Neil El Aynaoui: From Lens to the Eternal City

For those who have seen him shyly wandering in these early outings of the season, know that in Lens, Neil El Aynaoui is an idol. It was enough for him to step onto the field to receive an award from the club before the game, prompting the thirty thousand at Bollaert-Delelis to stand and give him a real ovation. Two seasons, 56 games, and 9 goals are not easily forgotten, especially when the author is this boy with a spontaneous smile, aware of the leap he made by joining Roma. He has been here for 15 days, and his entry has not been explosive. The doubt that many carry is that the box-to-box admired at Lens is still studying his surroundings in these early outings. When this is pointed out to him, he gives a slight smile: 'Yes, it's true, with Lens I played a bit further forward. Here Gasperini asks me to patrol my area, play the ball and not lose it, press at the right times. Tactically, I know I need to improve, so we can say it's a bit of both. I still need to get used to it, it takes time.' And since doubts and curiosities are like cherries, one leads to another, it's natural to ask him what changes when playing with Koné or Cristante. However, the Moroccan senses trouble and prefers to play defensively: 'What changes with Bryan or with Manu? It's about adapting, they are different profiles, for me the important thing is to help the team, I do what is needed. I want to follow what the coach asks of me.' ANOTHER PLAYER TO COMPLETE THE SQUAD Another who will certainly not miss a word from Gasperini is Ghilardi. Yesterday the central defender was on the bench and did not play. In recent days, waiting for the deal between Roma and Verona to be unlocked, he hasn't trained at his best: 'I was a bit anxious, I couldn't wait to arrive, and now that I'm here, it will be great to get on the field.' The debut could already come against Aston Villa. Ndicka has indeed suffered a slight muscle strain, and even Kumbulla's use yesterday (only entering at the end) suggests that the Albanian defender (still recovering from a tendon issue) hasn't won over Gasperini. Meanwhile, Gasperini is still waiting for arrivals from the market. Yesterday, post-match, he didn't emphasize it only because Roma decided to let him speak at the English retreat. But the coach still expects a left-footed striker (work continues for Echeverri, the sticking point remains the loan formula that Trigoria wants to include at least with a purchase option), another central defender, a midfielder, and a vice Angeliño with a different physique than Salah-Eddine. For Massara (who returned to Rome yesterday and will join the team on Wednesday), the work is not lacking.