With a full squad training set for later this week and a purported 48-hour deadline to choose a new manager, Roma President Dan Friedkin is under pressure to name Ivan Juric's successor. During his two months in charge, Juric—who replaced Daniele De Rossi, who was fired unexpectedly earlier this season—struggled hard and left the team, in some ways, worse off than when he arrived. Despite his strengths as a manager, Juric never seemed to fit in with the team, and his rough-and-ready style of play was never a good fit with Roma's more elegant team.
Following Juric's dismissal, the Italian media connected the team to managers as diverse as Vincenzo Montella and Erik ten Haag. But those stories were just that—fiction, as is so frequently the case. As soon as an unemployed or unhappy manager was linked to Roma, they were immediately judged unfit or unwilling to accept a temporary position with the capital club.
Let's repeat that: You have a management team that is trying to maintain their dignity, a semi-disgruntled (or at least disillusioned) workforce, you are buried on the table, and your tenure is limited to six months.
It's reasonable to wonder who in their right mind would accept that position given those circumstances.
Ranieri concluded a meeting with the Friedkins in London, according to several Italian sources, including Angelo Mangiante and Gianluca Di Marzio of Sky Sport. With stints in places as diverse as Roma (2x), Atletico Madrid, Juventus, Nantes, and Leicester City—the location of his biggest professional victory: the 2015–2015 Premiership title—Ranieri, 73, has one of the most intriguing management resumes you'll ever see.
Calling Roma's grandfather emeritus is always a good idea, even though no hard news has surfaced and almost all of the other contenders have either dropped out or demanded a long-term contract.
Claudio has previously taken this call. And preventing the relegation of his favorite club would be the ideal way to end his illustrious career.
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