Atalanta hires Maurizio Sarri for the third coaching change in twelve months

Atalanta hired Maurizio Sarri as coach on Monday, in the club’s third management change in 12 months.

Atalanta did not provide details of Sarri’s contract, but Italian media report that the former Chelsea coach has signed a three-year contract.

The Serie A club has struggled to find a suitable replacement for Gian Piero Gasperini following his departure to Roma last year after nine seasons in charge.

Ivan Jurić was the first man charged with the job, but he was sacked in November after a seven-match winless run and with the team struggling in the lower reaches of the table.

Raffaele Palladino was parachuted in and guided Atalanta to a seventh-place finish and the semi-finals of the Italian Cup – where it lost on penalties to Sarri’s Lazio – and to the round of 16 of the Champions League, where it was knocked out by Bayern Munich.

However, Atalanta said goodbye to Palladino last week and officially appointed Sarri as the new coach on Monday.

Sarri has been in charge of Lazio for four of the past five seasons. The 67-year-old previously also played for Napoli, Chelsea and Juventus.

He won the Europa League with Chelsea in 2019 and the Serie A title with Juventus the following year.

Published on June 15, 2026