José Mourinho has been sacked by AS Roma after just two seasons at the club, the Italian football team announced on Tuesday. The Portuguese manager’s contract was due to expire in June. There are rumours that Daniele De Rossi is being looked at as a caretaker manager for the rest of the season.

“AS Roma can confirm that José Mourinho and his coaching staff will leave the club with immediate effect,” the club said in a statement. “We would like to thank José on behalf of all of us at AS Roma for his passion and efforts since his arrival at the club,” said owners Dan and Ryan Friedkin. “We will always have great memories of his tenure at Roma, but we believe that an immediate change is in the best interests of the club.”

The 60-year-old Mourinho had said last month that he wanted to extend his contract at Roma.

The decision comes just two days after Roma endured a 1-3 defeat against AC Milan. The defeat left them in ninth place in the Italian Serie A and at risk of missing the Champions League for a sixth straight season. The club was also eliminated by Lazio in an Italian Cup derby last week.

The confrontational manager had a bittersweet stint with the club. He led them to the UEFA Conference League title in his first season and and the Europa League final last season. The Conference League title in 2022 marked Roma’s first European trophy in more than six decades. It was also Mourinho’s fifth European title.

However, a constant feature of his stay with Roma was his run-ins with the referees. Mourinho was banned by UEFA from four European games for verbally abusing the Europa League final referee in a stadium garage after Roma lost to Sevilla. He was also suspended for the game at Milan on Sunday due to protests.

There are reports in Italian media that the club’s American ownership is trying to hire Antonio Conte for next season.