Pellegrini says he is focused on getting back to his best after summer offers
Pellegrini focused on returning to full fitness
Lorenzo Pellegrini says his sole focus is on getting "back to his best" and says he is delighted to still be with Roma after receiving offers from a number of clubs elsewhere during the summer.
The former Giallorossi captain spoke at the customary pre-match press conference alongside Gian Piero Gasperini ahead of Roma's Champions League home match against Slovan Bratislava on Tuesday night.
A new contract and a slow start
Pellegrini has spent the vast majority of his career at Roma, with the exception of a two-year spell at Sassuolo between 2015 and 2017. He faced an uncertain period as the final months of his contract approached at the end of the 2025-26 season, but Roma handed him a new one-year deal in August, keeping him at the club until the end of the 2026-27 campaign.
He has had to wait until October for his first opportunities of the season, all of which have come off the bench: twice in Serie A and once against Real Madrid in the Champions League.
Physical condition at the centre of his focus
Speaking on Monday afternoon, Pellegrini said he is working to regain his physical level.
"I'm fine, I feel calm. I can still improve from a physical point of view. I wasn't at the same level as my teammates at the beginning of the season, but we're working on it. We're working hard, the group is brilliant. We run quickly during the week and even quicker on Sundays. The contract was the club's decision and I accepted."
Looking ahead to the match against Slovan Bratislava, he added: "There's always pressure in any game you want to win. Pressure is nice and we're used to it, nothing changes there. I think this group has always been united, we feel good and work hard together. There's always a desire to improve."
Summer uncertainty and the Gasperini factor
Pellegrini said he was never overly concerned during the summer months, when he was technically without a club.
"It wasn't a worry, I was calm. I thought I would return sooner. The main thought was about getting back to my best. I felt calm over the summer because I often spoke to the coach and his staff and I wanted to continue on this journey together."
Asked whether he had offers from other clubs, he confirmed: "Yes, but I was only focusing on getting back to my best. If you're not at your best, you can't play. My priority was to stay in Rome given what we'd built last season, so I'm very happy."
"The coach was fundamental in a situation where it would have otherwise been fairly normal to go our separate ways. From my point of view, from the first meeting I had with Gasperini, I immediately saw the vision and what I could contribute to Roma. I've always tried to do what's best for the team."
He concluded that the future has not yet been discussed in detail: "We haven't spoken much about the future yet, I've just been focussing on getting back to my best. Everyone showed me that they wanted me to stay for this season. For me, the most important thing is to feel good, to be here with this group and to be at 100% as soon as possible to be able to help Roma."