Roma signs Nahuel Molina to strengthen the right flank

Roma have completed the signing of Nahuel Molina from Atlético Madrid, bringing the 28-year-old right-back back to Serie A four years after Udinese. The fee is reported to be between €15 million and €17 million, and Molina has signed a four-year contract with the Giallorossi. 

He will wear number 20. Molina’s arrival is one of the concrete squad changes behind early football prices on Afropari Nigeria, especially with Roma’s opener against Fiorentina less than two weeks away. For Gian Piero Gasperini, the question is how quickly Molina can settle into his new role.

Roma needed a natural option on the right

Roma entered August with work still to do on the flank. Molina knows Italian football, has Champions League experience and can play as a full-back or wing-back.

His four seasons at Atlético produced 181 appearances, nine goals and 17 assists. He contributed beyond his own penalty area, although his final two years in Madrid brought fewer starts.

Gasperini now has another way to stretch the pitch without asking a winger to stay permanently wide.

Udinese experience should shorten the adjustment

Molina established himself in Serie A with Udinese, where forward runs became one of his clearest strengths. Returning to Italy should reduce adaptation problems around language, league tempo and tactical habits and make his first weeks more familiar.

Roma are not buying the same player who left in 2022, however. Atlético demanded more defensive discipline and gave him experience in deeper blocks, European ties and matches where possession was limited.

His attacking value will depend on how high Gasperini lets him start when Roma have possession.

Fiorentina will show how quickly he starts

Roma begin their Serie A season at home to Fiorentina on August 24. That match should show whether Molina is ready to start immediately or whether Gasperini introduces him more gradually.

Whether Molina starts will affect more than Roma’s lineup. A confirmed place can influence markets for the result, team goals, corners and individual actions because a more adventurous right flank changes where attacks are built. Early prices still need the full lineup: one new wing-back does not remove questions elsewhere. The better read comes after Roma name the side and Gasperini’s shape is clear, especially if Molina is asked to play high enough to influence crossing or corner numbers. Anyone betting is better served by a fixed stake and confirmed information than by reacting to the transfer fee or debut excitement.

Before kickoff, five details deserve attention:

• whether Molina starts or enters from the bench;
• who plays ahead of him on the right;
• how high Roma’s wing-backs position themselves;
• whether he takes part in set pieces;
• how Fiorentina defend his side.

Atlético closes four years with Molina

Molina joined Atlético from Udinese in 2022 and became a regular under Diego Simeone before his role narrowed. His departure lets the Spanish club reshape the right side while Roma gain a player who attracted Italian interest this summer.

The move also returns Molina to a familiar setting. He arrives with international experience, major tournament medals and four additional seasons in a demanding defensive system.

That background should make the transition easier, but it does not guarantee an automatic place every week.

Roma now have another specialist on the right

Roma finished third in Serie A last season and return to the Champions League, so depth on the flanks matters across a longer calendar. Molina gives Gasperini a specialist on the right and the option to shift other players without leaving the position exposed.

The next two weeks will show how quickly Gasperini trusts him. Roma face Borussia Dortmund in a friendly before opening the league against Fiorentina.

If he becomes first-choice wing-back, Roma gain width, experience and another runner into the final third. If his minutes are managed carefully, the signing still adds a proven Serie A option for a demanding season. That depth may influence season markets once Roma’s European schedule overlaps heavily with Serie A later this autumn.