Roma face pivotal week as Gasperini future hinges on Friedkin talks
The future of Gian Piero Gasperini at Roma will be decided imminently, with the head coach set for a crucial call with the club's owners, the Friedkin family, within the next 24 hours. According to reports from Italy, the conversation will center on Gasperini's technical project for the team, coming against a backdrop of an irreparable rift with senior advisor Claudio Ranieri and sporting director Ricky Massara. The outcome of the discussions will determine whether Gasperini continues into the final two years of his contract or becomes the latest managerial departure.
This week is pivotal for the club's direction. If the American owners deem Gasperini's vision—reportedly a mix of ready-now players and younger talent—aligned with the club's guidelines, he will stay. However, should they conclude his recent public criticisms of the club's transfer strategy have created an untenable atmosphere, a separation is on the table. Such a move would see Gasperini become the sixth head coach to leave in seven years, following Jose Mourinho, Paulo Fonseca, Daniele De Rossi, Ivan Juric, and Ranieri himself in a coaching capacity.
The situation is complicated by the standing of club legend Claudio Ranieri. The senior advisor, hailed for his role in last season's dramatic climb up the table, has found himself at odds with Gasperini over recruitment. Sources indicate Ranieri would not hesitate to step aside if the Friedkins no longer saw him as central to their plans, a move that would likely also see the departure of his appointee, Massara. Ranieri, a former Roma player, coach, and lifelong fan, would have other high-level options in football, with his name already mentioned in connection with a potential technical director role at the Italian Football Federation.
Gasperini's potential exit would mark another turbulent chapter for the Roma fanbase, which had begun to believe in his project to elevate the club among Europe's elite despite initial reservations. His departure would risk further eroding trust after the high-profile exits of Mourinho and De Rossi. In that scenario, the club, likely guided by Ranieri and Massara's preferences, would need a new coach who can work in sync with the sporting direction. Candidates reportedly under consideration include Athletic Bilbao's Ernesto Valverde, Chelsea's former manager Enzo Maresca, Bologna's Vincenzo Italiano, and even a potential return for Daniele De Rossi.
Conversely, if Gasperini stays and Ranieri departs, the club would seek a new prestigious consultant. Francesco Totti, who reportedly dined with Gasperini in Rome in March, is seen as a natural fit for such a role. For the more operational sporting director position, candidates said to align with Gasperini's philosophy include former Juventus executive Cristiano Giuntoli and Verona's Sean Sogliano, who worked with the coach at Genoa. The immediate focus, however, remains on the pitch, where Gasperini's Roma face his former club Atalanta on Saturday in a critical match for Champions League qualification, adding sporting urgency to an already decisive week for the club's hierarchy.
