After Massimiliano Allegri, another high-profile Italian coach is back on a Serie A bench following a sabbatical as Lazio have officially hired Maurizio Sarri. The Biancocelesti lost Simone Inzaghi to Inter earlier in the offseason. Despite a late agreement, they could not lock him up with an extension before he became a candidate to replace Antonio Conte.
The 62-year-old manager returns after a year away as he was sacked by Juventus last July. He led the Bianconeri to the ninth domestic title in a row, but they were eliminated early in the Champions League, at the hands of Lyon, and in Coppa Italia. Moreover, he was reportedly not well-liked inside the locker room because of his strict rules and extensive tactical work in practice.
After cutting his teeth for a long time in the lower leagues, Sarri arrived in Serie A with Empoli in 2014/2015. He was poached by Napoli the following season and established them as serious title contenders during his three-year run, finishing second on two separate occasions. After partying ways with the Partenopei, he was hired by Chelsea, closing in third position and winning the Europa League in his lone season in England.
He has agreed to a two-year contract with an optional third one, with a €3M base salary. He could get €1M bonuses in each season depending on the team’s results, Libero reports. It is about half what he was making at Juventus, but he recently received €2.5M for the early termination of his previous deal. The negotiation with president Claudio Lotito dragged for a few days to iron out his staff, the transfer market plans, and some logistical difficulties. The gaffer will move on from 3-5-2 and demanded reassurances to be able to do it.