Jose Mourinho: Fabio Capello and Paulo Fonseca praise incoming Roma manager's appointment
Former Roma manager Fabio Capello thinks players will choose to come to Serie A over other European leagues because of Jose Mourinho's return; his ex-Inter players Esteban Cambiasso and Diego Milito have applauded the Portuguese's decision to come back to Italy
Wednesday 5 May 2021 21:45, UK
Fabio Capello says Jose Mourinho's return to Italian football will help raise the profile of Serie A, while outgoing Roma boss Paulo Fonseca thinks his successor will do a "great job" in charge at the Stadio Olimpico.
The former Tottenham head coach was appointed on a three-year deal earlier this week and will begin his new role at the start of next season. The announcement came three hours after the club confirmed that Fonesca will leave his position at the end of the 2020/21 campaign.
The last time Roma won the Scudetto was under Capello's tenure from 1999-2004 where the Italian coach, who also played 84 times for the club from 1967-1970, guided the Giallorossi to their third Serie A title in the 2000/01 season. He also won the Italian Super Cup a year later.
Mourinho's appointment was greeted with pleasant surprise by many in Italy and Capello believes the Portuguese manager will help enhance the profile of Serie A both domestically and abroad upon his return to the league.
Capello said: "He will certainly bring some enthusiasm and the fans will expect a lot from him.
"But the most important thing for Roma is that when some players will be torn between going to Italy or somewhere else knowing about Mourinho, they will choose Italy.
"Italian football will enhance its appeal and this will be extremely important.
"It will be important to pick the right players, of course, but when in doubt if going to Italy, Germany or France, a lot of players will want to go to Italy and this means strengthening the squad and having the chance to be competitive."
When asked whether Mourinho could win the Scudetto for Roma again, Capello said: "Yes, in fact it usually happens more or less every 20 years! We'll see if Mourinho will be able to do it."
Fonseca, whose Roma side are seventh in Serie A with four league games left this season and face Manchester United in the Europa League semi-final second leg on Thursday, admits he felt his tenure at the club had run its course and is convinced that his successor will excel at the Stadio Olimpico next term.
"For me, professionalism is a sacred value. I am as motivated here today as I was on my first day. I want to do my best for Roma until the final day," Fonseca said.
"Mourinho is a great coach, we all know that. I think he will do a great job. Speaking honestly, I thought it was time to follow a different path away from Roma."
Diego Milito and Esteban Cambiasso, whom Mourinho won the Champions League, the Coppa Italia, the Italian Super Cup, and two Serie A titles with during his stay at Inter Milan from 2008-2010, also applauded his return to management in Italy.
Milito said: "I think it's a very positive thing for Italian football. Logically, I would have liked him to come back to Inter but we have a lot of affection for Jose.
"We want him to succeed everywhere he goes - obviously not against Inter or, in my case, against Genoa.
"I wish him all the luck in the world because he understands the moment, he knows how to unlock his players' full potential.
"He's very close to them in every single detail, he knows how to manage every situation.
"I think that not every manager has these qualities, and that's why I always said he's one of the best managers in the world, without a doubt."
Cambiasso added: "My first thought is that I was surprised by the timing, although I could imagine something like this would have happened after Jose's statements in the past few days where he said that Inter are a special team for him but he would have no problem in coaching a rival, so I could have envisaged a return to Italy, it makes sense.
Analysis: A seismic moment in Roma's history
Sky Sports' Tommaso Fiore...
This is a serious statement of intent from the Friedkin family, Roma's new American owners. Jose Mourinho is their first appointment as manager since they took over the club in August last year. It wrong-footed and shell-shocked the whole Italian football landscape - fans, players and executives alike, and even all the journalists.
While the Roma fanbase were left reeling from a shocking Serie A run which saw them collect five points in eight games and a humiliating 6-2 defeat at Old Trafford in a much-awaited Europa League semi-final which could have saved their season, Dan and Ryan Friedkin put in the work behind the scenes to deliver one of the most seismic moments in Roma's recent history, possibly even surpassing Fabio Capello's arrival in 1999.
Roma and Tottenham share striking similarities - they are two big clubs who won their last trophy, a domestic cup, in 2008 and have enjoyed success on the European stage rather than at home in recent years. Just like Spurs, Roma have brought in the Special One to end that long and painful trophy drought and take the club to that next level - bridging the gap with Juve, AC Milan and Inter, the three Italian big sisters.
There is no doubt that Roma needed someone like Mourinho to resurrect their fortunes. The club have never had such a serial winner in their ranks and they are hoping he can follow in the footsteps of Antonio Conte at Inter Milan, who came in and won the club their first league title in 11 years just a couple of days ago.
Mourinho's appointment does mark something of a break in tradition as far as Roma's style is concerned. The club have tried to build an attacking-minded team, trying to win by playing spectacular and possession-based football with Fonseca. That experiment has now backfired, and Maurizio Sarri made up what seemed like the perfect alternative to continue that philosophy.
However, looking at the club's recent performances in Serie A, it makes perfect sense that the board were able to find the balance between their hunger to become a European heavyweight, signalled by the appointment of Portuguese general manager Tiago Pinto, and their domestic drive. Mourinho, the most Italian of foreigners, represents the perfect compromise to build a future where Roma can compete both at home and abroad.
Now it is imperative for the Friedkins to back Mourinho in the transfer market to kickstart a project which can truly return Roma to their former glory. Capello's arrival in the Italian capital in 1999 prompted the signing of Gabriel Omar Batistuta, one of the most prolific strikers in the world at that time, and Roma went on to win their third Scudetto in 2001. There are so many connections with the past that it's impossible for Roma fans now not to be excited about the future.
