AC Milan have confirmed the appointment of Marco Giampaolo as the club’s new head coach.
Giampaolo left his role as Sampdoria manager last week and has signed a two-year contract at the San Siro with an option to extend by a further year.
Who is Marco Giampaolo? Five key things to know…
- Giampaolo was born in Switzerland but grew up in Italy.
- He turned out for a host of Italian clubs during an 11-year playing career but never made it to Serie A.
- Upon retirement he went into management, landing his first job as a number one at Ascoli in 2004.
- He went on to coach several Italian sides before ending up at Sampdoria, with whom he spent three years before resigning last week.
- Giampaolo led Sampdoria to ninth place in 2018/19 and will start his new job as Milan boss on July 1st.
The 51-year-old will take over from Genarro Gattuso, who resigned after failing to qualify for the Champions League with Milan.
Gattuso has reportedly turned down an offer to effectively swap jobs with Giampaolo by filling the vacancy at Sampdoria.
Subscribe to Squawka’s Youtube channel here.
Bad news for Arsenal?
Giampaolo’s appointment at Milan could be bad news for Arsenal amid speculation linking Lucas Torreira with a return to Italy.
Torreira has revealed he preferred life in Italy to England and the midfielder’s agent, Pablo Bentancurt, has suggested his client would listen if Giampaol0 made an offer for him to join Milan.
“I know nothing about the Rossoneri’s interest, no one contacted me,” Bentancurt said. “I have learned of this possibility through the press.
“Would Giampaolo’s call be something special for Lucas? Yes, clearly.”