It is an understatement to say that Gian Piero Gasperini was expected at a press conference this Friday, following the announcement of the departure of Claudio Ranieri, sports advisor to the Friedkin family. The two men no longer spoke to each other, since an offensive media outing by Ranieri which was poorly received by the first named. Dan Friedkin, the owner, finally decided in favor of Gasperini, the coach appointed last summer, and the latter now wants to concentrate on football. “I repeat: I did nothing, period. I didn’t create anything, and don’t put me on the same level. I never caused any problems. Some time ago I talked about “Trigoria” because that’s where we play football, and I play football; other than that, I’m completely disconnected from everything else. I repeat: I only want to talk about football, not about other situations in which I have been involved. And I hope that from now on we will only talk about football. And nothing else”he declared, after having nevertheless slipped a word about the club’s press release and the dismissal of Ranieri.
“The press release highlights two things: the confidence the club has in me, which has never been lacking since day one. And the other is that Roma comes first (…) What disappointed me the most about Ranieri’s words? I had never had the feeling of this situation so strong, so hard, never during our meetings. That’s all. And that surprised me a lot”. The big sweep is not over and should take away Federico Massara, the sports director, also not in agreement with Gasperini, as he confided. “He’s a good person, but technically, we haven’t found any affinities. The important thing is the team; there has never been a personal incident. We have always been very professional. Will he leave? It’s not up to me to decide, it’s up to the club. » The club has chosen to trust Gasperini, and there is little doubt that Massara will also pack up.
