamo, he not only developed talent but also delivered trophies, even lifting the Europa League. That would have been unthinkable ten years ago, perhaps even five.
With all that said, the question is no longer “Is Gasperini a top coach?”, because, without a doubt, he is. The real question now is: Can he replicate that success at AS Roma? Some may respond, “Why not?”, ok, fair enough. But the reality is that in Rome, many good ideas have failed to take root. Promising projects have died prematurely, often due to poor organization and a lack of competence within the club’s hierarchy. An example? We must not forget the case of Luis Enrique.
He was brought to the capital and quickly devoured by the press and the fans, largely because the board, led by Franco Baldini and Walter Sabatini, failed to protect him or give him the tranquility to work. A colossal waste of talent. He was left to manage a defense consisting of Rodrigo Taddei (as a right-back!), Aleandro Rosi, Simon Kjaer, Garbiel Heinze, and José Ángel, among the others. It’s hard to even read that aloud, let alone comment on it. Unsurprisingly, the project collapsed, along with the dreams of an entire fanbase.
Roma has also been slow in the transfer market. At any moment, deals for Ríos, Wesley, and Ferguson might be finalized, but pre-season began without any new signings at Trigoria. That’s a problem, especially for a coach like Gasperini, whose demanding style requires significant early work on players’ physical conditioning (and not only that, actually). His ideas are complex, and Roma’s board, now made up of Ricky Massara and Claudio Ranieri, is not giving him the support he needs.
Key positions to strengthen
At least not yet. The two key positions he specifically asked for reinforcements in are right-back, targeting Wesley from Flamengo, and midfield, with Richard Ríos of Palmeiras, high on the list. The club is also seeking a striker who can raise the level of Artem Dovbyk. The chosen one appears to be Evan Ferguson, a young talent who now needs to put a difficult period behind him and rediscover the promise he once showed.
On top of that, Gasperini will have to strengthen the defense and recover the best versions of Paulo Dybala and Lorenzo Pellegrini. Both could be pivotal next season, but with long injury layoffs, Pellegrini is still sidelined, meaning they’ll need extra work to get up to speed. Financial Fair Play regulations mean Roma will need to sell in order to buy, without weakening the team, a task easier said than done.
There’s plenty of work ahead for Massara and Ranieri, and not much time. Once they’ve done their part, it will be Gasperini’s turn. But for the upcoming season to succeed, the club must stand firmly behind him, regardless of early results, or if a key player clashes with his methods. They must support him no matter what. The same way Atalanta did in the past (for example, with El Papu). Gasperini is a top-tier coach, but he is not easy to work with.
He demands a lot, from players, from staff, from the club. Yet, if the right conditions are in place, Roma could become a serious contender for a top-four finish in next season’s Serie A. It all starts with getting those first signings over the line. Roma fans, and Gasperini, are waiting.