Why Roma should look to England for their next manager

It hasn’t been the season that Roma dreamed of nor planned, as they see themselves with their third manager of the season in December, and only four points above the relegation zone.

They now have until the end of this season to pick their new manager, with Claudio Ranieri currently only in charge until June 2025. They will have to get this appointment perfect, otherwise they may struggle to compete at the top for many years.

It has been one of Roma’s worst starts in Serie A history over the last two decades and something needs to change quickly if they want to turn their season around.

Club legend Daniele De Rossi was in charge at the start of the season but only lasted until mid-September. Roma’s form slightly improved when Ivan Juric took over, but only for a small period. Juric lasted less than two months in the job and was sacked in November.

They now have Claudio Ranieri back in charge. Ranieri has already been Roma manager twice before, so he knows the club very well, but his latest spell in charge could prove to be his toughest yet. He has already taken charge of three league games, losing two and winning one, emphasising that it won’t be easy for him to get Roma climbing up the league table again.

Ranieri, who is now 73, has done many fantastic things over the decades in football management. His best achievement was winning the Premier League with Leicester City in 2015/16, transforming them from a club battling relegation, and making a mockery of pre-season odds which had them marked at 5000/1 to win the Premier League. It remains a feat that is unlikely to ever be repeated..

For now, Ranieri’s only job is to steady the ship and push them away from relegation, and he has already confirmed that the club are looking for his successor. This at least gives Roma some time to plan for a new manager, and there are some great managerial candidates out there for the club to target.

One of Roma’s best options could be Graham Potter. The Englishman has been linked to the job before and his spell at Premier League club Brighton emphasised that he is an ideal manager for any club wanting to build a project.

The Seagulls were battling relegation when Potter took over, but he turned them into a club that could compete against anyone in the league. They ended up battling in the top eight before he left them for a move to Chelsea. His spell at Chelsea didn’t go to plan, but the club were in a huge transition, with too many players being signed, so it would have been hard for anyone to do well in the job at the time.

Roma need someone who can be at the club for many years, someone who can reshape and rebuild the squad which is clearly not good enough to match their ambitions. Potter feels like a perfect fit and Roma should start talking to him soon as there are many interested clubs who see him as a viable option for themselves.