Pirlo has a big challenge ahead of him! He becomes the new coach of Sampdoria. Will he lead the club from Genoa back to the first league?

Andrea Pirlo has become the new coach of Sampdoria Genoa, according to Italian media. The former Juventus and AC Milan player is set to replace Dejan Stankovic and return the Genoa club to the top flight. The former Italian international has signed a two-year contract at Sampdoria with an option.

The respected and trusted Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio came out with the information on Tuesday morning that Pirlo is the new coach of Sampdoria Genoa. Although we will have to wait for an official announcement.

This news was also spread by the Italian media, led by Sky Sports Italia and Calciomercato. Sampdoria were relegated to the second league at the end of the last Serie A season and were also plagued by financial problems.

As a result, the former owner offered the club for sale a few months ago. A consortium led by Andrea Radrizzani, the current owner of Leeds United, took advantage of the offer after the end of the season.

Pirlo, with the new owner behind him, will therefore try to get the Genoa club back into the elite Italian competition.

The former AC Milan star and Italian national team mainstay has reportedly signed a two-year contract at Sampdoria with an option to extend for another year. He replaces Dejan Stankovic as head coach.

Fabio Grosso was the club’s main favourite for the head coach position, but he and Radrizzani have not agreed on terms.

Pirlo’s coaching career

It can be said that Pirlo, like several other young coaches, got off to a sharp start. His first stint was at the famous Juventus Turin, and he was selected as head coach on 8 August 2020.

However, after 52 games coached, he was dismissed at the end of May 2021. He returned to coaching after a year, taking over Karagümrük of Turkey last June.

In May this year, Pirlo took an early exit from the Turkish side’s bench and has been without a commitment since. He now has a new challenge ahead of him, his third as a coach. Only time will tell how he will cope with it.

Sources: Gianluca Di Marzio – Twitter, Sky Sports Italia, Transfermarkt