Empoli opted to hire a familiar face to substitute Alessio Dionisi, who moved to Sassuolo. Aurelio Andreazzoli has inked a one-year contract with an optional second season, the club announced. It will be his second stint with the Azzurri.
The coach previously guided the team for two campaigns between 2017 and 2019. He earned the promotion from Serie B in the first year, while the second one, where he was fired and recalled, ended with a relegation. He has collected 22 wins, 11 ties, and 13 draws in 45 total matches with Empoli.
Andreazzoli was out of football last season, while he coached at Genoa in 2019/2020. He lasted only five games as he started just one victory and 5 defeats in the first 8 rounds. The 67-year-old gaffer began his coaching career in the 1990s in the lower leagues and quickly turned into an assistant. Luciano Spalletti chose him to help him out at Udinese in 2003.
They moved to Roma few years later, staying until 2009. He returned with Vincenzo Montella at the helm and stayed in such position under Luis Enrique and Zdenek Zeman. He served as a caretaker manager of the Giallorossi in the second half of the 2012/2013 season, finishing in 6th place. Rudi Garcia confirmed him on the staff, then Spalletti came back to the Italian Capital. They both left and split in 2017, as Andreazzoli was appointed by Empoli.
The veteran manager will adopt a style similar to his predecessor and akin to the club’s philosophy. The Tuscan side has continued to rely on proactive football after the positive experiences with Maurizio Sarri and Marco Giampaolo.