Roma Sign Ranieri As Manager Until The End Of The Season

By Joshua Walters

AS Roma have appointed Claudio Ranieri as manager with a contract that runs until the end of the 2018/19 season, three days after sacking Francesco Di Eusebio.

Eusebio got the sack a day after FC Porto eliminated Roma from the Champions League on Wednesday.

A club statement on Friday said Roma were delighted to reunite with their former manager as their current situation had made it imperative for the club to engage a trainer, who already was familiar with the club.

Roma, who went into the second leg tie with a 2-1 win, failed to progress to the quarter-final stage of the Champions League as Porto beat them by the same margin in regulations time before grabbing the winner through a penalty in extra time.

The result did not go down well for the club who lies 5th on the Italian Serie A table with 44 points, three points below 4th-place, Inter Milan, and 31 points adrift leaders, Juventus.

The club's search for a new manager and redemption has led them to Ranieri, who was also sacked by Fulham for non-performance after just four months in charge.

The development marks the second coming of Ranieri to Roma as he handled the Rome-based club between 2009 and 2011.

"We are delighted to welcome Claudio Ranieri back to the club,” said Roma President Jim Pallotta.

“We have one objective remaining this season and that is to finish in the highest possible league position and secure qualification for the Champions League.

"At this stage of the campaign, it was important to bring in a coach who knows the club, understands the environment, can speak the language and is able to motivate the players. Claudio ticks all of those boxes and he’s very excited to take on this challenge.”

Roma's iconic legend Francesco Totti has also welcomed the appointment, saying that Ranieri is backed by a lot of factors to succeed at the club.

“Claudio’s from the city, he’s a Roma fan but more than that, he’s one of the most experienced coaches in world football,” Roma director Francesco Totti added.

“What we need now is a safe pair of hands to guide us back into the top four and ensure that we are playing Champions League football again next season. We have 12 games left and we need to win as many of them as possible.”