Roma captain on Mourinho’s departure: ‘It was a shock’
The Italian midfielder revealed he was shocked by the coach’s departure
Roma captain Lorenzo Pellegrini told Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport on Friday that he wanted to continue to be coached by Jose Mourinho and that his departure was unexpected: “It was a shock because none of us could have imagined what happened. It was not a good moment for us.”
The Italian midfielder spoke about the conversation he had with the club’s sporting director at the time, Portuguese Tiago Pinto, who assured him that Mourinho would not leave, months after guiding Roma to the final of the 2022/23 Europa League .
Lorenzo Pellegrini was full of praise for the current Fenerbahçe coach , with whom he enjoyed the best years of his career: «I enjoyed the best years of my career with José. Immediately after he was fired, other ridiculous rumours started to appear and we spoke on the phone because I wanted to clarify my position. He understood. Mou is captivating and impresses you», said the Italian international, who has been with the Italian capital’s first team for eight years.
While serving the Roman club, Mourinho won a Conference League and became the first coach to win three continental club cups, having already won two Champions Leagues and two Europa Leagues.
It is worth remembering that the Portuguese coach arrived at the Giallorosso club in May 2021 and left the position in January 2024, six days after the elimination in the quarter-finals of the Cup at eternal rivals Lazio. Since his departure, Roma has had three coaches.
