Juventus appoint Andrea Pirlo to replace Maurizio Sarri as their new head coach

Less than seven hours after sacking Maurizio Sarri as their manager, Juventus have appointed former AC Milan and Inter Milan star Andrea Pirlo as their new head coach. The 41-year-old was only recently named the club’s new U23’s head coach but has been promoted without even managing a single game for the Serie C outfit. This will be Pirlo’s first coaching role as he has never managed at either a senior or a youth level before.

The Old Lady had been heavily linked with moves for Simone Inzaghi, Mauricio Pochettino and even Zinedine Zidane as potential managerial options but have chosen to go with an in-house replacement. The statement from the club confirmed as much and it revealed that Pirlo has signed a two-year deal with the Italian giants. It also revealed that the club believes the 41-year-old “has what it takes to lead, from his debut on the bench, an expert and talented squad to pursue new successes”.

“Andrea Pirlo will be the new Juventus coach. 41 years old, born in Flero in the province of Brescia, Andrea Pirlo has a legendary career as a footballer that has led him to win everything from the Champions League to the World Championship in 2006. In his four years at the helm of Juventus midfield, Pirlo has won as many league titles, an Italian Cup and two Super Cups,” reads Juventus’ statement on their official website.

“Today begins a new chapter of his career in the world of football. As it was said about a week ago: from Maestro to Mister . From today he will be THE Coach for the Juventus people , as the club has decided to entrust him with the technical leadership of the First Team, after having already selected him for Juventus Under23. Today's choice is based on the belief that Pirlo has what it takes to lead, from his debut on the bench, an expert and talented squad to pursue new successes.”