Thiago Motta appointed new Juventus head coach after Massimiliano Allegri’s departure

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Thiago Motta has been appointed Juventus head coach on a three-year contract through to 2027.

The 41-year-old replaces former manager Massimiliano Allegri, who was sacked in May despite winning the Coppa Italia.

Motta joins Juventus from Serie A rivals Bologna on the back of delivering Champions League football next season for the first time since 1964-65.

He told his new club’s website: “I am really happy to begin a new chapter at the helm of a great club like Juventus. I thank the owners and the management, who can be sure of my ambition to keep the Juventus flag flying high and to please the fans”.

The former midfielder, who represented both Brazil and Italy at international level, was appointed Bologna head coach in September 2022 and secured a ninth-placed finish in Serie A in his first season.

He oversaw significant progress this season, securing the club’s first top-five league finish since 1981 and clinching a return to Europe’s elite competition.

Bologna confirmed last month that Motta — who previously coached Genoa and Spezia in Serie A — had taken the decision not to continue as coach, with the club thanking him for “giving the team a brilliant playing identity”.

Motta’s playing career encompassed spells at Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Genoa, Inter Milan and Paris Saint-Germain — winning a total of 28 trophies, including the Champions League with both Barca and Inter.

Allegri was sacked by Juventus last month just two days after winning the Coppa Italia, with Juve fourth in the Serie A standings, one place behind Bologna, going into the final round of matches.

The 56-year-old’s first spell at the club had seen him win the Italian top-flight in each of his five seasons in charge between 2014 and 2019, while also reaching the Champions League final in 2015 and 2017.

Allegri’s second stint at Juve was less successful, with the Coppa Italia triumph the club’s only trophy since returning to the dugout in 2021.

However, that win was dampened after Allegri appeared to reject the attention of club directors Cristiano Giuntoli and Maurizio Scanavino after the final whistle while also standing back as his players celebrated in front of supporters.

A statement from Juventus said their decision to part company with Allegri “follows certain behaviours during and after the Coppa Italia final that the club deemed incompatible with the values of Juventus and the behaviour that those who represent it should have”.

The Italian Football Federation’s disciplinary tribunal has since launched an investigation into Allegri’s behaviour.

(Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images)

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