Ranieri returns to Roma to replace Spalletti

Claudio Ranieri has agreed to become the new coach of Roma, his lawyer announced on Tuesday, hours after Luciano Spalletti left his job as manager of the Serie A heavyweights.

“There’s an agreement and tomorrow (Wednesday) there’ll be a signature,” Ranieri’s lawyer Mattia Grassani told Italian news agency Ansa.

“The contract will be for two years.”

Ranieri, 57, was sacked as coach of Roma’s rivals Juventus two games prior to the end of last season after a sequence of underwhelming results.

The former Napoli, Fiorentina, Valencia, Atletico Madrid and Chelsea coach agreed to join the ‘Giallorossi’ after a meeting on Tuesday morning with club president Rosella Sensi.

The move to the Stadio Olimpico represents a return to Ranieri’s roots.

Born in the Italian capital, he was raised in the Testaccio district and was a regular on the Roma terraces before beginning his playing career at the club in 1973 but leaving after playing just six matches.

He agreed his return to the club a matter of hours after Spalletti announced his decision to step down.

“I submitted my resignation and the club accepted it,” said Spalletti after a 30-minute meeting with Sensi.

Roma lost 3-1 at home to likely title contenders Juventus on Sunday to leave them bottom of the Serie A table, having lost their opening game of the season 3-2 at Genoa.

Spalletti, 50, joined the club in 2005 from Udinese. His contract was due to expire in 2011.

He initially enjoyed success at the Stadio Olimpico, taking the side to second-placed league finishes in 2006, 2007 and 2008 and back-to-back triumphs in the Italian Cup in 2007 and 2008.

Roma also made it to the quarter-finals of the Champions League in 2007 and 2008, but they never recovered from a terrible start to last season and finished the campaign in a disappointing sixth place.

Spalletti is the first coach or manager to quit or be sacked from Italy’s top flight this season.