Claudio Ranieri named New AS Roma head coach

AS Roma have confirmed that Claudio Ranieri has been appointed as head coach following Eusebio Di Francesco’s dismissal.

The Italian boss will take charge of the club until 30 June 2019 and the announcement sees him return for a second spell in Rome, where he was also manager between 2009 and 2011.

“I’m delighted to be coming back home,” Ranieri said, responding to the news on Roma’s official website.

“When Roma call you, it’s impossible to say no.”

The decision to appoint Ranieri may come as quite a surprise to some fans, especially given how he ended his tenure at Fulham less than 10 days ago.

He was only installed as manager of the Cottagers last November, taking over from Slavisa Jokanovic, who had struggled to adapt the team to life in the Premier League.

Despite making the perfect start with a dramatic 3-2 win against Southampton, the Italian tactician only went on to lead Fulham to three wins from 17 matches.

His time in west London wasn’t a complete disaster though, given that he’s