Roma sporting director Tiago Pinto spoke highly about coach Jose Mourinho, suggesting that he’s now ‘a Romanista’.
The 59-year-old Portuguese coach took over at the Giallorossi last year, signing a three-year contract with the club. His first season was a success and he guided Roma to their first ever European title, being Feyenoord in the Europa Conference League final. Things are still going well in Mourinho’s second season and Roma currently sit 5th in the Serie A table.
Speaking to The Mirror, Pinto discussed Mourinho’s arrival at Roma and how well he’s settled at the club.
“It was a big achievement for the club to convince Mourinho to accept Roma’s offer. Again, we worked hard – the ownership and myself – trying to persuade him that this was the right project for him.
“Besides the results, the Conference League we won, the progress made by the players, it is a great pride for us to see that he is a Romanista today.
“He fully embraced the values of the club and the city and he is the best ambassador of AS Roma in the world today. When a coach reaches that level of empathy with the city and the fans, it means you did a good job.”
Mourinho has overseen 70 Roma matches since his arrival last year, averaging 1.79 points per match. The underlying numbers prove the Portuguese coach’s strong work in the Italian capital, with the Giallorossi having the second highest expected goals in Serie A this season, 20.3.
The presence of Mourinho on the Giallorossi bench has convinced stars like Paulo Dybala and Andrea Belotti to join the club on free transfers in the summer.