Ex-Premier League manager Claudio Ranieri reveals he rejected Chelsea offer before taking new job

01/02/2025 10:23 AM

Former Premier League manager Claudio Ranieri has revealed he rejected an offer from Chelsea before coming out of retirement to take over at Roma.

Ranieri, 73, was appointed as head coach of Roma in November shortly after Ivan Juric was sacked.

The Italian, who remarkably won the Premier League with Leicester City at odds of 5000-1, will be in charge of Roma until the end of the season.

Ranieri announced his retirement earlier in the year but has also taken on a advisory role at the Serie A club and will aid their search for a new permanent manager.

At the end of the season, ex-Chelsea boss Ranieri will ‘transition into a senior executive role’.

Ranieri was seemingly offered a similar job at Chelsea last year but turned the Blues down as he felt he did not have the ‘English connections’ required.

Discussing his role at Roma, Ranieri told La Gazzetta dello Sport: ‘In England, they say that “Rome wasn't built in a day”.

‘Nobody has a magic wand. I was asked to put things back in their place, also while acting as an advisor.

‘They had already asked after me at Chelsea, but I said no. In England, I don't have the connections that I have here, which I need to do things properly. 

‘Roma is my life, and now I have more experience, I'm vaccinated against every situation. It's also the realisation of a childhood dream, from somebody who stood in the Curva Sud. 

‘I also like this dual role, between coaching and managing.’

Roma were 12th in Serie A and 20th in the Europa League when Juric was sacked after just 12 games in charge.

I Giallorossi have improved somewhat under Ranieri, currently sitting 10th in Serie A and 14th in the Europa League table.

Ranieri spent four years in charge of Chelsea at the turn of the century, some 15 years before he lifted the Premier League trophy with Leicester.

Chelsea decided to part ways with Mauricio Pochettino at the end of last season and bring in ex-Leicester boss Enzo Maresca.

The Blues briefly threatened to mount a title challenge under Maresca but two successive defeats and just one point from three games has left Chelsea 14 points adrift of Liverpool, who also have a game in hand.

Still, qualifying for the Champions League would be a more than satisfactory outcome in Maresca’s first season at Stamford Bridge, particularly given the club were tipped to struggle before the campaign began.

For more stories like this, check our sport page.

Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.