José Mourinho Fired by Roma; Daniele De Rossi Reportedly Considered for Manager Job

After parts of three seasons with the club, José Mourinho was fired from his managerial position with AS Roma on Tuesday.

According to Fabrizio Romano of The Guardian, Roma announced the decision in the following statement: “AS Roma can confirm that José Mourinho and his coaching staff will leave the club with immediate effect. Further updates on the new first-team coaching staff will follow imminently.”

Per Romano, Roma’s preferred choice to replace Mourinho is Daniele De Rossi, who appeared in 623 matches for Roma as a player from 2001 through 2019.

Roma have reportedly already reached out to De Rossi and begun talks to make him the next manager.

The decision to fire Mourinho came on the heels of a 3-1 loss to AC Milan on Sunday, which dropped Roma to a disappointing ninth in the Serie A standings.

Roma were not top contenders for the Serie A title in Mourinho’s first two seasons, but they had back-to-back respectable sixth-place finishes, qualifying for the Europa League each time.

In 2022, Mourinho led Roma to their first major trophy in 14 years when they won the Europa Conference League, and he nearly got them another trophy last year when they finished as the runner-up to Sevilla in the Europa League.

The 60-year-old Mourinho has bounced around between high-profile clubs often since making his managerial debut with Benfica in 2000.

He has also managed at União de Leiria, Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan, Real Madrid, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, compiling a record of 701 wins, 236 draws and 196 losses during his career.

Among the Portuguese national’s greatest managerial accomplishments are three EPL titles, two Serie A titles, one La Liga title, one Europa League title and two UEFA Champions League titles with Porto and Inter Milan, respectively.

Given his spectacular résumé, Mourinho shouldn’t have much of an issue finding another quality job in the near future if he wants one.

As for Roma, they may be poised to go from one of the most experienced managers in soccer to a manager with almost no experience.

De Rossi is a highly experienced player who won a FIFA World Cup with Italy in 2006, but his only managerial work came with Serie B side SPAL last season.

SPAL dismissed De Rossi late in his first and only season as their manager while they were in 18th place. SPAL went on to finish 19th, resulting in their relegation to Serie C.

While it remains to be seen if De Rossi has what it takes to be a quality manager, he is extremely familiar with his surroundings at Roma and will likely be welcomed with open arms by the fans if he gets the job.