Bournemouth have appointed Tiago Pinto as their first president of football operations.
The 39-year-old Portuguese, who recently stepped down as general director of AS Roma, was granted a work permit at a hearing on Thursday and will have signed a three-year contract.
During Pinto’s time at Roma, they won the Europa Conference League and reached the Europa League Final. He had already been linked to the position of technical director at West Ham United prior to Tim Steidten’s appointment last year.
Pinto worked closely with José Mourinho at Roma until he was fired in January after what turned into a difficult campaign. He left the following month of his own free will, with his contract expiring in June, and gave an interview about how difficult it was to fire Mourinho. At Roma, he faced a complicated financial situation when Mourinho clashed with management. Previously, Pinto had been at Benfica alongside sporting director Rui Costa. Upon signing him at Roma, president Dan Friedkin said: “Tiago is a world-class talent.”
AS Roma and Tiago Pinto can confirm their mutual separation decision, with effect from February 3rd.
The club would like to express its gratitude to Tiago for his hard work over 3 years and wish him good luck for the future.
– AS Roma English (@ASRomaEN) January 4, 2024
At Roma, he oversaw transfer negotiations with Bournemouth, who signed Justin Kluivert and Matias Vina.
Pinto does not replace Richard Hughes, who left Bournemouth to become sporting director at Liverpool in March. Simon Francis has now become technical director of the first team. Pinto will work closely with Francisco and will have a broader view of the football side of the business.
Pinto’s appointment, given his experience, will be considered something of a coup for Bournemouth and shows once again the financial strength that the Premier League can exert and its power of attraction. An announcement is expected soon.
Pinto’s arrival is part of an ongoing restructuring at the Premier League club, which has brought in Jim Frevola as president of commercial operations. Manager Andoni Iraola has been rewarded with a new contract until June 2026 after an impressive first campaign at the club, finishing 12th with the highest points total ever.
