Jose Mourinho has been sacked by Roma with the side languishing in ninth place in Serie A, with former Giallorossi midfielder Daniele De Rossi reportedly set to replace him.
Mourinho was appointed Roma boss in July 2021, three months after being sacked by Tottenham.
‘The Special One’ led the Giallorossi to Europa Conference League glory in his first campaign in charge before overseeing a penalty shoot-out defeat to Sevilla in last season’s Europa League final, but he has failed bring success on the domestic front.
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Roma finished sixth in Serie A in each of Mourinho’s two full seasons at the helm, posting identical records in both campaigns as they claimed 63 points on each occasion.
That was not enough to secure a return to the Champions League, however, with Roma last competing in Europe’s premier club competition in 2018-19.
AS Roma can confirm that José Mourinho and his coaching staff will leave the club with immediate effect.
Further updates on the new First Team coaching staff will follow imminently.
???? https://t.co/NtBTn4ugRm#ASRoma pic.twitter.com/HgkyuYEAb3
— AS Roma English (@ASRomaEN) January 16, 2024
The Giallorossi are currently five points adrift of Italy’s top four after only winning one of their last five league games either side of Christmas, losing three.
Sunday’s 3-1 loss to Milan came just four days after they were knocked out of the Coppa Italia by fierce rivals Lazio, and that defeat to the Rossoneri proved to be Mourinho’s final game in charge.
In a statement, owners Dan and Ryan Friedkin said: “We would like to thank Jose on behalf of all of us at AS Roma for his passion and efforts since his arrival at the club.
“We will always have great memories of his tenure at Roma, but we believe that an immediate change is in the best interests of the club.
“We wish Jose and his assistants all the best in their future endeavours.”
Thanks for everything on behalf of everyone at AS Roma, José! #ASRoma pic.twitter.com/yYkKgF7Rhh
— AS Roma English (@ASRomaEN) January 16, 2024
Mourinho had cut a frustrated figure throughout his final few months in Rome, publicly complaining about the club’s failure to land his top transfer targets in pre-season and receiving multiple touchline bans in 2023-24. Across the course of his tenure with Roma, Mourinho was shown a remarkable seven red cards.
Following Tuesday’s announcement, Sky Sports in Italy reported former Roma midfielder De Rossi was set to take charge for the rest of the season, with the club having an option to extend his stay should he make a positive impact.
Reports suggested former Chelsea bosses Graham Potter and Antonio Conte were considered for the role, but the appointment of De Rossi – whose only previous experience as a head coach came in Serie B with SPAL – is close to being finalised.
De Rossi made 616 appearances for Roma throughout his glittering playing career, with only Francesco Totti representing the Giallorossi on more occasions (786).
