Sunderland have made an ambitious move to appoint for AS Roma Sporting Director Florent Ghisolfi
As Sunderland fans await news of potential recruits to the squad this summer, breaking news on Thursday evening regarding an off-field appointment is perhaps the biggest signal of intent they have had yet about the club's ambition moving forward.
Florent Ghisolfi is expected to join the club following his departure from AS Roma earlier this week, rebuffing interest from top clubs in Europe such as Juventus to make the switch.
While at this stage the exact split of responsibilities and titles are not clear, sources have suggested that Ghisolfi is very much expected to work alongside Kristjaan Speakman rather than replace him. Speakman is a hugely valuable member of the club's operation and arguably the key architect of their rise back to the Premier League. The arrival of Ghisolfi is said to be about strengthening how the club operates, rather than fundamentally changing it.
So who is Ghisolfi and why are Sunderland keen on hiring him? A former midfielder for Bastia and Reims, the 40-year-old began his post-playing career with a brief spell as assistant manager at the latter before moving to FC Lorient. Ghisolfi spent two years as assistant manager to Mickael Landreu, at a time when Régis Le Bris was in charge of the club's B team. As such, the pair are very well known to each other and while not a primary driver of his potential appointment at Sunderland, it's clearly an additional positive.
What interests Sunderland is what Ghisolfi did next. Appointed sporting director at RC Lens, Ghisolfi oversaw the club's promotion to Ligue 1 in the COVID-curtailed campaign (a season which also saw Lorient promoted to the top tier) having promoted B team boss Franck Haise during one wobble in form at the turn of the year. Form there they went from strength to strength, finishing in seventh in both of the next two seasons in the top tier. A number of the players recruited would take on key roles in the team and bank the club significant profit down the line, with Austrian defender Kevin Danso signing from Augsburg for a fee in the region of €5 million and later joining Spurs for around £20 million. Ghisolfi was then hired by OGC Nice and after a ninth-placed finish in his first campaign at the helm, they appointed Francesco Farioli as head coach. Farioli had of course been of interest to Sunderland and led Nice to a fifth-placed finish before joining Ajax.
Ghisolfi then moved to AS Roma, who endured a difficult campaign. Daniele De Rossi had been appointed as permanent boss following a strong spell as caretaker the previous season, but last a matter of games before being replaced by Ivan Juric. Following Juric's similarly swift departure the club turned once again to the legendary Claudio Ranieri, who oversaw a spectacular resurgence that very nearly delivered a Champions League place on the final day of the campaign. There has been another reshuffle at the end of the season, with Frederic Massara replacing Ghisolfi, Ranieri appointed as advisor to the ownership group and Gian Piero Gasperini arriving as the new head coach from Atalanta. While Ghisolfi's impact might not have been as significant at Roma as his previous clubs, some of his signings it should be said have been successes. Midfielder Manu Kone and winger Matías Soulé were key players under Ranieri in the second half of the season, for example.
Roma confirmed earlier this week that Ghisolfi would be leaving to take on a 'new professional challenge' and Sunderland have sensed an opportunity, just as they did with Le Bris last summer, to make an ambitious appointment that would in all likelihood have been beyond them a year ago.
Sunderland hope and believe that if the appointment goes through as expected, Ghisolfi can significantly strengthen their recruitment operation by bringing access to a wealth of contacts within the game and a strong knowledge of the predominantly European markets that the club will be targeting this summer. The Black Cats are still very much in the process of rebuilding their footballing infrastructure following eight years outside of the Premier League and four years in League One, and this move is about furthering their progress. Speakman's remit is a vast one and sources indicate this about adding additional value and expertise given the level and demands of the top tier. He will continue to be a key figure at Sunderland in both recruitment and other areas, underlined by the fact that he spent the first part of this week abroad meeting potential recruits.
How the new dynamics play out and whether the move will be a success only time will tell (adding another very senior figure to the management team clearly brings with it risk), but it's an ambitious move from Sunderland that shows they are serious about establishing themselves in the top tier over the next few years.
Florent Ghisolfi confirms AS Roma departure ahead of potential Sunderland move
AS Roma confirmed earlier this week that Ghisolfi would be leaving to take on a 'new professional challenge'.
The statement said: "AS Roma and Technical Director Florent Ghisolfi have mutually agreed to part ways. Over the past year, Florent has demonstrated professionalism and dedication during a crucial phase for the club. We express our gratitude for his contributions and wish him the best of luck as he embarks on a new professional challenge."
Writing on social media, Ghisolfi thanked the club for their support during his time there. After a challenging start to the campaign in which two head coaches were sacked, the return of Claudio Ranieri sparked a resurgence in the second half of the campaign.
"Thanks to Dan, Ryan and the entire Friedkin family for the opportunity to lead this magical club," he said.
"Thanks to all of you at Trigoria for welcoming us with open arms. I have never felt like a stranger, I have always felt at home. Thanks to my close collaborators who give everything for Roma. Thanks to the three coaches and the members of the first team staff who worked every minute with love and dignity. And especially to our magician, Mister Ranieri.
“Thanks to every player on the team, who never gave up even during the storm. Our star was the team.
Thanks to the fans, who also, in the storm, never stopped pushing the boat. I leave full of good memories and emotions. I leave with the feeling of a job done together. With this fifth place finish despite the difficulties.
"A rejuvenated team. A restructured sports organization. And the best is yet to come for Roma. Good luck to all of you at the club, to Mister Gasperini and to my successor. Life and football go on. But Rome, that one, is never forgotten. Forza Roma forever.”
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