Rangers favourite suddenly back in managerial frame as he puts house on market after shock title race collapse
He could still win the league but he's on his way out either way
GATT TO GO Rangers favourite suddenly back in managerial frame as he puts house on market after shock title race collapse
JUST a few months ago his appointment was considered the biggest coup of the season in Croatian football.
But we know a lot can happen in a short space of time in the beautiful game - and that's certainly been the case for Rangers legend Gennaro Gattuso.
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2XTNCEX Split, Croatia. 15th Aug, 2024. Head Coach of Hajduk Split Gennaro Gattuso during the UEFA Conference League Third qualifying round 2nd round between HNK Hajduk Split and MFK Ruzomberok at Poljud stadium in Split, Croatia, on August 15, 2024. Photo: Ivana Ivanovic/PIXSELL Credit: Pixsell/Alamy Live News
Credit: Alamy
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GRAZ, AUSTRIA – JULY 10: Head coach Gennaro Gattuso (L) of Hajduk Split gives tactics during a friendly match between Fenerbahce and Hajduk Split at Merkur Arena in Graz, Austria on July 10, 2024 (Photo by Mustafa Yalcin/Anadolu via Getty Images)
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Gattuso, 47, sealed a shock move to Croatia last June when he put pen to paper over a two-year at Hajduk Split.
The fiery Italian icon had already failed as a manager in Switzerland, Greece, Spain and France as well as enduring difficult spells in his homeland too.
However, it looked like his management career was set to finally turn full circle this season when he was on track to lift his first ever league title from the dugout.
It's been 20 years since Hajduk Split last won the top flight.
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But for the most part of this year's campaign it looked like the historic club were going to end that long wait.
Hajduk started the season with an 11-game unbeaten run in the league which saw them move three points clear at the top of the table.
Their closest challengers throughout the season has been Rijeka in a surprise change despite Dinamo Zagreb winning the last SEVEN titles.
The capital club later appointed Gattuso's old team-mate Fabio Cannavaro but he only lasted three months in the job before he was given the boot.
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Zagreb's failure to capitalise on previous years has left the top flight as a two-horse race for the most part - until last month.
At the beginning of April the seven-time champions found themselves eight points behind Rijeka who have been leading the pack since.
Rangers cult hero Gattuso in astonishing bust-up live on air
But now they're second in the table - after leapfrogging Gattuso's side at the weekend in a shock turn of events.
Hajduk spent a total of 13 weeks at the top but now they're third going into the final three games.
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They can still win the league as only three points separate them and Rijeka but things could've been very different had they won at least one of their last five games.
They've lost their last three, including a devastating 3-1 loss to Zagreb.
And reports in Croatia suggest that defeat was the last straw for the Rangers fan favourite, wo will LEAVE the club at the end of this month - even if he clinches the trophy in the end.
Shock moment ex-Rangers star Rino Gattuso tells his own player to F--- OFF during fiery press conference
Germanijak claim Gattuso has informed Hajduk chiefs of his plans to depart and it's stated that he has already cancelled the lease on the house he has been living in Klis.
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The shock development regarding his future puts him back on the managerial market while his old team Rangers continue their search for a new gaffer.
The Gers board called upon Barry Ferguson to take the reigns until the end of the season and will be one of the many managers on the shortlist for the full-time job.
Although it's unlikely he'll be joined by Gattuso on the list, the Italian legend might have just put himself in the frame with his latest shock decision.
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