Fiorentina have decided to sack Vincenzo Montella, with Luciano Spalletti the ideal replacement, but Beppe Iachini or Gigi Di Biagio are more likely.
The Viola practically dismissed their coach last night following a 4-1 home defeat to Roma, leaving them with one point from the last six Serie A rounds.
Since returning to the Fiorentina bench in April, Montella had 27 competitive matches in charge, managing just six wins, seven draws and 14 defeats.
Fiorentina have decided to sack Vincenzo Montella, with Luciano Spalletti the ideal replacement, but Beppe Iachini or Gigi Di Biagio are more likely.
The Viola practically dismissed their coach last night following a 4-1 home defeat to Roma, leaving them with one point from the last six Serie A rounds.
Since returning to the Fiorentina bench in April, Montella had 27 competitive matches in charge, managing just six wins, seven draws and 14 defeats.
“It’s not easy to find a strong replacement for Montella. We are a club to be taken seriously, so we won’t go around naming names of other coaches,” said director of sport Daniele Pradè.
“We will sleep on it, as we must make the best decision for Florence, for Fiorentina, for the fans and for us. It’s only right that the patience of the fans has its limits.”
President Rocco Commisso had dropped hints he wanted Gennaro Gattuso, but was too late, as he has already signed for Napoli.
The favourite would now be Spalletti, especially as he has plenty of international experience at Roma, Zenit and Inter, but above all is a lifelong Fiorentina supporter.
However, he is still under contract with Inter following his dismissal in May and that litigation could take a while to conclude.
According to multiple sources including Sky Sport Italia, if Spalletti cannot be coaxed away, then it’s a race between former Sassuolo coach Iachini and ex-Italy Under-21 CT Di Biagio.
Davide Ballardini was spotted in the stands of the Stadio Franchi last night, but he was in the area to watch his son play Aglianese earlier in the day.
Cesare Prandelli is another alternative for a return to Florence after brief spells with Valencia and Genoa.