This year, The Friedkin Group have appointed David Moyes at Everton (left) and now Gian Piero Gasperino (right) at Roma
This year, The Friedkin Group have appointed David Moyes at Everton (left) and now Gian Piero Gasperino (right) at Roma
Until now, Gian Piero Gasperino’s biggest influence on Everton was being the coach in the away dugout at Goodison Park on the night that Atalanta triumphed 5-1 in a Europa League group game on November 23, 2017. It was a chastening experience for Blues as caretaker manager David Unsworth’s side were torn apart by the slick Serie A outfit whose margin of victory could have been even greater had home goalkeeper Joel Robles not saved a penalty early in the second half.
Back in Italy, Gazzetta dello Sport lamented of Everton’s Wayne Rooney, who had returned to the club that summer after 13 years at Manchester United: “He is a walking monument. It is sad to see him in this condition.”
The Blues’ Prodigal Son showed he still had a bit left in the tank at Goodison six days later with a hat-trick in a 4-0 thrashing of David Moyes’ West Ham United – showing he didn’t always have to run by sealing his treble with an incredible strike from within his own half – but the damage had been done and Sam Allardyce, watching from the stands had already been appointed.
READ MORE: Duncan Ferguson warned Everton on transfer Farhad Moshiri wanted - 'Boss, don't take him'
Now though, Gasperino, who would go all the way to lift the Europa League with Atalanta in 2024 with a 3-0 success over Xabi Alonso’s German domestic double winners Bayer Leverkusen, inspired by a hat-trick from ex-Blue Ademola Lookman, could be sending an even more poignant message to Everton. After nine years at the helm in Bergamo, the Piedmontese tactician has swapped the more sedate football climate of life in Alpine Lombardy for the seething hotbed of the Eternal City.
Having burned their way through having four different coaches at the helm in 2024 – Jose Mourinho, Daniele De Rossi, Ivan Juric (who, curiously after taking Southampton down now takes over at Atalanta) and interim boss Claudio Ranieri – Roma’s owners The Friedkin Group, who completed their Everton takeover on December 19, have turned to Gasperino. A club statement said: “Gasperini’s career is defined by its creative tactics, dedication to hard work, and exceptional player development. Both ownership and Claudio Ranieri (who now takes up an executive role at the club) believe Gasperini is the right man for the mission.”
What is also telling is that the 67-year-old has signed a three-year contract at the Stadio Olimpico which takes him beyond his 70th birthday. Given that Dan Friedkin, who reportedly took the ruthless step of personally calling Juric on his mobile phone to inform him he’d been sacked before making it back to the dressing room after a 3-2 home defeat to Bologna, has lured 73-year-old Ranieri out of retirement to steady the ship in November, TFG appear to now hold significant stock in having experienced men at the helm after their dalliance with rookie coach and former fan favourite as a player, De Rossi.
New Roma coach Gian Piero Gasperini with Claudio Ranieri at Centro Sportivo Fulvio Bernardini on June 6, 2025
New Roma coach Gian Piero Gasperini with Claudio Ranieri at Centro Sportivo Fulvio Bernardini on June 6, 2025
Farhad Moshiri went through eight managers in as many years at Everton, but steering the club to nine top-eight finishes, including a highest ever Premier League placing of fourth in 2004/05, Moyes spent over 11 years in charge of the Blues first time around. Having been the Premier League’s youngest manager at 38 when first appointed back in 2002, the Glaswegian is now already the competition’s elder statesman, and having turned 62 ahead of his side’s trip to Chelsea in April, he offered a hint into his own future plans.
Moyes said: “I don’t want to do a Fergie and I don’t want to be Roy Hodgson. That is not my plan.
“I have two more years left here and I will take my time and see how it goes. I am looking forward to seeing how we can go again and see if I can try and help build it again.
“I look at the way I came in the first time and even following a bit at West Ham, a team near the bottom of the league and we made a great improvement the next year and started to get in and around Europe. I have a wee bit of hope that that is the way I can get it going but I think the big thing for us is to try and get the ship moving in the right direction again.
“It looks as if it is, but we are still introducing new owners, there’ll be new players and that might take a bit of time for us to find our feet.”
Moyes, who celebrated his 40th and 50th birthdays as Everton manager during his first spell, added: “I certainly won’t be here for what I did before (over 11 years). I will just take it as it goes, we have done a good job here in getting us safe because that was a problem that the club could have been relegated.
“I’ll take the next two years and see how we go. I have a couple of years left.
“Managing in your 70s isn’t particularly old but another part of it is there is a great group of younger managers coming up as well. I won’t be here forever that’s for sure.”