Roma fires De Rossi, Stoke City makes coaching change

Roma has fired manager Daniele De Rossi just four games into the 2024/25 season. The former midfielder previously took over for Jose Mourinho back in January. Roma sat ninth in the Serie A standings then and desperately needed a boost to save their season. De Rossi initially delivered by guiding the club to six victories in his first seven league matches of the 2023/24 season.

Ultimately, Roma finished sixth in the standings, qualifying for a Europa League place. Although De Rossi was seemingly working out at his old club, the team began to show signs of faltering. For instance, the coach only picked up one win in the final eight total games of the 2023/24 season. This included failing to record a win against Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League semifinals.

Roma officials then backed their manager in the summer transfer window. The club brought in several stars throughout the period including Artem Dovbyk, Matias Soule, and Enzo Le Fée. Despite the additions, Roma has gone winless in their first four Serie A matches of the current campaign. As a result, the Giallorossi currently sits 16th in the table.

De Rossi fired just three months after signing new contract

De Rossi also previously received a contract extension back in June as well. The fresh deal was supposed to keep the coach in place until 2027. Nevertheless, the string of poor performances has forced Roma brass to make a managerial change.

“The club’s decision is made in the best interests of the team, to get back on the desired path as soon as possible at a time when the season is still in its early stages,” read an official statement by Roma.

“A heartfelt thank you to Daniele, who will always be at home at the Giallorossi club, for the work he has done in recent months with passion and dedication.”

With De Rossi now out, Roma has already identified a replacement at the helm. According to Fabrizio Romano, former Torino coach Ivan Juric will become the club’s next manager of the prestigious team. Juric is set to lead Roma until the end of the 2024/25 season. However, the manager will also apparently receive an additional year if he can get Roma to qualify for the Champions League.

Stoke City joins Roma in making managerial change

The change means that De Rossi is the first manager from the top five European leagues to get fired this season. EFL Championship club Preston North End previously shocked many by sacking their head coach, Ryan Lowe, after the first game of the 2024/25 campaign. Fellow English second-tiered side Stoke City has also made a managerial change this week as well.

The Potters fired Steven Schumacher on Monday following a disappointing start to the season. Schumacher initially took over for Alex Neil midway through the 2023/24 campaign. Despite a shaky start, the coach ultimately guided the Potters to safety in the Championship.

Nevertheless, Stoke officials feel as if the club has bigger ambitions than just staving off relegation to League One. The Potters, one of the oldest soccer clubs in the world, were previously a mainstay in the Premier League. While they have failed to get back to the top flight since suffering the drop in 2018, team execs believe that they should be at the other end of the table.

Former Stoke defender Ryan Shawcross took over for Schumacher on an interim basis. However, the club announced on Wednesday that they had hired Narcís Pelach as their official head coach. The 36-year-old Spaniard was most recently the interim boss of Huddersfield Town in 2023. Pelach’s first game in charge of Stoke will come against Hull City on Friday, Sep. 20.

PHOTOS: IMAGO