Francesco Farioli has admitted that he hopes to return to coaching as soon as possible, though he made it clear that any club interested in hiring him must be ready to work with a ‘very demanding person’.
The 36-year-old parted ways with Ajax after just one season in charge — a campaign that ended in the most bitter way possible.
Despite a disappointing 2023/24 season in which the Amsterdam giants finished fifth in the Eredivisie, Farioli had an immediate impact and brought the team back into the title race.
However, Ajax squandered a nine-point lead in the final five matches of the season, allowing rivals PSV to claim the Dutch crown.
“The board and I share the same goals for the future, but we have different visions and timelines for how we should work and operate in order to achieve them,” Farioli told Ziggo Sport in an interviewafter his decision to leave Ajax became official.
Farioli: ‘I don’t care about brand, what matters to me is how things are done’
The young coach is among the names linked with the Roma job, but he declined to give any specific hints about his next destination, emphasising that what matters most to him is ‘how things are done’.
“There’s a lot of speculation, a lot of rumours,” he continued.
“But I do want to get back into coaching. Just like it was with Ajax, I don’t care about the brand or the size of the club. What matters to me is how things are done, and last summer Ajax was exactly what I was looking for.
“It was the right step for my career, and now we’ll see what comes next. We’ll see if and when that opportunity arrives.
“I’m a very demanding person. Before I join a club, I lay all my strengths and weaknesses on the table. ‘Demanding’ is probably the best word to describe me. I want to find a club that’s willing to fight alongside me.”
