Comparing the first impressions of Zaragoza and Venturino at Roma

Roma knew they needed to revamp their attacking options in the January transfer window and ultimately doubled up their plans, signing two players each for the two positions they wanted to strengthen.

At centre-forward, Donyell Malen and Robinio Vaz arrived from Aston Villa and Marseille respectively. Meanwhile, on the wing, Roma added Bryan Zaragoza from Bayern Munich and Lorenzo Venturino from Genoa.

In terms of first impressions, there hasn’t been much room for debate at centre-forward. Malen has started his Roma career in superb form, scoring five goals from six games so far. In contrast, Vaz has been limited to four substitute appearances in Serie A, none lasting more than 25 minutes.

While Vaz is only 19 years old and patience is required, it’s fair to say the starting berth deserves to be Malen’s for the next few months, and hopefully beyond then once his loan turns permanent.

But the battle between Zaragoza and Venturino to prove themselves has been more nuanced in these early weeks of their Roma loans. That’s despite the former being expected to become the long-awaited starting left winger and the latter being more of an unknown prospect taken in return for Tommaso Baldanzi – a player who was a sub far more often than a starter for Roma – on the right-hand side.

Although they are usually expected to line up on opposite flanks, Zaragoza and Venturino are both right-footed. Besides, injury issues elsewhere in the squad have forced Zaragoza to play on the right recently. He has interchanged with fellow attacking-midfield starter Lorenzo Pellegrini, but it was from the right that the Spaniard recorded his first assist for Roma, for Malen in the draw with Napoli.

Donyell Malen silences the Maradona 🤫

Roma race free and into an early lead against Napoli!

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— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) February 15, 2026

Venturino, meanwhile, has only come off the bench so far in five consecutive games. Against Cremonese, he directly replaced Zaragoza a little over 10 minutes into the second half. It allowed him to make his longest cameo of the season so far (including his time at Genoa).

Unlike Zaragoza, Venturino is yet to make a goal contribution for Roma. However, his rising gametime from the bench has led some to wonder when his first start might be due. In comparison to the centre-forward pool, he certainly seems closer to pushing for a full debut than Vaz.

But is that wholly on Venturino’s merit, or down to some early doubts about Zaragoza?

The principal concern regarding Zaragoza from his first few outings is just how heavily one-footed he is. Yes, Roma were crying out for a right-footed winger after failing to sign one in the summer. But it appears they have taken that task to an extreme by picking up a player who looks overly reliant on his right foot, often cutting in crosses with the outside of that boot rather than attempting to take much on with his weaker left foot.

In comparison, Venturino looks to make the more natural choices, content to use either foot. This can avoid slowing down Roma’s attacks too much, which is important in the wake of the speed they have injected centrally with Malen.

The positives that Zaragoza brings, in his defence, are his darting movement and chance creation. In fairness, some of those outside-of-the-boot crosses have been accurate. But he also looks to be playing on a higher speed than necessary and would benefit from expressing more composure.

These are the kind of assessments Roma will have to be making ahead of the summer, when they have an option to buy both players. The clause for Venturino is believed to be around €7m, whilst the one for Zaragoza is nearly twice as expensive at €13.5m.

Furthermore, the Zaragoza clause will become an obligation to buy if he plays in at least half of the minutes of Roma’s matches between his arrival and the end of the season, and Roma qualify for the Europa League or Champions League.

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Amid that background, Roma need to be certain about what kind of players they are dealing with. These next few months can give them more chances to analyse what Zaragoza and Venturino can offer. If any concerns grow regarding the former, Gian Piero Gasperini will have to keep an eye on his gametime.

Even if he does develop into a more rounded player, it’s not unreasonable to suspect that Roma might require a second new left winger in the summer. After all, this time 10 years ago, they had Stephan El Shaarawy and Diego Perotti battling it out for a place on that side of the pitch, both in strong form. If Roma can get over the line and qualify for the Champions League, strength in depth will be hugely important.

Venturino himself could become an answer, either on the right or the left, but he is still just 19 years old and caution is needed until any more positive evidence on the pitch. There is a growing focus on long-term investments from Roma at the moment, though; Venturino and Vaz are both teenagers, while in defence, Jan Ziółkowski was bought at the age of just 20 in the summer.

Even Zaragoza is still only 24, an age where potential should be starting to solidify into consistency. A permanent deal for either loanee would be in keeping with Roma’s new unwritten policy, as long as their performances are good enough over the rest of the season.

For now, it will be a waiting game. Roma will hope to have Stephan El Shaarawy and Paulo Dybala available again soon, while some degree of uncertainty surrounds Matías Soulé’s condition. The numbers are hopefully about to increase, but Zaragoza and Venturino will be aiming to play their part.

Only time will tell who stays the course for Roma.