Interviews

Fonseca gives first interview since Roma departure

John Solano
I

Paulo Fonseca gave his first interview since officially departing the club earlier this week.

The Portuguese technician’s contract with the Giallorossi was not renewed while the club announced earlier this month that José Mourinho would be the new manager.

When asked about how he’s feeling since his departure, Fonseca claimed that he’s not fretting over his future.

“I’m calm, relaxed. I think I always gave everything to Roma and I developed fantastic relationships there,” he said to Sky Sport.

“I like Italian football a lot and I enjoy living here. The lifestyle here is very similar to Portugal, but I have to choose wisely. I had contact with Fiorentina but they’ve appointed a great manager. But now I’m going to go on holiday and we’ll see what happens.”

When asked to give a verdict on his spell in the Italian capital, Fonseca asserted that injuries took their

“My first year there was positive. We had new players arrive and a new Sporting Director. And I’ve got to be honest, I learned a lot from him. Petrachi is a wonderful professional and he always supported me. His departure was among the most difficult moments – I was left to manage the entire team without support.”

“Up until March this season, we were in the top four of the table. Then we ran into injury issues. It’s not an excuse, but simply the truth.”

“The episode that Dzeko and I had didn’t effect the season. The club and I made a decision but Edin and I resolved the issue as professionals.”

He continued, “Once the new ownership group came, it became clear that I could leave. There wasn’t one specific moment when it became obvious. Once Tiago arrived, he and I spoke a lot and did so very directly. It was easy for me to see that this cycle was finished.”

Before concluding, Fonseca was asked about the arrival of Mourinho, who signed a three-year contract with Roma.

“We exchanged messages and spoke honestly,” he revealed. “He’s a great manager, I wish him a lot of success at Roma.”

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