Gennaro Gattuso named Italy head coach
The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) announced the 47-year-old had been handed the reins following Luciano Spalletti's departure.
A statement on the FIGC's official website said: 'The Italian Football Federation announces that it has appointed Gennaro Gattuso as head coach of the Italian national team.
Gennaro Gattuso is the new First Team Head Coach 🇮🇹Welcome back, Rino 👊#Azzurri #VivoAzzurro pic.twitter.com/H6oQZWJcca
— Italy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (@Azzurri_En) June 15, 2025
'The Calabrian coach will be presented on Thursday 19 June at 11am at the Hotel Parco dei Principi in Rome.'
Spalletti revealed in the wake of a 3-0 World Cup qualifier defeat in Norway on June 6 that last Monday's home clash with Moldova, which Italy won 2-0, would be his last at the helm.
Former Leicester boss Cladio Ranieri said he had rejected the job as the FIGC looked for Spalletti's successor and it has ultimately turned to 73-cap midfielder Gattuso, a World Cup winner in 2006.
President Gabriele Gravina said: 'Gattuso is a symbol of Italian football. The blue is like a second skin for him.
'His motivation, his professionalism and his experience will be essential to better face the next commitments of the national team.
'Aware of the importance of the goal we want to achieve, I thank him for the availability and total dedication with which he has accepted this challenge, sharing the FIGC's project for the overall development of our football, in which the Azzurri jersey plays a strategic role.'
Gattuso enjoyed a glittering playing career which included spells with Rangers and Salernitana before a 13-year stint with AC Milan which brought two Champions League successes and two Serie A titles among a host of honours.
Victory in Reggio Emilia! ✅#ITAMDA #Azzurri #VivoAzzurro pic.twitter.com/jGF3e0aryw
— Italy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (@Azzurri_En) June 9, 2025
His managerial career to date has taken him back to Milan, Napoli, Valencia and Marseille and he left his most recent post at Croatian club Hajdu Split earlier this month.
Gattuso inherits an squad which lie in third place in World Cup qualifying Group I after their opening two fixtures, with Norway top having taken a maximum 12 points from their four games to date and Israel second on six after three fixtures.
They entertain Estonia in Bergamo on September 5 before facing the Israelis in Debrecen three days later.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Metro
an hour ago
- Metro
Viktor Gyokeres receives £11m contract offer after Arsenal and Man Utd bids
Viktor Gyokeres has received a rival contract offer worth £11m-a-year after holding talks with Arsenal and Manchester United, according to reports. The 27-year-old has been in talks with Premier League giants Arsenal and Man United following another sensational season at Sporting Lisbon. Signed from Championship side Coventry City in 2023, Gyokeres scored 43 goals during his first season at Sporting under United manager Ruben Amorim. Gyokeres went to another level last season, scoring 54 goals in 52 appearances as Sporting clinched the Portuguese league title. Arsenal and Manchester United were thought to be in a direct battle to sign Gyokeres, who has a release clause of £84m but is available for closer to £70m. Wake up to find news on your club in your inbox every morning with Metro's Football Newsletter. Sign up to our newsletter and then select your team in the link so we can send you football news tailored to you. Mikel Arteta is desperate to sign a new striker after going yet another season without a trophy and would happily welcome Gyokeres or Benjamin Sesko to the Emirates Stadium. Amorim had been hoping to book a reunion with his former Sporting star at Old Trafford despite United finishing just 15th in the Premier League and failing to qualify for the Champions League. But Portuguese outlet Report claimed over the weekend that Gyokeres had decided against joining Manchester United this summer and was instead pushing for a move to Arsenal. That appeared to leave Arsenal in pole position to win the transfer race but the situation was complicated further by reports that the Gunners are becoming 'fed up' with negotiations with both the player and his current club. According to Corriere dello Sport, Juventus are planning to take advantage of the uncertainty by hijacking the transfer and bringing Gyokeres to Turin. It is claimed that after talks with Gyokeres' representatives the Serie A giants indicated they are ready to draw up a contract worth £11m-a-year. Any Juve move for Gyokeres will, however, rely first on the club offloading current striker Dusan Vlahovic, who continues to be linked with a lucrative move to Saudi Arabia. Reports in Italy also say Juventus are planning to make an official offer for Gyokeres, believed to be worth more than £60m, 'in the next few days'. Arsenal and Manchester United could yet face further competition for Gyokeres from Saudi Arabia, who are keen to add another star name to their league. Gyokeres recently rejected an approach from Al Hilal but may make a U-turn if moves to Arsenal, United or Juventus fail to materialise. Spending another season at Sporting Lisbon appears to be off the table, with Gyokeres believed to be 'furious' at his club over their approach to his potential sale. Ex-England defender Rio Ferdinand believes Gyokeres should 'cause a nightmare' at Sporting to force a move this summer. 'I'll tell you one thing, I would be in his office [Sporting president Frederico Varandas] and he wouldn't be able to leave me,' Ferdinand told talkSPORT when asked about the latest rumours. 'I'd be in his bed, I'd be in his front room, his kitchen, he wouldn't be able to get me out of his sight. I'd be causing him a nightmare to get out if we'd had an agreement. 'I did that when I was at Leeds. I heard that Manchester United were interested in me and I knew had to let me go. 'I went to Peter Ridsdale and said, 'Listen, I know you need to sell me, let's not haggle over a couple of million here and there and let's get a deal done', and I was there for hours waiting and ended up getting it done.' Ferdinand has been impressed by Gyokeres' sensational record for Sporting Lisbon but still doubts he would transform Manchester United. More Trending 'Is he the right guy? Listen, he has some really good attributes. I've not seen enough of him to be totally convinced,' the six-time Premier League winner added. 'The games I have seen him in, in the Champions League against players that match him up physically, I'd love to see a bit more. 'But there's no denying that he knows where the goal is. He's playing in Portugal where he's been banging in and setting up goals left, right and centre the last couple of years. 'I just think for Manchester United, at this moment in time, I would go for experience more than anything.' For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. MORE: Arsenal reject approach for £42m star but sanction another transfer exit MORE: Arsenal told to sign Manchester United transfer target instead of Chelsea flop MORE: Chelsea make £30m transfer bid for former Real Madrid defender
Powys County Times
2 hours ago
- Powys County Times
Josh Rock and Daryl Gurney clinch first World Cup crown for Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland won the World Cup of Darts for the first time by upsetting two-time champions Wales in a thrilling last-leg shootout in Frankfurt. Josh Rock and Daryl Gurney – the tournament's fourth seeds – broke down in tears after holding their nerve to make history with a 10-9 defeat of Jonny Clayton and Gerwyn Price. Having trailed 7-5, the triumphant pair hit back to lead 9-7, only to miss four match darts for the title at 9-8, allowing Clayton and Price – champions in 2020 and 2023 – to force a decider. NORTHERN IRELAND ARE THE 2025 @BetVictor WORLD CUP CHAMPIONS 🏆 Josh Rock and Daryl Gurney have done it… Northern Ireland win the World Cup for the very first time!! What a final as they beat Wales 10-9 👏 — PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) June 15, 2025 Rock and Gurney, who threw first in the final leg, regained their composure to clinch the title before sinking to their knees during an emotional embrace. Playing together for the first time, the champions picked up a team first prize of £80,000. Rock told Sky Sports: 'Me and Daryl said we'll win this World Cup; I wasn't expecting it to be the first time. But we've done it. 'I have the privilege to have made history, we've won the World Cup for Northern Ireland and there is always going to be a star on the back of this shirt. For the very first time… NORTHERN IRELAND ARE WORLD CUP CHAMPIONS 👏 — PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) June 15, 2025 'As a team, we were fantastic. We fought hard all the way through. 'One of the two of us will win a major this year, I think, because when you win on the big stage in front of Sky Sports, it's obviously a different story.' Northern Ireland led 3-1 but then lost six of the next eight legs before regaining control of a captivating contest courtesy of a devastating combination of Rock's scoring power and Gurney's finishing. Following the four missed darts for glory in the penultimate leg, Wales were given a glimmer of hope, only for Gurney to finally nail double eight to secure the trophy. A special, special final… 🏆 — PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) June 15, 2025 'Josh was power scoring and all I had to do was clean up the finishing,' said Gurney. 'I have never been so proud of this man and myself.' Second seeds Wales began Sunday as favourites for silverware after English top seeds Luke Littler and Luke Humphries suffered a shock second-round defeat by Germany on Saturday. Clayton and Price overcame Hong Kong 8-4 in the quarter-finals before defeating Dutch duo Danny Noppert and Gian van Veen in the last four, while Rock and Gurney reached the final by beating Ireland 8-5 and then thrashing German pair Martin Schindler and Ricardo Pietreczko 8-1. An epic title showdown featured 16 maximums – 11 for Northern Ireland. Beaten finalist Price said: 'We started off really slow. We were trying to get into the game, it was really difficult. But we got ourselves in front – the leg to go 8-5 up was a crucial leg for us, and then we find ourselves 8-7 behind. 'Testament to the Irish team, Josh was scoring unbelievably – we probably couldn't keep up with him. In the last leg, I banged a 180 in and thought, 'yeah, we've got them back', then he hits a 177. 'At the beginning of this tournament, I predicted a Wales-(Northern) Ireland final – I just predicted we would win. But fair play to them, they were fantastic.'
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Tottenham weigh up approach for Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite despite David Moyes being keen to keep £70m-rated stalwart
Tottenham are weighing up an approach for Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite. Their interest, which could be formalised as soon as this week, comes despite the Toffees telling suitors that Branthwaite is not for sale this summer. Chelsea have been pondering over a swoop and Spurs were expected to test the waters, but David Moyes wants the in-demand England international to stay. Manchester United saw offers worth around £50million rejected last year while Liverpool and Manchester City have also kept a close eye on the centre back. Moyes is mindful of how important Branthwaite has become as part of a stubborn backline alongside James Tarkowski, Jake O'Brien and Jordan Pickford. Indeed, he wants to keep the core of his defence together when Everton make the transition from Goodison Park to their new stadium at Bramley Moore. But Branthwaite is said to be keen to make the step up to the Champions League and Spurs can offer it after beating United in the Europa League final last month. Everton, who have the shadow of Profit and Sustainability Rules looming over them, are realistic and could consider substantial bids in the region of £70million. However, Moyes is hopeful that new owners the Friedkin Group can resist any big-money approaches for the 22-year-old - if only for this summer. Branthwaite made 32 appearances in all competitions last season despite being ruled out for the opening months of the campaign after undergoing groin surgery. Spurs are now managed by Thomas Frank and on Sunday, they confirmed the permanent signing of young forward Mathys Tel from Bayern Munich. Meanwhile, Everton are among the clubs showing interest in Lyon left back Nicolas Tagliafico, who is out of contract this month.
