Sassuolo have officially terminated the contract of head coach Fabio Grosso by mutual consent, the club confirmed on 5 June 2026, ending a tenure that concluded with the neroverdi finishing eleventh in Serie A with 49 points from 37 matches. For Filippo Romagna, Sassuolo's 29-year-old defender, it is the second managerial upheaval to define his immediate future in as many months.
The timing matters. Romagna enters the summer with an AI overall rating of 55 out of a potential 62, a gap that suggests room for development — but development requires stability, and Sassuolo have now lost that anchor. A new coach will arrive with his own defensive preferences, his own hierarchy, and his own judgement of who belongs in the first eleven.
Romagna made five appearances in Serie A this season, finishing with an average rating of 6.80 — a functional return, though the limited minutes tell their own story about his standing within Grosso's plans. The club's defensive record across the campaign — 49 goals conceded in 37 matches — was not a platform from which any individual defender could build a commanding case for more game time. Romagna was part of a collective that never quite found its footing.
Sassuolo have already been linked with Alberto Aquilani as a potential successor to Grosso, which would represent a significant shift in coaching philosophy. Whether Aquilani or another candidate takes the role, the incoming manager will inherit a squad that finished mid-table and a defensive unit in need of clearer definition.
For Romagna, the question is straightforward: can he convince a new coach that his 6.80 average and the potential his profile suggests are worth building around? The answer will be shaped entirely by who walks through the door at the Mapei Stadium next.