Italy set to appoint Gattuso as manager

Italy are set to appoint their former midfielder Gennaro Gattuso as manager to replace the sacked Luciano Spalletti, Gianluigi Buffon, head of delegation with the Italian football federation (FIGC), said on Saturday.

"We have worked, we are now waiting for the final details," Buffon, speaking at the Under-21 European Championship, told Italy's state broadcaster RAI when asked to confirm that Gattuso would be the new coach.

"The president and the whole federation have had some busy days but I think that in the end we made the best choice."

Spalletti's sacking came after less than two years in the job, taking charge for the final time in the 2-0 win over Moldova the day after he announced his own dismissal following a 3-0 loss in Norway in Italy's opening World Cup qualifying game.

Gattuso, who made 73 appearances for Italy and was a member of the 2006 World Cup-winning squad, recently left Croatian club Hajduk Split by mutual consent, after a third-placed finish in the country's top flight.

Claudio Ranieri had been the FIGC's first choice, but the 73-year-old turned down the offer to focus on his senior advisor role at AS Roma.

Gattuso began his managerial career as player coach at Swiss club Sion in 2013 where he finished his playing days after 13 seasons with AC Milan but was fired after winning two of his 10 league games in charge.

His only trophy as manager came at Napoli, lifting the Coppa Italia in 2020, in a 12-year career in which he has taken charge at nine clubs, including AC Milan, Valencia and a five-month spell at Olympique de Marseille.

Gattuso was appointed as Fiorentina manager in 2021, but 22 days later the club announced they had mutually rescinded the agreement, with reports citing disagreements over transfer strategy.

The 47-year-old will be tasked with getting Italy to next year's World Cup, after they missed out on the last two tournaments, and will begin on the back foot after the humbling loss in Oslo.