Roma Mull Ajax Manager Farioli to Succeed Ranieri | OneFootball

Roma are moving early to find their next coach after Claudio Ranieri removed himself from consideration over the weekend and are laying the groundwork for Ajax gaffer Francesco Farioli. The contacts are already underway, La Gazzetta dello Sport informs.

The Giallorossi will shoot for a top-level coach like Massimiliano Allegri and Carlo Ancelotti first. They want to be prepared if they don’t land one. The former was on the verge of being appointed by Al-Ahli, but the Saudi team confirmed Matthias Jaissle with a late U-turn. Instead, the five-time Champions League winner could leave Real Madrid at the end of the season.

The Roma brass had exploratory talks with Farioli in the last few weeks. He has made a good first impression on Ranieri, who’s involved in the process. He’s already familiar with director Florent Ghisolfi. The two worked together at Nice last year. They have maintained a good rapport despite some friction over the transfer market strategies.

The manager is tied to Ajax until 2027. His side is dueling with PSV at the top of the table despite a reduced budget and the departure of a few stars last summer. He got his start as Roberto De Zerbi and Cagdas Atan’s assistant and managed Fatih Karagumruk and Alanyaspor at the beginning of his career.

Our Take on Roma and Farioli

It was nice of Ranieri to quash any doubt so they can have a head start. First and foremost, they need to choose the direction, either super established or an up-and-comer, giving him time in the second case, unlike what happened with Daniele De Rossi.