Andrea Pirlo named Juventus manager as Serie A champions appear to snub Pochettino and Guardiola after Sarri sacked
ANDREA PIRLO has been named the new Juventus manager after being selected by club president Andrea Agnelli.
The retired legend replaces Maurizio Sarri, who was axed following Juve’s Champions League exit on Friday night
Former Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino and current Manchester City Pep Guardiola were among those linked with the role.
But the Serie A kings have internally decided to hand the job to managerial novice Pirlo
The World Cup winner signs on a two-year contract.
A club statement read: “Today, begins a new chapter of his career in the world of football, as it was said almost a week ago: from Maestro to Mister.
“From today he will be THE coach for people of Juventus, as the club has decided to entrust him with the technical leadership of the First Team, after having already selected him for Juventus Under 23.
“Today’s choice is based on the belief that Pirlo has what it takes to lead from his debut on the bench, an expert and talented squad to pursue new successes.”
The 41-year-old spent four years in Turin after arriving from AC Milan in 2011.
After winning the league every season with Juve, he moved to New York City but retired after two seasons.
He has since embarked on a coaching career and was named the Old Lady’s Under-23 manager just nine days ago.
Without taking charge of a single game, he received an immediate promotion to first-team boss.
He will succeed Sarri who, despite steering the Italian’s to a ninth successive title, was fired as they crashed out of Europe against Lyon.
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The sacked former Chelsea boss could now be in line to receive up to £27million in compensation.
Sarri penned a three-year deal when he took over last summer, worth a basic figure of around £5m per season, and Juve are obliged to pay out the remainder of his contract.
Agnelli could shell out between £18m and £27m to cover the compensation package depending on whether he gets another job within the next two years.