Roma appoint former Shakhtar coach Fonseca

Roma have confirmed the arrival of Paulo Fonseca as their new head coach on a two-year deal.

A permanent replacement for Euesbio Di Francesco was needed after interim boss Claudio Ranieri confirmed he would not be staying beyond the expiration of his contract at the end of the season. Antonio Conte, Maurizio Sarri and Rafael Benitez were linked with the post, but Roma have sealed a move for Fonseca. The former Porto coach has the option for a third year at the Stadio Olimpico that would keep him at Roma until 2022.

"I am very pleased to be appointed the head coach of Roma," Fonseca said. "I want to thank the club's management for the opportunity they have given me. I am excited and motivated by the task ahead of us. I cannot wait to move to Rome, meet our fans and get started. Together, I believe we can create something special."

The 46-year-old had been in charge of Shakhtar Donetsk for three seasons, winning the Ukrainian Premier League in each campaign. Fonseca also guided Shakhtar to the last 16 of the Champions League in 2017-18, where they were beaten by eventual semi-finalists Roma on away goals.

 

June 11, 2019

President James Palotta said: "We are delighted to welcome Paulo Fonseca to the club. Paulo is a young and ambitious coach with international experience, a winning mentality and a reputation for bold, attacking football that will excite our fans. From the very first conversations we had with him, he made it very clear he wanted to come to Roma and was excited about the challenge of working with our players and putting out a team that the fans can be proud of."

Roma finished sixth in Serie A in 2018-19, missing out on Champions League qualification by three points under Ranieri.