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| Rudi Garcia |
AS Roma have announced the departure of manager Rudi Garcia, the Serie A club said on Wednesday after a run of poor results left them off the pace in the title race.
Garcia had been in charge of Roma since 2013. It was the Frenchman who brought Nigerian youngster Umar Sadiq to the Capital-based club on loan and handed him his Serie A debut in November 2015.
He was also in charge when the teenage sensation banged in his first Serie A goal against Genoa in December.
After briefly leading Serie A early this season, Roma have slipped to fifth after one win in their last seven league games.
“AS Roma announces that it has relieved the first-team manager Rudi Garcia and his assistants Frederic Bompard and Claude Fichaux,” the club said in a statement on its website (www.asroma.com).
The club are close to appointing Luciano Spalletti for a second spell in the Italian capital, according to media reports.
Spalletti, who coached Roma between 2005 and 2009, wrote on his Facebook page late on Tuesday: “I'll finish what I've started!” and posted a photo of himself with Roma captain Francesco Totti.
