Juventus officially announces Luciano Spalletti as their new head coach.
The former Napoli and Italy coach has been appointed on an eight-month contract that will see him take charge of the club till at least the end of the season.
Former Napoli and Italy coach Luciano Spalletti was hired to manage struggling Juventus on Thursday. He is tasked with making the record 36-time Serie A champion a title contender again.
was with the Italian national team. | Photo Credit: AP
Former Napoli and Italy coach Luciano Spalletti was hired to manage struggling Juventus on Thursday. He is tasked with making the record 36-time Serie A champion a title contender again.
Juventus announced it had signed Spalletti to an eight-month contract — to the end of June. Italian media reports suggest that the contract will be automatically renewed if the club qualifies for the Champions League.
The move comes three days after Igor Tudor was fired following three straight losses and an eight-match winless run that had dated back to September 13. The run ended with a 3-1 win over Udinese on Wednesday under interim coach Massimo Brambilla.
Spalletti becomes Juventus’ third full-time coach since Massimiliano Allegri was fired in May 2024. Including caretakers, he is the club’s fifth coach in that span.
Thiago Motta was fired by Juventus in March and replaced by Tudor, who helped the club secure Italy’s last Champions League spot with a fourth place finish last season.
Juventus has not won Serie A since 2020 when it concluded a run of nine straight titles.
The team is currently seventh in the standings, six points behind leaders Napoli and Roma.
In the Champions League, Juventus has drawn two and lost one, and sits in the elimination places.
The 66-year-old Spalletti is best known for leading Napoli to the Serie A title in 2023. He then had an unsuccessful run with Italy and was fired in June when the Azzurri got off to a poor start in World Cup qualifying.
He has also coached Empoli, Sampdoria, Venezia, Udinese, Ancona, Roma, Zenit St. Petersburg and Inter Milan.
At Juventus, Spalletti will join his son, Federico, who is a scout for the club.
Spalletti will make his debut at Cremonese in Serie A on Saturday. Juventus then hosts Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League three days later.
