Roma tensions increasing as Gasperini and Ranieri ignore each other

Divisions are beginning to emerge in the Roma camp, especially between head coach Gian Piero Gasperini and senior advisor to the club Claudio Ranieri, who did not speak to each other during lunch before training on Monday according to the latest reports in Italy. 

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Roma ‘can’t continue’ with Gasperini, Ranieri and Massara

According to reports from Corriere dello Sport, the coach and former-coach-turned-advisor were both at Roma’s Trigoria training ground on Monday, but they were sat a few tables apart from each other and Gasperini decided to ‘ignore’ Ranieri in reaction to a provocative interview that came out last week. 

Ahead of Roma’s 3-0 win over Pisa on Friday, Ranieri told DAZN: “My job is very different to the coach’s. I have my say when I’m asked by the ownership, not by the coach. I rarely intervene on matters on the pitch.” 

Ranieri also hinted that Gasperini was not his first-choice head coach to take over at Roma over the summer: “I mentioned the names of five or six coaches. Three didn’t come and the club chose Gasperini. I spoke to him because I knew him. We chose him because of what he achieved at Atalanta. 

“What is happening now is what we expected. We signed young players, all chosen together. There is not one that came in without his approval. (Jan) Ziolkowski, (Daniele) Ghilardi, (Lorenzo) Venturino and (Bryan) Zaragoza all came in at his request, to give the coach a team that had been within a point of the Champions League.” 

The Corriere dello Sport describes the relationship between Gasperini and Ranieri as one of ‘great coldness’, and adds that the ‘silence’ of owner Dan Friedkin has not helped put the matter to bed. 

Tuesday’s report claims that Friedkin is taken aback by the breakdown in relationship between Gasperini and Ranieri. He is said to hold Ranieri in high regard given his previous achievements and his connection with Roma as a club. But, on the other hand, the Friedkins are convinced that Gasperini has done a decent job with the team available in 2025-26. 

The Corriere dello Sport writes that a decision will have to be made at some stage in the relatively near future, and that the current set-up of Gasperini, Ranieri and Ricky Massara as sporting director ‘can not continue’ in its current form.