Time is running out, Claudio Ranieri’s farewell is just around the corner and in Trigoria the conclave is already underway: a new leader is needed for the Roma to come. Names, rumors, suggestions. But in the last few hours one profile has resumed strongly: Stefano Pioli.
The Emilia coach, fresh off a disappointing experience at Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, is close to the end of the line with Cristiano Ronaldo and co. The elimination in the Asian Champions semifinals against Kawasaki Frontale was the last straw, accompanied by an embarrassing siparietto with a journalist who, in conference, shouted “Airport, airport!” at him, to the general dismay. Pioli glared back, then left the press room. More eloquent than that….
His Arab adventure seems to be waning and a return to Italy tantalizes him. To Rome, more than anywhere else. Contacts with the Friedkin’s date back to before Juric’s landing, a hypothesis later wrecked by the indecent offer Pioli himself received from the Gulf. Now the time seems ripe to resume talks: Ranieri, who shared experience with him at Fiorentina in the 1990s, would be a convinced sponsor. And the fact that the last one at the Olimpico against AC Milan will be precisely on May 7 – also the date of the beginning of the Vatican conclave – is a signal that Giallorossi fans are not overlooking. They are only waiting for the famous “smokes.”
The other names? Cesc Fabregas continues to flirt with rumors but has said he is fine at Como. Farioli, Ghisolfi’s protégé, is not convincing: the Ajax coach dreams of the Premier or Bayer Leverkusen. And there always remains that “mister X” ready to pop out of the Friedkin’s hat, accustomed to surprise moves (read Mourinho): the name the Roma square dreams of is Allegri.
Pioli, however, is there. He doesn’t warm hearts like others, but he has a respectable resume, won a Scudetto at Milan and knows Serie A like few. And today his candidacy is no longer an idea, it is a real possibility. From “Pioli out” to “Pioli in,” with destination Trigoria.
Sources: Gazzetta dello Sport / The Messenger
The article Roma bench, decisive days: Pioli approaches, fans hope for Allegri comes from Giallorossi.net | AS Roma News, Football and Exclusives.
