AS Roma have appointed Claudio Ranieri as the club’s manager till the end of the season. Ranieri will replace Eusebio di Francesco who was sacked following Roma’s Champions League exit at the hands of Porto on Thursday.
Ranieri himself was sacked only days back as Fulham manager following their poor run of form in the Premier League.
This will be Ranieri’s second spell in charge of Roma. He previously managed the club from 2009-2011. In his first season in charge, Ranieri guided the club to second place in the Serie A.
Following Ranieri’s appointment, Roma President Jim Pallotta said, “We are delighted to welcome Claudio Ranieri back to the club. We have one objective remaining this season and that is to finish in the highest possible league position and secure qualification for the Champions League.
At this stage of the campaign, it was important to bring in a coach who knows the club, understands the environment, can speak the language and is able to motivate the players. Claudio ticks all of those boxes and he’s very excited to take on this challenge.”
Following his appointment, the Rome-born Ranieri said “I’m delighted to be coming back home. When Roma call you, it’s impossible to say no.”
Roma legend and sporting director Francesco Totti who played under Ranieri said, “Claudio’s from the city, he’s a Roma fan but more than that, he’s one of the most experienced coaches in world football. What we need now is a safe pair of hands to guide us back into the top four and ensure that we are playing Champions League football again next season. We have 12 games left and we need to win as many of them as possible.”
Roma are currently 5th in the Serie A table with 44 points, 3 points behind 4th placed Inter Milan. Ranieri’s first match in charge of Roma is on Monday against Empoli.
