After being appointed as the head coach of Roma following the recent sacking of Portuguese tactician Jose Mourinho, former Giallorossi captain and Italian international Daniele De Rossi expressed his enthusiasm upon the return to his former club.
Following the frustrating 3-1 defeat to Milan at the Stadio San Siro, the board of the capital club ran thin on patience for Mourinho and ultimately decided to part ways with the Special One as Roma currently sit in ninth place with 29 points and have only won a single fixture in their last five in the Serie A.
Consequently, the Giallorossi has cut ties with Mourinho after two and a half seasons and have selected former skipper Daniele De Rossi, Roma academy graduate who has made 459 appearances across all competitions throughout his 18-year stay in the eternal city.
De Rossi was appointed the manager of Serie B side Spal in the summer of 2021, which was his first gig as head coach at club-level. Unfortunately, the holding midfielder’s first coaching opportunity was short-lived as he was dismissed in February 2023 due to Spal having found themselves in 18th place of the league after the first half of the season.
However, the Friedkins have handed De Rossi a six-month contract that expires in the summer of 2024, which includes an option of an additional year. The club legend has been granted a chance to seek redemption following his short stint at Spal and to prove himself as a coach in an very familiar environment, and one in which he was greatly adored by the supporters.
At the official unveiling, as relayed by ForzaRomaInfo, De Rossi expressed his gratitude after being handed an incredible opportunity, as well as his determination to help the Giallorossi alter the narrative of this utterly disastrous season:
“I would like to thank the Friedkin family for having entrusted me with the responsibility of the technical guidance of Roma: for my part I know no other path other than that of application, daily sacrifice and necessity to give everything I have inside to face the challenges that await us between now and the end of the season.
 “The emotion of being able to sit on our bench is indescribable, everyone knows what Roma is for me, but the work that awaits all of us has already taken over. We have no time, no choice: being competitive, fighting for our goals and trying to achieve them are the only priorities that my staff and I have given ourselves.”
Julian Faustini Ι GIFN
