Monchi: Di Francesco was always the coach I wanted

The Spaniard was on hand to welcome the former Sassuolo boss to the club, welcoming Di Francesco back "home" after stints in Giallorossi as both a player and an operations manager.

"Today we unveil the new head coach of Roma, Eusebio Di Francesco," Monchi said. "For Roma and for myself in particular it’s a happy day because one of our own has come home. Eusebio gives Roma reason to be cheerful.

"As I’ve said, this is particularly important for me because when Luciano [Spalletti] announced his intention to leave, I had one clear objective in mind: I wanted Eusebio and so I’m a very happy man today. I would like to thank him for accepting our offer."

Monchi also answered some questions from reporters - read what he had to say below.

Roma are trying to stick to UEFA’s Financial Fair Play regulations, so should we expect star players like Mohamed Salah or Antonio Rudiger to be sold in this transfer window?

"I think I’ve already mentioned something about this in my first press conference: Roma aren’t planning on selling players but putting together the best squad possible, so Eusebio can achieve the highest objectives.

"Regarding Salah and Rudiger, it’s true that there’s interest in Mohamed from a club in England; there’s an offer on the table but it’s also true that Roma set the price. It’s up to us to decide whether we’ll sell him for that price or not. As for Rudiger, there aren’t any talks at the moment, but I can tell you there’s no chance he will leave Roma. Zero."

Where does the future of Kostas Manolas and Radja Nainggolan lie?

"I’ll say it again: Roma are not a supermarket. Roma are a team that is aiming to compete for the league title. The club is representing its country in Europe and is doing so after finishing second in Serie A, proud in the knowledge that we fought it out for top spot. We have to keep the strongest squad we can.

"No club manages not to avoid selling players, but as I’ve said before, the problem is not selling but buying badly. If someone does leave, you need to find a decent replacement. There aren’t any talks going on at the moment, apart from those concerning Salah."

Is there going to be another signing out of nowhere like Hector Moreno?

"My task is not to buy footballers who you’ve never heard of. There are well-known players out there who could be genuine prospects, but as the coach said, we need to work together and move in the same direction. We know who we want, we’ve spoken about it and discussed some names. In some cases, a lot of progress has been made, but there won’t be any surprises in the short term."

Are you planning on getting a back-up goalkeeper for Alisson?

"There are currently three goalkeepers in the first-team squad: Alisson, Lukasz Skorupski and Bogdan Lobont, so we’re covered. If that situation changes, we’ll obviously bring in cover."

Di Francesco is perhaps one of the most Spanish coaches in his playing style. Is it true you were sold on him after watching Sassuolo v Athletic Bilbao?

"I was sold on Eusebio for a number of reasons, not one game in particular but the progress he has made. I followed European and global football in Spain and the impact of Sassuolo’s project reverberated around the world. The team made great strides forward in recent years. When you’re involved in a similar project, you see how it works and you begin to keep tabs on other projects of this kind. I didn’t choose Eusebio because I like his Spanish style of football, but because he has the qualities I want to see in the Roma coach: all the necessary attributes to work hard and be competitive."

What do you think about Bruno Peres?

"I knew Bruno Peres from his time at Torino and the coach has been very clear about him. He needs to recover and get back to the levels he showed at Torino. I’m convinced that, working with the gaffer, he’ll get there."