Claudio Ranieri reportedly agrees to become new Roma manager

Claudio Ranieri, aged 73, is poised to assume the managerial role at his hometown club, Roma, emerging from retirement to become the Serie A team's third coach during a challenging season.

Ranieri, who famously led Leicester City to a Premier League title in 2016, has reportedly reached an agreement to manage Roma until the conclusion of the current season following discussions held in London.

Italian media sources indicate that Ranieri may be offered a position within the club's backroom staff once his coaching duties conclude in June.

Upon his arrival in Rome on Wednesday evening, Ranieri effectively confirmed his new role to reporters, implying that Roma had sought his expertise to address their pressing issues.

He succeeds Ivan Juric, who was appointed in September after the dismissal of former captain Daniele De Rossi but was relieved of his duties following a 3-2 home loss to Bologna on Sunday.

Juric's brief tenure was marked by disappointment, achieving only four victories in 12 matches across all competitions, leaving Roma in 12th place in Serie A, a mere four points above the relegation zone.

Ranieri had previously declared the end of his club management career after successfully guiding Cagliari to safety last season.

At that time, he expressed interest in a national team position, yet he has returned to assist Roma in overcoming a significant crisis.

This marks Ranieri's second return to Roma during a period of turmoil, having previously taken over from the dismissed Eusebio Di Francesco in March 2019 and successfully securing Europa League qualification.

He is particularly cherished by the club's supporters for his initial tenure, which began a decade earlier.

Ranieri took the reins from Luciano Spalletti at the start of the 2009/10 season, leading Roma in an exhilarating title race against Jose Mourinho's Inter Milan that extended to the final day of the season.

SportsLigue