Roma appoint Spalletti Friday 17 June, 2005
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As expected, Roma have officially appointed former Udinese boss Luciano Spalletti as their new Coach.
“I can safely say that Roma, its players, fans and the Eternal City are very exciting for a tactician,” he said before penning a two-year deal with an option to extend for a third.
The Giallorossi have confirmed in a statement that Spalletti will earn £1.4m per season plus bonuses for hitting certain targets. His first Press Conference will be held on Tuesday afternoon.
The deal had been in the air for several weeks, but had been held up by the Friuli outfit’s refusal to release him from his contract.
A meeting with director general Pietro Leonardi on Thursday finally allowed the two to part company and Spalletti is now free to start his career at the Stadio Olimpico, while current boss Bruno Conti returns to the Roma youth team.
“Now I can breathe a sigh of relief,” he told Spq Radio. “I was never really worried, but clearly the consensual break with Udinese allows me to choose my future destination without pressure. I think the agreement suits both the Friuli outfit and myself.”
This is a major step up for the 46-year-old, who before joining Udinese had sat on the benches of Empoli, Sampdoria, Venezia and Ancona.
He came to the Giallorossi’s attention following this season’s remarkable fourth-place finish that qualified Udinese for the Champions’ League preliminary round.
Spalletti has already drawn up a shopping list for the Giallorossi and it’s believed he wants to bring David Pizarro with him from Udinese. The Chilean midfielder is also a target for Inter and Juventus, but the presence of the Coach at the Stadio Olimpico could sway him.
The main problem seems to be his £10m price-tag, so it’s possible Roma will instead turn their attention to Real Madrid benchwarmer Jose Maria Gutierrez, known to his fans as Guti. The talented player would cost just £5.3m.
Spalletti will already find three new arrivals, all of them on free transfers, as Siena’s Rodrigo Taddei, Bayern Munich defender Samuel Kuffour and Shabani Nonda of Monaco have all penned contracts over the last couple of weeks.
source: channel4.com