Madrid, March 24. The Italian club "Roma" announced the return of Claudio Ranieri to the head coach position after his return from a sabbatical. Ranieri, a 73-year-old veteran, signed a contract until the end of the season.
The club stated that after the end of Ranieri's contract, he will become "a highly esteemed consultant who will advise the club's owners on all issues related to sports in the club." "Searches for a coach will continue in the coming months. Claudio will also have his role in this decision," they said in "Roma."
The Italian coach agreed to lead "Roma" for the third time after negotiations in London and a meeting with fans at the Roman airport. He came to replace Croatian Ivan Juric, who was appointed in September after the dismissal of former club captain Daniele De Rossi due to poor results.
"When his team travels to Naples, leading in the Champions League, after switching to matches of national teams, and then faces English "Tottenham" in London in the Europa League, then later with "Atalanta" at its own ground," the club revealed.
Thus, Claudio Ranieri returns to "Roma" after a sabbatical and replaces Juric after losing at home to "Bologna" 2:3 on Sunday. During Juric's time, the team showed poor results, winning only 4 matches out of 12 in various tournaments and finishing in 12th place in the championship, 4 points clear of the relegation zone.
Ranieri, who began his coaching career in 1986, announced his departure to a sabbatical after leading "Cagliari" to a secure spot in the higher division last season. He stated to the Italian television Sky that he may be interested in working as a national team coach but returns to save "Roma" from problems.
Ranieri, who led "Leicester City" to an unprecedented championship in the English Premier League in 2016, came to the position left by Eusebio Di Francesco in March 2019 and helped the team qualify for the Europa League. He is loved by the fans of "Roma," especially in his first period in 2009 when he replaced Luciano Spalletti and led the team in the title race against "Inter" under the guidance of Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho.
