Claudio Ranieri will forever be remembered as one of Leicester City’s greats, following on from one of the greatest upsets the Premier League has ever seen.
The manager took a side that narrowly avoided relegation and turned them into Premier League champions in a season that shocked the world.
While a deep run in the Champions League followed, Leicester haven’t been able to return to the heights that Claudio Ranieri took them to.
In the years since, the Foxes and the Italian manager have been on different paths, and while misery hangs over the King Power Stadium, their ex-boss is having a more enjoyable time elsewhere.
Italian media praise Claudio Ranieri impact at AS Roma
Many say to never return to an old club, but Ranieri broke that rule when he decided to join AS Roma earlier in the season.
The 73-year-old was the manager there from 2009 until 2011, along with a short stint at the end of the 2018/19 season.
His return this campaign has come during turbulent times for Roma, where relegation became a real possibility.
Since Ranieri’s return though, focus has switched to European football, with the Italian media praising his impact.
Outlet Corriere dello Sport said about him: “Ranieri is Roma’s salvation and regret. In a few months, he fixed the season, giving it meaning: until early December there were even those who hypothesized the risk of relegation. But at the same time, he authorized unhealthy thoughts about what could have been if [there was relegation]…”
It was outlined how Ranieri has turned struggling players into key stars and while focus is on the rest of the season, there remains a question about whether he will stay for longer or not.
- READ MORE: Leicester told they have a young talent who ‘every top English club will be in for’ this summer
How has Claudio Ranieri done at Roma this season?
It’s fair to say that Ranieri has made a huge impact at Roma ever since joining the club to help rescue their difficult situation.
Moving from relegation candidates to European hopefuls, only three teams have picked up more points per game since the Italian arrived.
| Matches | Wins | Draws | Defeats | Points per game |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 2.0 |
With Ranieri’s contract expiring in the summer, there are reports from Nico Schira claiming the Friedkin Group, the current owners of Roma, want to keep him on for another year.
If he manages to complete a stunning turnaround, it may well be the next chapter in his seemingly never-ending career that moves from strength to strength.
At the same time, many may wonder what if he returned to Leicester instead of Roma.