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Jose Mourinho Axed EIGHT Roma Players From Training On First Day Of Pre-Season

Jose Mourinho Axed EIGHT Roma Players From Training On First Day Of Pre-Season

Jose Mourinho has wasted no time in preparing a summer clearout at Roma as the Special One will make sweeping changes to his new squad.

Adnan Riaz

Adnan Riaz

Jose Mourinho has made his presence felt at Roma after banishing a staggering eight first-team players from the club's first day of pre-season training.

The 58-year-old Portuguese manager had made his sensational return to management after he was sacked by Tottenham in April.

Mourinho's disappointing 17-month stint at the Premier League club came to an end only days before Spurs' 1-0 defeat to Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final.

Roma endured a disappointing season as they finished in seventh place in Serie A and were dumped out of the Europa League semi-final by Manchester United.

Mourinho, who succeeded Paulo Fonseca at Roma, assumed his new role at the Italian club on 1st July and is preparing a major summer clearout.

According to Sky Sport Italia, the Special One has dismissed eight players from taking part in Roma's first-team training as they don't fit in his plans.

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PA
PA

One of the names on the chopping block is Justin Kluivert, who was signed from Ajax in an initial £15.16m deal in 2018.

Former Barcelona and Chelsea star Pedro is another player who has been told that he can leave Roma in the summer.

Sky Italia reports the other six players that Mourinho wants to sell include Ante Coric, Robin Olsen, Davide Santon, Javier Pastore, Steven Nzonzi and Federico Fazio.

Mourinho, who has been a pundit during this summer's Euro 2020, is expected to reinforce Roma's squad in the transfer window.

The former Inter Milan and Real Madrid manager is reportedly eager to land Wolves star Rui Patricio to replace Pau Lopez.

PA

Another transfer target for Roma is former Arsenal captain Granit Xhaka, who is moving closer to a transfer to the Stadio Olimpico this summer.

Speaking at his press conference on Thursday, the new Roma boss claimed he hasn't spoken with the club's hierarchy about new summer signings.

"I have not spoken to anyone [about joining Roma]," Mourinho told reporters.

"You can choose to believe whether that is true or not, but I have not spoken to anyone.

"I speak with [Roma general manager] Tiago [Pinto], I speak with the ownership, I speak with different people within the club... but as far as players go, I have not spoken with any of them."

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Jose Mourinho, Football, Serie A, Roma, Italy

Adnan Riaz is a journalist for SPORTbible. He studied for a B.A. in History at the University of York and followed it up with an M.A. in Multimedia Journalism at MMU. Before he started writing about sports, he spent over four years in the gaming press. He has worked for several publications, including Hardcore Gamer, LADbible and the Manchester Evening News. Follow him on Twitter to find out what he is working on next. Got a story tip for Adnan? Email him: [email protected]

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