Lazio midfielder Fisayo Dele-Bashiru remained part of Gennaro Gattuso's squad as the biancocelesti beat Genoa 1-0 at home on August 31st, a result that lifted the club to fourth in the Serie A table with six points from two matches — a perfect start to the 2026-27 campaign.
The win was secured by Davide Frattesi, whose goal proved decisive, but the broader significance for Dele-Bashiru is structural: Lazio are building something under Gattuso, and the 25-year-old must find a way into it. Two wins, two clean sheets, two goals scored — the team's early numbers are tidy and controlled, which makes competition for midfield minutes sharper, not softer. A side that is winning without drama has little incentive to rotate.
Dele-Bashiru carries an AI overall of 70 out of 100, with a potential of 76, which suggests the ceiling is meaningfully higher than the current output — a gap that tends to close only with consistent playing time. His single Serie A appearance this season produced a rating of 6.60, competent but unremarkable, and he has yet to register a goal or assist in either the league or the Coppa Italia. The numbers are not damning at this stage of the season; they are simply thin.
Gattuso's squad management has its own complications. Nicolò Rovella was reported to have picked up an injury against Genoa, which could open minutes in the engine room — though Gattuso himself, speaking before the transfer window closed, made clear that the club's resources are constrained, describing the situation in blunt terms: no money, no reinforcements, and a hope that no one leaves. That kind of candour from a head coach usually signals that the existing group will be asked to carry more weight than initially planned.
For Dele-Bashiru, that is both a challenge and an opening. Lazio's midfield depth may be tested sooner than the early table suggests, and a player whose potential still outpaces his current rating has every reason to be ready when the rotation comes.