Before tonight’s Conference League clash with CSKA Sofia, General Manager Tiago Pinto spoke to Sky Sport and shared his thoughts on Roma’s current season, the long term project and Pellegrini’s pending renewal.
On the positive atmosphere around the club:
“The ambiente has recovered, as it is always the case in football when the results arrive. The environment is different here in Rome but the fans have understood that the Friedkins are changing the club.”
“If we win we are happy. If we don’t win, the environment gets worse. But in Trigoria we cannot think like this: we are happy that the fans are happy, but the project takes time and we have to wait.”
On whether Mourinho puts pressure on the management with his demands:
“It bothers me to think that a coach has to put pressure on the club. I don’t work like that and Mourinho neither.”
“We talk every day, we work together and without pressure. Nobody works with pressure. We always talk about time: it is not an excuse but a key element of our project. We have young people to develop and from the first day we have repeated it.”
On whether the Friedkins are aware of Pellegrini’s high demands for his contract renewal:
“The Friedkins have given Lorenzo and all the players a solid and cohesive project, Lorenzo has given us a lot of quality and professionalism. His leadership was also a major change.”
“We want him to stay, he wants to stay. The negotiation is complex and takes time. There are no problems.”
On how the idea of bringing Shomurodov in came about:
“From day one we said we needed three strikers and were looking for a more dynamic striker. We worked with scouting.”
“We are happy with this choice, he has great room for growth. His getting used to Roma will allow him to become stronger, more so by learning from Mourinho and his staff, for example his heading ability.”
“I am happy with this choice, perhaps at the beginning the fans did not understand but now it is clear that he can become very strong.”
