Lost amid the hoopla and fallout from the Gian Piero Gasperini-Claudio Ranieri feud, which led to Ranieri’s dismissal, was another, arguably more important footnote: Director of Sport Frederic Massara may be next on the chopping block. Brought back for his third stint with the club, Roma was banking on the third time being the charm for the 58-year-old Torino native, who popped in and out of Trigoria over the past several years, most recently in 2019.
After landing the likes of Wesley, Neil El Aynaoui,
Evan Ferguson, Leon Bailey, and Daniele Ghilardi over the summer, Massara’s third stint at the club got off to a busy start. However, as we’ve come to realize, busy doesn’t necessarily mean better. With a few of Massara’s signings missing the mark, if not the entire target itself, many have questioned whether the two men were on the same page when it came to team building.
While this disagreement was strictly professional, Gasperini admitted to a lack of synchronicity with his Director of Sport. Speaking before last weekend’s match with Bologna, Gasperini provided some insight into this relationship:
“Massara is a great person, but on a technical level, we haven’t managed to create a bond, a connection,” he admits. “But it’s always been about the team; there’s never been anything personal. It’s always been about my style of play, which may be a little different than what you might think. But always about professional requests, never personal ones. Will he leave? The club decides, not me
“I didn’t know some players, I always said that if he had seen them and liked them, then sign them. That’s your job, and if you know what you’re looking for, do it. You know, July, I’ve always looked for certain characteristics. From day one, I said we should strengthen our attacking lineup because the team was strong. It didn’t seem like such an extraordinary request, but rather a common one for a new coach with a different way of playing. As for the rest, I never vetoed them or anything else. I never denied anyone their job. I always tried to push forward, I always believed the team had good value, and that was the crux of my request. Is it something so difficult to understand that it caused this situation? Sancho? The owners rightly decided not to go through with that deal.”
It’s the bolded part of that quotation (emphasis added) that has fueled rumors of Massara’s dismissal. While Massara hasn’t provided any indication he’s leaving his post, sources in Italy claim that Roma is already compiling a list of replacements, headlined by Cristian Giuntoli, formerly of Napoli and Juventus. La Repubblica adds Atalanta’s Tony D’Amico, Verona’s Sean Sogliano and Napoli’s Giovanni Manna to the list.
If this is truly Gasperini’s show now, Roma should give him considerable say in Massara’s future and possible replacement. They’re all in now, so there’s no point in hedging their bets.
