Genoa have chosen Alexander Blessin as their new coach to replace Andriy Shevchenko. The German gaffer will sign a contract until June 2024.
Blessin has coached at RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga and KV Oostende in Belgium’s top league. The Rossoblu paid a rescission clause to Oostende of 1.5 million euros, demonstrating their firm decision to hire him.
The club’s move has caught most commentators by surprise as they were expecting different names such as Rolando Maran – who is still under contract – or Davide Nicola. The rapidity of the negotiation is also testified by Blessin’s farewell words to Oostende:
“It all happened so quickly in just 24 hours, for me it’s still difficult to realize. I will miss all the players, the fans and the club and it’s thanks to them if I can now coach a Serie A club with so much tradition like Genoa.”
Blessin will not have an easy task as Genoa are heavily involved in the relegation dogfight, sitting second-to-last in the Serie A table with 12 points. They lost their last league game 0-6 to Fiorentina on Monday.
It remains to be seen whether the new coach be given more time or will face the pressure to get a quick turnaround fast like his predecessors.