Roma's Search for a Left Flank Solution

Trigoria keeps one eye on Atalanta, the other on a late-market gamble.

Roma’s summer window closed with a conspicuous gap: the left flank. The club never landed the full-back Gian Piero Gasperini had asked for, and that absence still hangs over the training pitches. So the work has shifted from negotiations with clubs to phone calls with free agents.

The strategy is tight and unapologetic: no panic buy, no body just to fill a shirt. Roma will move only if a profile truly matches what the coach wants.

According to Gazzetta dello Sport, one name sits squarely in that frame: Wilfried Zaha. The Ivorian, who came close to joining Roma back in 2023, is now without a club after his most recent spell and can be signed on a free. His ability to attack space, operate wide and cut inside would give Gasperini a different kind of weapon on the left, even if he is not a classic full-back.

Zaha is not the only card on the table. Krépin Diatta, another free agent after his last season at Monaco, has also been discussed. The Senegalese wide man offers pace and verticality, the kind of profile that can stretch a game and tilt the field, especially in systems that demand relentless running down the flanks.

Then there is perhaps the most natural fit for the role: Raphael Guerreiro. At 32, fresh from a season at Bayern Munich, the Portuguese can operate as a left-back, wing-back or tucked-in midfielder. His experience at the highest level and comfort on the ball would immediately raise the technical ceiling on that side of the pitch.

Three names, one vacancy, and a coach waiting for the right piece. Roma won’t rush. But with Atalanta looming and the season already biting, how long can they afford to wait for the perfect opportunity?