Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Reuters
Reuters
Sport

Cagliari appoint Di Francesco to replace Zenga as coach

FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Champions League - Round of 16 Second Leg - FC Porto v AS Roma - Estadio do Dragao, Porto, Portugal - March 6, 2019 AS Roma coach Eusebio Di Francesco during the match REUTERS/Pedro Nunes

Serie A club Cagliari have appointed former Sassuolo, AS Roma and Sampdoria boss Eusebio Di Francesco as their new coach after deciding not to extend the contract of Walter Zenga.

"An expert and well-prepared coach, capable of giving a precise identity to his teams, Di Francesco will now put all his professionalism and skills at Cagliari's disposal to contribute to the growth of the club," said the Sardinians in a statement.

Former Italy goalkeeper Zenga was appointed at the start of March but had to wait three months for his debut as Serie A was halted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

His 13 games in charge produced three wins, four draws and six defeats as Cagliari finished 14th.

Di Francesco built his reputation with Sassuolo, leading them into Serie A for the first time in the club's history in 2013.

He joined AS Roma in 2017 and enjoyed an impressive first season, leading them to third place and to the Champions League semi-finals after a campaign which included a memorable comeback against Barcelona.

However, the following season was less impressive and he was sacked in March 2019.

Sampdoria appointed him before the start of last season but he was fired after seven matches which included six defeats.

(Writing by Brian Homewood; Editing by Toby Davis)

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.