Paulo Fonseca assures there are no hard feelings after he was replaced by Jose Mourinho at Roma. ‘We exchanged messages and what I appreciated the most was his honesty with me.’
The Portuguese tactician was at the Stadio Olimpico from 2019 to 2021, as a few weeks before his contract was due to expire, it was announced that Mourinho was going to take over next season.
“When I left Roma, we exchanged messages, I understood the situation and what I appreciated the most was Mourinho’s honesty with me,” Fonseca told Sky Sport Italia.
“I knew very well what was happening. Tiago Pinto is someone I respect a great deal, who is doing excellent work at Roma and has always been very honest with me.”
There is a definite Portuguese flavour at the American-owned club, as director of sport Tiago Pinto was drafted in to help first Fonseca and then Mourinho, but it wasn’t that simple at the start.
“Roma are a different club to the others and the people are very passionate, even if we all know it’s not easy to be the coach of Roma. It is still a unique moment in the career of a coach.
“It was difficult when I first arrived, because there as no director of sport and it’s tricky to work without that figure overseeing things, but Tiago Pinto arrived and was very clear.
“The Friedkins wanted to start from scratch and invested to bring in a coach who had won a great deal. That’s only natural.”
It paid off immediately, as Mourinho won the Europa Conference League in his debut season with the Giallorossi, their first ever major UEFA piece of silverware.
As for Fonseca, he took a year out that included having to escape from Ukraine, where his wife is from, and took the job at Ligue 1 side Lille this summer.