Ranieri Named New Roma Coach
Former Leicester City, Nantes and Fulham coach Claudio Ranieri has replaced Eusebio Di Francesco at AS Roma
Claudio Ranieri has been appointed AS Roma's manager following the departure of Eusebio Di Francesco.
The former Fulham and Leicester City boss will be in the dugout for the first match of his second spell on Monday when Roma face Empoli at the Stade Olimpico.
Ranieri has signed a contract with the club through to June and will help the club see out the rest of the Serie A campaign.
“I’m delighted to be coming back home,” Ranieri said.
“When Roma call you, it’s impossible to say no.”
Just eight days ago Ranieri was sacked by Fulham, after winning only three of his 17 matches in charge of the club after taking over for Slavisa Jokanovic in November.
The stint will be his second in charge of the club, having previously managed the Italian side from 2009 to 2011.
Roma, Ranieri's boyhood club, finished second in the league in his only full season at the helm before resigning in February 2011.
“We are delighted to welcome Claudio Ranieri back to the club,” said Roma president Jim Pallotta.
“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.”
Di Francesco's departure came in the wake of Roma's Champions League elimination at the hands of Porto, ending the club's run at the round of 16.
Roma crashed out at the hands of the Portuguese side following a controversial penalty call after Alessandro Florenzi's foul was spotted by the VAR, leading to Alex Telles burying from the spot to seal Porto's win in extra time
Ranieri takes over with Roma currently fifth in Serie A, three points behind fourth-place Inter and four points behind third-place AC Milan.
“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,” said Roma director Francesco Totti.
“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.”
