AC Milan appoint Marco Giampaolo as new head coach
The former Sampdoria boss replaces Gennaro Gattuso at San Siro as the Serie A club looks to improve on its fifth-placed finish from last term
AC Milan have announced the appointment of Marco Giampaolo as their new head coach, with the Switzerland-born 51-year-old signing a deal until 2021 with the option of an additional year.
Milan have been in the hunt for a new boss since Gennaro Gattuso’s departure at the end of last season, after the former Italy international failed to lead the Rossoneri to a Champions League spot in Serie A.
Sporting director Leonardo also left the with Gattuso as they sought a complete overhaul.
Giampaolo will now be in charge of leading the revival at San Siro.
The Italian left Sampdoria at the end of last season having led them to a ninth-placed finish in Serie A, and has previously had spells at Empoli, Brescia, Cagliari and Siena.
Milan have already been linked with moves for Liverpool defender Dejan Lovren and Hoffenheim forward Andrej Kramaric as they seek to bolster their squad ahead of the 2019-20 campaign.
Lovren failed to get regular game time for the European champions last term, with the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip all being prefered at centre-back.
And his Croatia team-mate Kramaric put in some impressive performances in the Bundesliga after starring at the World Cup in Russia last summer.
Giampaolo will already be considering how to get the best out of Krzysztof Piatek and could look to build a team around the 23-year-old.
Piatek scored nine goals in 18 Serie A appearances for Milan after signing from Genoa last January as a replacement for Gonzalo Higuain, who ended his loan from Juventus early in order to join Chelsea.
But Milan will not be the only club looking to make an impact in Serie A next term.
The Italian top flight is taking on a new look with a number of fresh faces coaching its top clubs.
Antonio Conte joined Inter last month after spending a year out of the game following his departure from Chelsea, and Maurizio Sarri left the west London club to join Juventus.
With new men at the helm of both Milan-based clubs, they will be looking to improve on their fourth and fifth-placed finishes last season.
Click Here: essendon bombers guernsey 2019
