Roma market, here’s who said 'no' to Claudio Ranieri

In the pre-match of Roma-Pisa, among Claudio Ranieri’s various statements, one in particular struck more than the others: the choice of coach. In the common imagination, Gian Piero Gasperini seemed to be the first option, but in reality he came only after several unsuccessful attempts.

Roma, in fact, had initially considered a list of five or six names. Before targeting Gasperini, the club had contacted three Spanish coaches: Cesc Fabregas, Unai Emery and Ernesto Valverde. All three, however, declined for different reasons.

On Fabregas, former sporting director Florent Ghisolfi had also moved at length, going so far as to ask Como to release him, but without getting the green light from Hartono ownership. Valverde, on the other hand, had been approached directly by Ranieri, who at the end of Athletic Bilbao-Roma last season even left him a business card. A gesture that Ranieri himself had later joked about, explaining that he simply wanted to catch up with the contact in order to compare notes on some Spanish players.

Ranieri had also had direct contact with Emery, who, however, chose to continue his path with Aston Villa. At that point, the Friedkins decided to tack on Gasperini.