Roma confirm Paulo Fonseca will leave at the end of the season

Martin Macdonald

• Updated: 17 May 2021 15:12 BST
• 3 min read

Roma have confirmed that current head coach Paulo Fonseca will not be kept on beyond the summer.

The 48-year-old’s current contract with the Italian capital side will expire in June and the club have opted to bring in a fresh face ahead of the 2021/22 season.

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The Giallorossi have struggled for consistency this season and will once again miss out on qualification to the Champions League as they are currently down in seventh, 14 points adrift of the top four.

A stellar European run kept Fonseca in the job longer than expected, but a Europa League exit is now highly likely after Roma were demolished 6-2 in the first leg of their semi-final tie against Man Utd last week.

A club statement confirmed Fonseca’s departure.

President Dan Friedkin said:

The club can confirm that head coach Paulo Fonseca will leave at the end of the season.
#ASRoma

— AS Roma English (@ASRomaEN) May 4, 2021

“On behalf of everyone at AS Roma, we would like to thank Paulo Fonseca for the hard work and leadership shown during these two years.

“Paulo has led the team through several challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic and a change of ownership, and he has done so with generosity, fairness and great character.

“We wish him all the best in his future endeavours and are confident he will represent a fantastic added value wherever he goes.”

Who could replace Fonseca at Roma?

The current favourite to replace Fonseca at the Stadio Olimpico is former Napoli, Chelsea and Juventus boss Maurizio Sarri, who has been waiting for the perfect opportunity to arise in Italy to return to club management.

He has previously been strongly linked with a return to Napoli, but it would appear he has options now, with Roma now in the mix.

Another name that has been doing the rounds is Jose Mourinho.