Nuno Espirito Santo and Farioli latest names on Roma list of Ranieri replacements

LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 18: Nuno Espirito Santo, Manager of Nottingham Forest, acknowledges the fans following his team’s victory in the Premier League match between West Ham United FC and Nottingham Forest FC at London Stadium on May 18, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Steve Bardens/Getty Images)

Nottingham Forest head coach Nuno Espirito Santo has reportedly been offered the position of head coach at Roma, while Francesco Farioli gives the Giallorossi another option to replace Claudio Ranieri following his departure from Ajax on Monday. 

According to reports from Relevo, Nuno Espirito Santo was offered the job as head coach of Roma on Monday. 

Tuesday’s reports claim that the former Porto, Wolves and Tottenham boss has been offered a two-year contract to take over at the Stadio Olimpico. 

Nuno Espirito Santo and Farioli on Roma list 

Roma are actively seeking a new head coach to replace Claudio Ranieri in the Olimpico dugout at the end of the 2024-25 season. The 73-year-old is currently acting as interim head coach until the end of the season, at which stage he will move into a directorship role and will have a say on the next head coach. 

Several names have been linked with the Giallorossi job in recent months, including Roberto Mancini, Gian Piero Gasperini, Cesc Fabregas, Patrick Vieira, Roberto De Zerbi, Stefano Pioli, Edin Terzic, Massimiliano Allegri and most recently Jurgen Klopp, although the German’s agent has already ruled out a move to the capital. 

Despite their long list of candidates, several options have already been ruled out of the running. Fabregas and Vieira have expressed desires to stay on at their current clubs, Gasperini is in talks over a contract extension with Atalanta, while Allegri is being lined up to take over at Napoli in the event that Antonio Conte leaves for Juventus. 

Farioli is one of the other remaining options following his departure from Ajax, which was officially announced on Monday. He has already worked together with Roma director Florent Ghisolfi at OGC Nice, and is reportedly keen on a swift return to management. 

As things stand, Nuno Espirito Santo is one of the other leading candidates to take over. Much, however, depends on Nottingham Forest’s finish to the Premier League season. 

Why Nuno Espirito Santo is still a difficult target for Roma 

Forest are currently seventh in the table with one game left to play, although they are only one point away from third place, and importantly, the Premier League top five will all qualify for next season’s Champions, as well as the winner of the Tottenham-Manchester United Europa League final. 

That means that Nuno Espirito Santo and Forest are still in contention for a return to the Champions for the first time in over 30 years, which could make it difficult for Roma to lure the coach away, particularly if they miss out on qualification themselves.