Rainieri: Totti may return to Roma

Former Roma manager Claudio Ranieri has revealed that the club legend, Francesco Totti, might return to the club in an official capacity.

Rainieri, who is now a senior adviser at the capital club, revealed that the club owners, the Friedkin family, are considering bringing  Totti back to the club.

Speaking to Sky Sport, via SportMediaset, the senior advisor said the Friedkins are thinking about it, saying the 2010 World Cup winner can truly be useful to the club, having been part of it.

Totti never played for another football club throughout his career, except for the capital club, where he is a legendary figure.

According to reports, there had been talks between the parties for some time, as the discussions focused on defining what role and responsibilities were on offer for the former captain.

This becomes crucial, having had previous experience with the hierarchy that broke down largely due to disagreements over his level of influence.

Totti, who hung up his boots in May 2017, immediately moved into a directorial role at the club, initially working as a technical area collaborator before leaving the club. 

Ahead of his reported return, Totti, under then-owner James Pallotta, was recruited to be involved as both a symbolic and supportive figure at the club, having been an icon whose commitment remained unquestioned.

However, the role was ill-defined as the legend admitted on several occasions that he had little real decision-making power, making him often feel marginalised in key processes.

These issues ultimately led to his departure from the club’s management structure.

So, it’s then important for the management to define his role clearly ahead of his potential return, which is expected not to depend on sentiment, but on a clear and meaningful position within the current Roma project.

Thus, it is expected to be sorted in the days to come as Roma hope to be in the right direction this time around.