Tiago Pinto has stated that Edin Dzeko will no longer wear Roma’s armband after a falling out with manager Paulo Fonseca.
AS Roma have had a brilliant spell in Serie A this season and sit in the league’s top three just six points behind the current leaders. However, the situation off the pitch seems to be the exact opposite. In fact, Roma’s players rebelled against their manager Paulo Fonseca less than two weeks ago.
Edin Dzeko was reported to be one of the players leading the squad as they raged against Fonseca in a training session and asked for the return of Gianluca Gomber. Roma’s former team manager had recently been sacked after the mishap in the Italian Cup which led the Giallorossi to perform six substitutions in one match.
Naturally, the coup didn’t sit well with Paulo Fonseca and it was rumored a few days later that Roma was looking to swap the Bosnian for Inter’s Alexis Sanchez. However, the deal failed to go through and reports began to claim that Edin Dzeko had lost the captain’s armband. Moreover, the striker has been training separate from the rest of the squad, which is never a good sign.
Roma’s new general manager Tiago Pinto, who recently arrived from Benfica, decided to shed some light on the matter.
“I don’t want to find an escape route. It’s important to understand that inside a club there are dynamics similar to those of families. Families become stronger by solving their problems.
Edin is a strong footballer, a great professional with great experience and personality. Fonseca is the leader of our project. He’s done a great job and he is the right person to build the future of the club,” said Pinto.
The general manager hinted that Dzeko may have broken some rules.
The Bosnian returned to the squad’s training sessions this Tuesday. However, Dzeko’s relationship with Paulo Fonseca still seems to be somewhat shaky. In fact, Tiago Pinto confirmed that the striker is no longer the club’s captain.
“Over the last few days, we’ve had meetings together in order to strengthen mutual trust. We came out happy and confident, now we must focus on the collective good which is more important than the interest of individuals.
I am convinced a club must be based on rules, right now Edin is not the captain. But we are working for the club’s good, and Dzeko will be the first one to work for this.”
AS Roma and Paulo Fonseca are yet to disclose who will be the next player to wear the Giallorossi’s armband. However, some reports suggest that Lorenzo Pellegrini will pick up the role for the upcoming fixtures.
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