Gasperini Meets With Roma, No Deal Struck; Juventus Looming

As Roma fans, we’ve learned never to count our chickens before they hatch. Whether it was the Malcolm deal falling apart at the last minute, the numerous updates claiming that the Stadio della Roma had received the green light, or James Pallotta telling us he wasn’t selling Alisson, we’ve been burned too many times by sure things going wrong. This isn’t a new phenomenon, either. Do you happen to have an Adrian Mutu Roma kit handy?

Why are we discussing those misfires, you might ask? It’s simple. Roma’s presumed new manager, current Atalanta head coach Gian Piero Gasperini, met with the Giallorossi brass today to discuss the finer points of Roma’s offer and their plan for the future. And while most outlets report it was a productive meeting in Florence, Gasperini left without signing a rumored three-year deal that the capital club offered.

According to Ginaluca Di Marzio, Gasperini has requested two to three days to consider the offer. While that’s perfectly reasonable—he’s leaving Atalanta after nearly nine years, after all—it could potentially leave the door open for Juventus to one-up Roma’s offer. Although Juve hasn’t formally met with Gasperini about their managerial vacancy, now that Antonio Conte has rebuffed the Old Lady’s advances and decided to stay with Napoli, DAZN and Sportitalia each report that Juventus is willing to swoop in and snatch Gasperini from underneath Roma’s nose.

None of this is surprising (this is Roma after all), but it will nevertheless make for an anxiety-ridden 48 hours.