Salernitana have found a replacement for Davide Nicola in former Fiorentina coach Paulo Sousa, who is now tasked with guiding the team away from relegation.
The Campania outfit dismissed the 49-year-old Nicola recently after a disappointing second season at the club, where he only managed to pick up five wins in 22 Serie A outings. He was dismissed by Salernitana for two days last month before being reappointed, but now has been shown the door again.
As confirmed by Gianluca Di Marzio, Paulo Sousa has now taken over as Salernitana’s new head coach and oversaw his first training session today. The 52-year-old Portuguese coach has signed a five-month contract with the club that contains an option for a further two years, should they avoid relegation.
Salernitana currently sit 16th in the Serie A table with 21 points, only four ahead of relegation candidates Hellas Verona, who have recently rediscovered some form.
Granata sporting director Morgan De Sanctis confirmed the club’s decision to replace Nicola with Paulo Sousa to the media today.
“Paulo Sousa has arrived. The signing is near, there are some details that the lawyers are evaluating. Everything has to be written well. He will sign until June with an option for another two years. Everyone from the club’s staff remains.
“Nicola’s official dismissal will arrive shortly. Paulo Sousa has an international profile, great experience and football knowledge. There is conviction that he can give us a hand right away. The project could be extended, but we must all be happy in the coming months.
“It is no mystery that we have listened to other candidates, Sousa must be credited with having strongly wanted Salernitana, as well as others. He saw the match in Verona, but he had also followed other competitions.
“Now we’re starting from the fact that in the last part we weren’t performing well in terms of play and results. This is something that made us reflect, we need to improve on the negative trend of the last period. The lead over the third-last has narrowed and we need to turn it around.”