Earlier this month, Tiago Pinto’s time as General Manager at AS Roma came to an end after three years. His tenure was filled with ups and downs, including the dismissal of Jose Mourinho just two weeks prior to his own exit.
As a result, the club will enter a new era this summer before the start of the 2024/25 campaign. Meanwhile, interest in Serie A and AS Roma is on the rise with many sportsbooks offering free bets for its players.
With Tiago Pinto officially gone, let’s explore some options the Giallorossi could tab as their new transfer chief.
Ricky Massara (Former: AC Milan)
Massara is a name already well-known to Roma fans, having served two previous stints as an executive at the club. He’s currently available and unattached after his four-year stint with AC Milan came to an end last June along with Paolo Maldini.
After flying under the radar for most of his career, Massara earned plaudits throughout Europe in recent years thanks to his impressive record of recruiting talented youngsters such as Mike Maignan, Theo Hernandez, Fikayo Tomori, Rafael Leao, and Ismael Bennacer.
Massara was instrumental in constructing the Rossoneri side that clinched the Serie A title for the 2021/22 season, the club’s first league triumph in 11 years, which was followed by a Champions League semi-final in the following year.
As a result, it’s easy to see why a reunion with the 55 year-old would appeal to many Roma supporters.
Marco Neppe (Former: Bayern Munich)
Probably the hottest name on the sporting director market right now, Marco Neppe was a key figure part of the Bayern Munich upper management from 2014 to January 2024, when his contract was mutually terminated. Neppe played a role in multiple high-profile hits on young talents and international stars alike, including Alphonso Davies, Jamal Musiala, Harry Kane, and Kim Min-Jae.
Roma have already expected interest in the Neppe, but it remains to be seen whether they can actually get a deal done. Several clubs have already registered interest in his services including Tottenham Hotspur.
Florian Maurice (Rennes)
The former head of scouting at Lyon, Florian Maurice is perhaps the name most highly-linked with Roma. During his three year stint as the sporting director at Rennes, Maurice has helped guide the club to consistent European football, while making a healthy profit in the transfer market in the process.
Known as a director who prefers to buy young talent to sell-on for massive profits, Maurice has been behind the huge sales of rising stars like Édouard Mendy, Eduardo Camavinga, and Jeremy Doku.
Francois Modesto (Monza)
We all know Monza more for their iconic racing circuit, but Francois Modesto has been one of the main men behind turning the city into a serious threat on the pitch as well.
After languishing in Italy’s lower tiers for decades, Serie C side Monza were revived in 2018 after being acquired by the late Silvio Berlusconi and former Milan executive Adriano Galliani. Just four years later, Monza reached Serie A for the first time in club history thanks to a series of promotions, competing in Italy’s top flight in the 2022/23 season.
Heading into their first campaign in Serie A, Monza appointed Modesto in August 2022—the Frenchman quickly establishing himself as an impressive talent evaluator with a knack for getting the most out of a small budget.
Tony D’Amico (Atalanta)
Less than two full years into his post, Atalanta executive Tony D’Amico has caught the attention of many clubs, including Roma, thanks to La Dea’s continued success on the pitch.
Despite his relatively young age (43) for a senior executive, D’Amico already boasts vast experience in Serie A thanks to his time at Hellas Verona. In 2016, he was appointed the club’s Head of Scouting before eventually being promoted to Sporting Director in 2018. During his four years in the position, he was key to bringing stability to the Veneto-based side following their promotion from Serie B in 2019. He also helped guide the club to a 9th and 10th-placed finish in 2019/20 and 2020/21, respectively—while being lauded for his knack at identifying and developing talent.
After joining Atalanta in July 2022, D’Amico has been praised for his work on the transfer market after clinching deals for several talented players including Ederson, Ademola Lookman, Charles De Ketelaere, Teun Koopmeiners, and Gianluca Scamacca.
