Loïs Openda Reflects on Serie A Experience

Loïs Openda has refused to label his brief Italian adventure a failure, despite a lean year in front of goal and the disappointment of missing Belgium’s 2026 World Cup squad.

The forward, speaking to L’Equipe, looked back on his solitary campaign in Serie A with a mixture of realism and conviction, insisting it still pushed his game forward.

He recalled how the move was sold to him from the outset. "I spoke with Damien Comolli, who was then the club director, and he explained how he intended to use me in a difficult league," Openda said. The challenge excited him, not least because of the tactical reputation of Italian football. "In Italy, the team that really exploits depth is Inter. Roma are only just starting to understand it."

That concept of depth – running in behind, stretching defences – sits at the heart of Openda’s game. It also became part of the problem.

Competition for places in attack was fierce and unforgiving. "The coach wanted me, but Vlahovic and David were already playing in my position," he explained. On the training ground and in matches, he found an ally. "I had good chemistry with David, but the team wasn't used to playing with a player who runs in behind, and Vlahovic tended to keep the ball to himself."

Openda did not walk away without a fight. "I tried to get my chance, and sometimes I did," he said. The minutes came in bursts, never quite enough to truly settle, but enough to show him where he stood in the pecking order. "Towards the end of the season, I realised that to play, I had to leave."

He refuses to see that decision as a step backwards. "It wasn't a mistake, and it allowed me to work on aspects I hadn't considered," Openda insisted. The move, in his eyes, was a calculated risk, not a misjudged leap. "I knew exactly what I was getting into, and I'm sure that in other circumstances, it would have gone better."

For now, the Belgian’s Italian chapter is closed. The question is whether the lessons he dragged out of that difficult year become the springboard that finally secures him a permanent place for club and country.