The Friedkin Group’s latest move at Roma is to appoint 73-year-old Claudio Ranieri as temporary manager until the end of the season. Ranieri, who retired after leading Calgiari to safety last year, returns for a third spell at the club and becomes the third manager in just 12 games at Roma.
The move will be pitched as more chaos at Roma but it actually marks a drastic change of direction for the Friedkin Group. Having hired and fire Jose Mourinho, then controversially dispensing of club favourite Danielle De Rossi after four games of the season, it then hired a consultant firm to secure the services of deeply unpopular Ivan Juric.
Last week we reported on the Friedkin’s use of the highly respected Nolan Partners to search for a CEO for Everton ahead of the takeover. It is a clever move given the firm’s track record but points to a potential issue with the group’s governance of football clubs.
The fact is the Friedkins, while investing huge sums into clubs, are extremely hands off. The group itself released a statement to Everton fans stating they would only hear from the group if and when there was news and they like to ‘let the experts’ do their jobs.
When it comes to CEOs and director-level appointments that is a good thing. For too long Farhad Moshiri’s lunacy has undermined senior figures and coaching staff at the club. Ridiculous decisions such as appointing Rafa Benitez, trying to sign Mario Balotelli and his cosy relationship with parasitic ‘super agents’ led to a spiral of overspend and dismal performances.
An external agency tasked with finding world class leaders, who are then given time and space to do their jobs is exactly the way to run a successful football club.
The issues at Roma have been that talented people have been given the wrong roles. Lina Souloukou was brought in as CEO to replace Pietro Berardi, who was under investigation for potential irregularities in transfer deals. On paper it was a good move. Souloukou had four years of experience at Greek side Olympiakos and had been appointed to the European Club Association (ECA) Executive Board in 2019.
Under the Friedkin’s Roma have almost doubled revenues. Lucrative sponsorships with Toyota and Auberge Resorts were signed with Friedkin companies, while Saudi’s Riyadh Airways also came on board in a flurry of new commercial deals. Attendances rose and the club, despite on-pitch issues, is in its healthiest financial position for years.
The problem is that Souloukou was also tasked with managing football matters. General manager Tiago Pinto stepped down after the January transfer window, leaving Souloukou in charge of summer transfer planning and finding a new manager – a move that saw her appoint fan favourite Danielle De Rossi to replace Jose Mourinho.
The chaos at Roma can be traced back to this. Pinto leaving left a gaping hole on the football side and for fans, results are the first thing to suffer when football leadership is lacking.
In summer 2024 the Friedkin’s then added a football-focused director to the club. Florent Ghisolfi, who speaks only French, arrived from Lens and set about organising the club’s transfer business. While there was talk of the two working together, Ghisolfi and Souloukou’s decision to sack De Rossi after four games caused a fan backlash that saw Souloukou step down unexpectedly.
The disconnect between CEO and sporting director was apparent, and rumours abound that Ghisolfi’s future is also in doubt.
The Friedkin’s wanted to build a CEO and sporting director team that could lead the club over a three year project. They now find themselves with no CEO, no manager and a director of football who is just months into the job and already seems to have lost the confidence of the owners.
As that plan crumbles they have decided to bring in more football expertise in Claudio Ranieri as a stop-gap while the hunt for a CEO continues.
It is a change in direction for the group. Appointing as temporary manager who knows the club while they put the leadership foundations in place could have helped to avoid the current situation. A savvy owner builds from the top, adding a CEO, then a director of football, and finally a manager that fits the vision. It is a plan that could resonate with Everton fans as Sean Dyche comes under intense scrutiny at the club.
It is chaotic but speaks to a major advantage Everton have; they already have a sporting director in Kevin Thelwell who is two years in to implementing a 150-point plan that aims to transform the academy, recruitment and ultimately, on-field performance. While Thelwell splits opinion in the Everton fan base it may be that the Friedkin’s search for a new CEO should complement Thelwell to avoid the chaotic scenes in Rome.
If a CEO can work with Thelwell, improving the club’s commercial and governance, while Everton have consistency in terms of recruitment, scouting and squad building, it could buy the Friedkin’s time to assess the club fully and avoid knee-jerk appointments as seen when Mourinho and Pinto departed Roma.
It may mean a new manager to complement Thelwell’s vision is added to the mix too but with Thelwell given more responsibility it removes the problem of a CEO trying to get things right on the pitch.
The Friedkin’s are basing themselves in London this week as Roma’s manager and CEO search continues. They will also be focusing on the Premier League’s Owner and Director tests as the Everton takeover draws near. Everton’s CEO search is also well underway but Kevin Thelwell’s contract should probably be top of the list for the group if they want to avoid the Roma pitfalls.