Official: Sarri becomes new Atalanta head coach

Maurizio Sarri has been officially appointed as Atalanta head coach, bringing one of Italian football’s most distinctive tactical minds to Bergamo as the club prepare for their first Conference League campaign.

The club welcomed the Italian with a statement published on their official website.

The 67-year-old arrives with a storied CV: over 800 professional matches managed, a UEFA Europa League title with Chelsea, a Serie A Scudetto with Juventus and three consecutive seasons of breaking Napoli’s points record under his belt.

Most recently he led Lazio to the Coppa Italia final, having previously guided the Biancocelesti to the Champions League Round of 16 in 2023/24, described in the statement as the second-best European result in the Roman club’s history.

The appointment also represents a reunion with sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli, with whom Sarri worked closely during his transformative years at Napoli between 2015 and 2018.

That partnership produced some of the most thrilling football Italian football has seen in the modern era, and Atalanta will be hoping lightning strikes twice.

Born in Naples but raised in Tuscany, with a childhood spell in the Bergamo area, Sarri’s connection to the region adds a personal dimension to one of the most intriguing coaching appointments of the summer.