Gian Piero Gasperini is out of the picture: Ranieri surprisingly shuts down and a sensational name like Unai Emery pops up for Roma’s bench
“Gasperini non allenerà la Roma”: infatti gira un nome da non credere (Foto: LaPresse) – serieanews.com
What has become of Gian Piero Gasperini? Until a few days ago he seemed the favorite for the Roma bench, the hot name everyone was betting on. But instead, no. Claudio Ranieri, asked precisely about the future of the Giallorossi’s technical guide, displaced everyone with a clear statement: “Gasperini will not be the coach of Roma. And, I add, none of the names that have come out so far are on our list.”
Words that freeze the environment and reopen everything. Because if it will not be Gasperini, or even Ancelotti, Mancini or Sarri, then who will lead Roma in the 2025-26 season? Ranieri has made it clear that he and sporting director Florent Ghisolfi are preparing a shortlist of candidates to present to ownership. But the cards remain covered. In fact, more than covered up, misleading.
Contacts between Roma and Gasperini have really been there, and quite a lot. It is not an urban legend. The parties talked to each other, the esteem was mutual. But, according to what we have learned, the Atalanta coach was reportedly stalling. And Trigoria did not like this wait-and-see attitude. Not because Roma is in a hurry, but because it needs a convinced answer. Without hesitation.
Thus, Gasperini’s name has been crossed out. Or so Ranieri suggests, although allow us to have the benefit of the doubt. But as the spotlight shifts elsewhere, behind the scenes a candidacy is making its way that, at first in a whisper, is now beginning to be heard from usually well-informed Spanish circles, which, however, would have really shot it up this time, almost as big as that rumor that wanted Roma interested in Pep Guardiola for next year. But that one is perhaps really unbeatable.
Unai Emery alla Roma: suggestione o realtà?
It seems absurd to even think it, but the rumor is concrete: the new Roma coach could be Unai Emery, current coach of Aston Villa. Yes, that’s right, the man who turned the Birmingham club into a solid European reality, taking it first to the Champions League and then to the quarterfinals of the continent’s top competition, where it will meet PSG after brilliantly overcoming Bruges (which, interestingly enough, had eliminated Atalanta itself).
Unai Emery alla Roma: suggestione o realtà? (Foto: Ansa) – serieanews.com
Emery is an international profile, experienced, used to handling pressure and ambitious projects. He has won everywhere: Sevilla, PSG, Villarreal. And above all, he knows Italy well: he has already been in the Napoli orbit in the past, contacted several times by De Laurentiis, without a signature ever being reached, and even with Roma there had been more than one pour parler back in 2017, when Emery was coaching Paris. Then he eventually decided to stay in France.
But how realistic is Emery at Roma? Easy to answer: very little. But not impossible. The Spanish coach is bound to Aston Villa by a contract until 2029 with a 7 million euro per season salary. But if he feels he has brought the project to its peak, he could choose to end on a high note. It’s not just about money or results: sometimes, in soccer, you look for a new stimulus. And Rome, in this, is a magnet.
The Friedkins are working quietly, without letting anything leak out, just as in the case of Paulo Dybala. But the fact that Emery’s name is circulating in circles close to Trigoria and beyond, suggests that the idea is far from being a pipe dream. Perhaps not yet a negotiation, but an open door. A glimmer. A hunch that, with patience, can become a concrete opportunity.
The feeling is that Roma wants to make a leap. Not so much in technical quality as in vision. Aiming for an international profile like Emery would mean raising the bar, bringing experience, management and a very “European” work culture. And if it will not be Emery, however, the signal is clear: the next coach will be an important name, one who will finally give the Giallorossi club a hope of entering among the big names of Italy and Europe. With Emery especially this second aspect would practically be a guarantee.
This article “Gasperini will not coach Roma”: in fact spins a swoon-worthy name appeared in its original version first on SerieANews.
