A Look Back at Ranieri’s Biggest Transfers After Raspadori Rejected Roma
Roma director Claudio Ranieri recently said that Giacomo Raspadori wasn’t interested in speaking to Roma. With the striker joining Atalanta, it seems a fitting time to look back at the biggest transfers of Ranieri’s career and the players he missed out on.
Chelsea’s rebuild
One of Ranieri’s most important transfer windows came during his tenure as Chelsea manager in the early 2000s. Tasked with refreshing the squad, Ranieri backed the signings of a mix of promising and established talent. Frank Lampard arrived from West Ham United for around £11 million and would go on to become the club’s record scorer. William Gallas was brought in from Marseille and helped stabilise the defence, while Emmanuel Petit added experience in midfield.
That period was also notable for Ranieri’s willingness to move on established figures when necessary; Dennis Wise, a long‑serving fan favourite, was sold on as part of that reshaping process, illustrating Ranieri’s focus on squad evolution even when it ruffled feathers.
Leicester City and the Premier League title
Ranieri’s most famous transfer haul came at Leicester City. In the summer of 2015, the club’s recruitment team and Ranieri identified several players who would become crucial to one of the most surprising title victories in English football history.
At the centre was N’Golo Kanté. Signed from Caen for a modest fee, Kanté’s energy and instinctive reading of the game made him indispensable in midfield as Leicester clinched the 2015‑16 Premier League. The club’s success that season is often traced back to his performances breaking up opposition play and driving his side forward; he made the PFA Team of the Year.
Ranieri’s decision to sign Kanté came after considering alternatives to replace the outgoing Esteban Cambiasso. Had another target been chosen differently, that defining partnership with Danny Drinkwater in midfield might never have arrived at the King Power.
Other additions that season included experienced forwards and midfielders who added depth to a squad that needed balance. Riyad Mahrez and Jamie Vardy were already at the club when Ranieri arrived, but flourished under his stewardship, while later signings such as Nampalys Mendy were intended to reinforce the group as it prepared for Champions League football.
Kanté’s success at Leicester inevitably attracted bigger clubs; after Leicester’s title win, he transferred to Chelsea for a far bigger fee. Ranieri publicly admitted that losing Kanté was a blow. Kanté promptly won a second league title, becoming one of the few players to win the Premier League with two different clubs.
Players Ranieri sought but did not sign
Throughout his decades in management, Ranieri also had some major near‑misses. One example dates back to his time at Fiorentina when he attempted to bring in Antonio Conte as a player. Conte ultimately stayed at Juventus, meaning Ranieri missed out on adding the combative midfielder to his squad at a time when Fiorentina was reshaping itself. Conte, of course, is now a manager and led Chelsea to that title after Kanté had left Leicester. Conte is currently in charge of Napoli. The current scommesse online odds suggest that both Napoli and Roma are likely to finish in Serie A’s top four.
Last season, Ranieri revealed that he had considered targets such as Kyle Walker (prior to the defender’s move to Milan). Roma lacked the funds to complete a move, and restrictions around non‑EU registrations further complicated the pursuit.
Beyond fees
Looking back across Ranieri’s journey, the biggest transfers are not always the most expensive but those that had an enduring impact. Lampard’s development into a club legend, Kanté’s progression into a world-class player, and the collective blend at Leicester that led to an unlikely league victory all speak to Ranieri’s eye for fitting personalities and skills into a winning system.