AS Roma is taking a “What have you done for me lately?” approach to its managerial position after losing to Porto in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16.
[ MORE: 2nd leg recap ]
A semifinalist one season ago, Eusebio Di Francesco will reportedly be fired by i Lupi after coughing up a 2-1 first leg lead in Portugal on Thursday.
And a former Premier League champion may be first in line to replace him.
Claudio Ranieri is the favorite to replace Di Francesco, and there’s talk that a managerial change could happen very soon despite some pleas to keep the current manager until the end of the Serie A season.
Cristian Panucci and Roberto Donadoni are also named as potential successors to Di Francesco.
Roma sold Alisson Becker, Radja Nainngolan, and Kevin Strootman last summer, and Mohamed Salah, Antonio Rudiger, and Leandro Paredes the prior summer.
Di Francesco led a 3rd place Serie A run last season, losing in the Coppa Italia Round of 16, and the UCL semifinals v. Liverpool. This season, Roma is again battling for third, and lost in the Coppa’s quarterfinals, and UCL Round of 16.
Ranieri was fired by Fulham last month as the Premier League outfit labors in the relegation zone, and served in the same position at Nantes after leading Leicester City to its amazing PL title.
He’s played and managed Roma, leading a Serie A title push for the club in 2010 (ultimately falling short to Inter Milan).
The firing would be harsh on Di Francesco, who came within an extra time penalty of penalty kicks and another UCL quarterfinal. He would become one of the top available managers on the market.