SPAL Dreaming of Daniele De Rossi as Their Next Manager

José Mourinho's first season in Rome was not without its fair share of ups and downs, but once the calendar flipped to 2022, The Special One began to truly make his mark on the Giallorossi. The passive and somewhat uncertain team from the fall soon gave way to a grittier, more determined, and, let's face, more effective team. While their 12-match unbeaten streak hit the skids against Inter Milan two weeks ago, the club is riding high after qualifying for the Europa Conference League finale against Feyenoord later this month.

The transition wasn't always seamless, but Mourinho certainly has the club on the right path and with a few shrewd purchases this summer, Roma should be back in the Champions League hunt next season. However, despite all those promising signs, many Roma fans (myself included) can't help but look beyond Mourinho, dreaming of the day when club legend Daniele De Rossi takes over the managerial reins at the Stadio Olimpico.

Not only is De Rossi a born and bred Roman and one of the greatest players in club history, he just so happens to be a coach's kid, so the script practically writes itself. However, being the cautious bunch we are, many Roma fans would rather see De Rossi cut his coaching teeth elsewhere before returning to the Eternal City. The thought of DDR being skewered by the Roman media after a slow start, potentially tarnishing his legacy in the process, is just too much to bear for those of us that hold De Rossi dear.

Fortunately for us, according to a report from SportItalia, De Rossi could get his managerial feet wet in Serie B with SPAL:

While it's not a “report” per se, SportItalia claims that SPAL 2013 chairman Joe Tacopina dreams of De Rossi leading the Ferrara-based club in Serie B next season, despite the fact that spot is currently occupied by Roberto Venturato. According to their tweet, Tacopina won't let something as silly as his current manager stop him from hiring De Rossi as his next manager.

SPAL finished the Serie B regular season in a dismal 15th place with a -8 goal differential, so De Rossi would certainly have his work cut out for him, but if we're talking about a relatively low-pressure environment in which to learn the managerial ropes, look no further.

Despite a few intermittent rumors of De Rossi diving headfirst into coaching a Serie A club, Roma's former captain seems to prefer the slow burn, learning the trade at the feet of more experienced managers like Roberto Mancini, so this could be the next logical step in his managerial career.

Stay tuned!