Gian Piero Gasperini announced on Saturday that he will depart Atalanta after nine extremely prosperous years before an anticipated transfer to rivals Roma. Gasperini, aged 67, is leaving having transformed the Bergamo outfit from provincial second-raters in the shadow of the giants of Milan down the road to one of Italy’s top teams and even Europa League champions last season. “In the last few hours I have decided to put an end to a wonderful nine-year-long story… I’m ending my experience in Bergamo as head coach of Atalanta,”Gasperini stated in an open letter addressed to newspaper L’Eco di Bergamo.
“I decided to end my relationship with the club, and no responsibility should be put upon the club or its directors. I’ve simply come to understand that the time has come to take this step.”
Atalanta’s Rise Under Gasperini and Champions League Qualification
Atalanta ended the third in Serie A last season and qualified for Champions League football with two games remaining following a failure with a bold attempt at the club’s league title.
Gasperini will move to Roma on a three-year deal with a net wage of five million euros per annum as the capital side attempt to rebuild themselves among the top four of the Serie A.
Ranieri’s Short-Term Revival and Roma’s Champions League Near Miss
Roma last made it to the Champions League in 2017 and narrowly failed to earn a spot in Europe’s elite club competition on the last day of the season at the weekend, following a barnstorming up the standings under local hero Claudio Ranieri.
Ranieri emerged from retirement in November to rescue Roma from slipping into the bottom three and led them to fifth place and a Europa League berth.
Roma’s Historic Struggles and Comparison with Napoli
Roma, one of Italy’s largest clubs with a huge and dedicated following, have only won the Serie A on three occasions, the last time way back in 2001.
Bitter rivals Napoli have surpassed them, with their recent Scudetto success raising their total to four, including two in the last three seasons.
Challenges Await Gasperini in the Rome Hot Seat
Gasperini has an abrasive personality and often gets hot-headed with journalists. He will face both an anxious, high-tension fanbase and a fevered media market in the Italian capital.
There are a whole host of radio stations, sites and even a daily newspaper devoted solely to Roma that have been responsible for bust-ups with past coaches and which can generate massive pressure if things are not going well.
Juventus Miss Out as Gasperini Chooses Roma
Gasperini opted for Roma ahead of Juventus who attempted to persuade him to join Turin following their failure to poach club legend Antonio Conte from Napoli.
Juve are now in trouble as they appointed Igor Tudor as a temporary fix until the end of the season after replacing the sacked Thiago Motta in March.