Josè Mourinho will be AS Roma's new
coach, the club said on Tuesday.
Earlier in the day the Serie A side said that they would part
company with Mourinho's Portuguese compatriot Paulo Fonseca at
the end of the season.
A statement said Mourinho has agreed to sign a three-year
contract that will run until 30 June 2024.
"Thank you to the Friedkin family (that owns Roma) for choosing
me to lead this great club and to be part of their vision,"
Mourinho said in the statement.
"After meetings with the ownership and (General Manager) Tiago
Pinto, I immediately understood the full extent of their
ambitions for AS Roma.
"It is the same ambition and drive that has always motivated me
and together we want to build a winning project over the
upcoming years.
"The incredible passion of the Roma fans convinced me to accept
the job and I cannot wait to start next season"
The 58-year-old has won 25 major trophies in his career as a
coach, including two Champions League crowns and League titles
in England, Italy and Spain.
He returns to Serie A after his glorious 2008-2010 stint at
Inter, which culminated with the Champions League-Serie
A-Italian Cup treble.
His former clubs include Porto, Chelsea, Real Madrid, Manchester
United and Tottenham Hotspur, who sacked him last month.
"We are thrilled and delighted to welcome José Mourinho into the
AS Roma family," club president Dan Friedkin and vice-president
Ryan Friedkin said in the statement.
"A great champion who has won trophies at every level, José will
provide tremendous leadership and experience to our ambitious
project.
"The appointment of José is a huge step in building a long-term
and consistent winning culture throughout the club.".
Foneca's departure had been widely expected.
The Roman team are seventh in Serie A and out of the hunt to
qualify for next season's Champions League and their hopes of
winning the Europa League are close to zero after last week's
6-2 defeat at Manchester United in the first leg of the
semi-final.
The three-time Italian champions had been strongly linked in
media reports to signing former Napoli, Chelsea and Juventus
boss Maurizio Sarri.
Fonseca joined Roma in 2019 after a successful stint at Shakhtar
Donetsk.
"Over these last two years we have experienced a number of
highs and lows, but I have always given my all for this club and
this city - a city that has always been so welcoming," the
Portuguese coach said in a statement on the club's website.
"I would like to thank the Roma fans, everyone we have worked
with at (training complex) Trigoria, the players, and all those
who have helped us during this journey...
"We still have some very important games in front of us this
season that we want to win, and we will continue to give our all
in order to do so".
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