Sources confirm Lampard as one of four contenders for Roma job as another former Chelsea boss is ruled out

The Friedkin Group, who are set to take over Everton, are searching for a new Roma manager and former Toffees boss Frank Lampard has been discussed, TEAMtalk can confirm.

Roma’s current manager, Ivan Juric, is under huge pressure after the Italian giant’s dismal start to the season that has seen them drop to 11th in the Serie A table.

TFG, who should be in charge of Everton by the end of the year if all goes smoothly, have been the subject of protests by Roma supporters in recent weeks.

Fans have strongly criticised TFG’s decision making on a number of fronts, namely the sacking of former manager and club legend Daniele de Rossi after just four games, as well as poor player recruitment.

Roma are now on the hunt for a new boss and TEAMtalk sources have confirmed that former Everton and Chelsea boss Lampard is being considered, as first revealed by the Italian press. However, we understand that another former Chelsea manager, Graham Potter, is not in the running, contrary to reports.

Following a two-year stint at Chelsea, Lampard was appointed Everton boss in 2022. He managed to guide the club away from relegation in the penultimate match of the 2021/22 season, but was sacked in the following campaign after a poor run of form that saw the Toffees win just once in 11 games.

Lampard isn’t the only managerial target on the Giallorossi’s shortlist, however. TEAMtalk can confirm that former Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini is at the top of their shortlist.

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Four concrete Roma manager targets confirmed – sources

Mancini left his role as manager of the Saudi Arabia national team last month, following disappointing results during the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification.

Sources have revealed to TEAMtalk that Mancini is ‘among the strongest candidates to become the next Roma manager,’ with the sacking of Juric increasingly certain.

Paulo Sousa, who played for many years in Italy and has managerial experience in Italy with Fiorentina and Salernitana, is another option on the list.

There is hesitance when it comes to Sousa, however, as he is viewed as a similar profile of manager to Juric in terms of his background and attitude.

Sousa is currently manager of United Arab Emirates club Al Shabab Al Ahli, and therefore Roma would have to pay a compensation fee to appoint him.

Finally, ex-Borussia Dortmund manager Edin Terzic is also on TFG’s shortlist, who was recently linked with the Manchester United job.

Terzic is currently out-of-work and that is appealing to Roma in a financial sense as it would cost nothing to appoint him in terms of compensation, but the fact he has no Serie A experience is a sticking point.

As for Lampard, he is actively searching for his next role as a manager and the opportunity to manage a huge club like Roma is certainly tempting.

However, as mentioned, the situation at Roma is currently very difficult. So, the job could be a poisoned chalice for Lampard, who has struggled for success in his managerial career so far.

IN FOCUS: The Friedkin Group’s highs and lows at Roma

Written by Samuel Bannister

HIGHS

• The appointment of Jose Mourinho as Roma’s head coach in 2021 drew plenty of global attention to the club, both in terms of media coverage and also the kinds of player they could appeal to even without Champions League football being on offer. Thanks to his previous success in Italy – and the struggles Roma were going through at the time – the hiring of Mourinho generated a buzz in Rome, and even though he wasn’t unanimously popular, the majority of local fans still hold him dearly.
• Roma developed a reputation for picking up high-profile free agents or loan players while dealing with Financial Fair Play scrutiny, for example drawing huge crowds for the presentations of Paulo Dybala and Romelu Lukaku in showcase events organised by the club.
• Roma won the first ever Europa Conference League trophy in 2022 under the Friedkin ownership, which was their first honour of any kind in 14 years, first UEFA trophy ever, and prompted frenzied celebrations in the Italian capital.
• Dan Friedkin has overseen a significant reduction in Roma’s debts and expenses, stabilising the club financially.
• Roma’s attendances have shown strong signs of improvement under the Friedkins – at least until recently. Even prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, Roma’s attendances were rarely sell-outs, but there have since been more than 50 sell-out crowds under the Friedkins’ jurisdiction at Stadio Olimpico (however, this hard work is on the verge of being undone due to current fan frustration at the owners, which we will cover shortly).
• And on a similar note, Roma have made progress on their new stadium project with the aim of breaking ground in late 2025/early 2026 (but that is a lengthy process that the club have been trying to facilitate since long before the Friedkins’ reign, with various setbacks, so their supporters aren’t counting any chickens before they hatch).

LOWS

• The decision to bring back club legend Daniele De Rossi as Mourinho’s replacement divided opinion, but initially worked well. However, the Friedkins were too quick to announce De Rossi would be rewarded with the permanent job partway through his interim spell before a downturn in fortunes and chaos ensued when they backtracked and sacked him four games into the new season, despite only one of those games being a defeat, and replaced him with Ivan Juric, a respectable Serie A coach who had nevertheless never managed a club of their size before. Reports have suggested Roma’s board rejected more established coaches like Thomas Tuchel and Edin Terzic in favour of Juric.
• Critics have long since argued that Roma have been lacking an adequate footballing structure at board level, with a clear absence of authoritative personnel with inside knowledge of the sport at board level. Too much power has, at times, been assigned to individuals, rather than a network of decision makers.
• Although hampered by Financial Fair Play restrictions, the Friedkins’ spending (or lack thereof) for the team led to a banner being shown from the fanbase once, which described Dan Friedkin – perhaps a touch unfairly – as a “low-cost president”.
• And once Roma unshackled themselves and spent heavily in the summer of 2024, they did so heavily and with plenty of conflicts of interest. The club took too long to appoint a technical director (Florent Ghisolfi), negatively impacting their planning, and even after they did, it was alleged that CEO Lina Souloukou (who stepped down in the aftermath of De Rossi’s sacking, having been blamed as a key instigator of it) was the one calling the shots. Critics argue that Roma failed to address their main areas of concern on the pitch despite spending more than €100m on new players.
• Historically, the Friedkins have been criticised for remaining too quiet when Roma have been up against perceived injustices and having a lack of clear spokespeople for when times are tough. Communication has been a significant issue within their tenure.
• Recently, Roma’s ultras in the Curva Sud have been boycotting the first 15 minutes of home matches in protest against the Friedkins and displaying banners demonstrating how they are “disgusted” by the running of the club. Statements have accused the Friedkins of failing to live up to promises, disrespecting club icons, as well as “general disorganisation, superficial merchandising, choice of inadequate people to represent Roma under all points of view, considering their non-knowledge of the city reality, of Roma’s history and the traditional values of Roma fans.”

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