Roma are developing a plan for an Under-23 team, with the project set to run in parallel with the construction of the club's new stadium, according to Il Messaggero's Daniele Aloisi. The idea gained momentum after a young side took the field on Saturday, with Roma featuring seven players born after 2003 in the starting line-up. Midfielder Marten de Roon, aged 35, found himself surrounded by a group of very young team-mates, and he jokingly described himself as a sort of grandfather, perhaps exaggerating. The average age of the starting eleven was 24.5 years.
In the second half, Ghilardi (23), Wesley (23) and the youngster Di Nunzio (19) came on. It was the first time since 2021, when Paulo Fonseca was on the bench, that Roma had started a match with such a young side. The performance has been impressive, with the team continuing to surprise despite being without several first-choice players.
Several weeks ago, CEO Galantic spoke about the need for an Under-23 side. He said: "Non si può vivere di plusvalenze" (you cannot live on profits from player sales). He added: "Ci vogliono più Lulli e più Pisilli, dobbiamo puntare sulle giovanili. E poi ci vuole una tappa di crescita tra Primavera e prima squadra" (we need more Lulli and more Pisilli, we must invest in the youth teams, and then we need a stage of development between the Primavera and the first team). The plan is to complete the project in parallel with the new stadium. Costs are high, at around 20 million euros, and the club does not yet have a ground to play in, but the intention is to get it done in a short timeframe. Inter, Atalanta, Juventus and Milan have already started similar projects and are beginning to see results. Roma do not intend to stand by and watch.
Testo Originale / Source Text
“Giovane e convincente. La Roma continua a stupire e lo fa anche senza i titolarissimi. De Roon si è definito una sorta di nonno, forse esagerando, ma a 35 anni sabato si è ritrovato in campo con intorno ben sette calciatori nati dopo il 2003. L'età media dell'undici iniziale era di 24,5 anni. Nella…”
Read the full article in Italian at Forza Roma.