With Tottenham Hotspur supposedly on the verge of appointing Paulo Fonseca as their new manager, there’s some surprise in the media close to AS Roma.
Spurs parted ways with Jose Mourinho last season and have had a long time to pick candidates to take on the role for the coming campaign and beyond. Fonseca was shown the door at Roma, to be replaced by Mourinho, and the protracted manager swap has seen Italian eyebrows raise.
Massimiliano Magni, a journalist for Retesport in Rome, just can’t comprehend the decision-making at the Premier League club, and is quoted by LaRoma24 as saying: “Tottenham fire Mourinho and take Fonseca, it’s a surreal thing. They went from Conte to Fonseca. There are things that can’t be understood at Tottenham.”
Another journalist, Mario Corsi, clearly isn’t a fan of the former Roma boss, and Roma News have him saying: “Fonseca goes there as third choice, but always better than here, where he was the seventh.”
Mourinho, in contrast, is seen by the Rome media as a brilliant appointment, with journalists falling over themselves to praise him.
The potential signing of Granit Xhaka from Arsenal wouldn’t normally fill them with enthusiasm, but because Jose has given his approval it’s seen as a good move, with Roberto Pruzzo saying: “I don’t know Xhaka well, but I trust Mourinho. What Mou does is gold to me. Roma have taken the number one of the coaches.”
Should Fonseca finally be appointed at Tottenham then he’ll surely have plenty of motivation to prove his Italian critics wrong.
