Following the high-profile appointments of Zinédine Zidane for France and Jürgen Klopp for Germany, the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) appears ready to follow suit with a statement managerial hiring. According to a report by L'Équipe, Italian football leadership has set its sights on former Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola to lead the national team. The move comes amid a comprehensive overhaul of the FIGC board, which saw Giovanni Malagò take over as president on June 22 and Paolo Maldini named technical director on July 11, supported by Leonardo as a special advisor. The Azzurri have been without a permanent head coach since Gennaro Gattuso resigned on April 3, three days after Italy suffered a catastrophic failure to qualify for a third consecutive World Cup.
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Subscribe Sekarang →Following an interim spell under under-21 coach Silvio Baldini during June's friendly matches, the federation resumed its search for a permanent manager. While initial reports favored former bosses Antonio Conte and Roberto Mancini, Conte stated on DAZN Italy that he had not been contacted by the federation. Meanwhile, editorial monitoring suggests Mancini remains a personal recommendation of President Malagò. However, Guardiola has emerged as the premier candidate due to his current free-agent status after concluding a decade-long tenure at Manchester City, as well as his existing ties to Italian football from his playing days at Roma and Brescia.
Based on reports regarding the federation's pursuit, Maldini and Leonardo traveled to Barcelona last weekend to present a long-term project to the Catalan manager. The proposed offer includes a minimum four-year contract that would see Guardiola play a pivotal role in reforming Italian football. However, enticing the former City boss may prove challenging. In recent comments made to OKX, Guardiola expressed a strong desire to take a sabbatical, stating, "I've decided to stop because I want to take a little more care of myself. Mentally, I don't miss anything. I want to try to discover life, to be happy doing other things that aren't related to football."
Observations from the editorial team indicate that economic factors will play a crucial role in deciding Italy's next manager. Should the legendary pair of Maldini and Leonardo fail to convince Guardiola, alternative candidates such as Andrea Pirlo or Antonio Conte—who remains the preferred choice among Serie A club presidents—could re-enter the frame. Maldini is scheduled to outline his financial and structural plans at the upcoming Lega Serie A assembly this Thursday, where club owners may discuss contributing to a marquee manager's salary. Promising a swift resolution, FIGC President Giovanni Malagò told Sky Sport, "A few more days of patience and you will know everything."