Atalanta midfielder Marten de Roon has featured in just one of the club's two Serie A matches this season, earning a rating of 6.30 as la Dea opened the 2026-27 campaign with back-to-back wins and six points from a possible six — enough to place them fifth in the early standings.
At 35, de Roon occupies a peculiar position: indispensable in identity, increasingly selective in deployment. Maurizio Sarri's Atalanta have conceded only one goal across those two matches, a defensive solidity that reflects well on the midfield structure de Roon has long anchored. But a 6.30 average rating in his single appearance suggests he is operating as a functional presence rather than a driving force — which, at this stage of a career, may be precisely the role Sarri requires of him.
The broader context sharpens the picture. Atalanta confirmed the signing of Jonathan Rowe, a winger from Bologna, on a deal with a reported total value of around €40 million. The arrival of a wide player does not directly threaten de Roon's position, but it signals the direction of the squad's evolution: younger, more dynamic, built for Sarri's pressing and positional demands. De Roon's value now lies in what he provides between the lines — experience, positional discipline, and the kind of reading of the game that cannot be coached into a player in a single preseason.
His AI overall of 75 out of 100 reflects a player still rated as a reliable Serie A operator — not a liability, not a luxury. The challenge for de Roon this season is converting limited minutes into consistent performances that keep him in Sarri's calculations as the fixture list thickens. One appearance in two matches is a narrow base. The next few weeks will define whether he remains a rotation piece or drifts toward the margins of a squad being rebuilt around younger legs.